Board Finalizes Community Survey at Special Facilities Meeting

A draft of a community survey was finalized by the Neenah Joint School District Board of Education at a special meeting on October 8. The survey will be sent to the printer this week and is expected to be in mailboxes by October 21 with a return deadline of November 11.

The Board offered a variety of suggestions to clarify language and charts on the first two pages of the document. Much of the night’s discussion centered around a statement on the fourth and fifth pages in regards to updating elementary schools. The statement read “it has not been determined which schools would be expanded, renovated or closed.”

Some Board members were concerned that the statement could distract survey respondents from the main questions of the survey when the Board has not had any discussions yet about closing any schools. They also mentioned that any elementary changes would be several years away from happening, since new construction for two middle schools or a high school would need to take place first. Other Board members did not want the public to perceive that the District is hiding anything and mentioned that a similar statement appeared in the pathways reviewed at the community engagement sessions over the summer. In the end, the consensus of the Board believed changing “would” to “could” in that statement would be a more accurate wording.

Board members also had a similar discussion about whether converting Horace Mann into an elementary school would be considered a “phase 1” or “future phase” project, since it also would not happen until after new construction and other changes take place. It was eventually determined to keep the project in the phase 1 category.

The Board suggested creating a “Frequently Asked Questions” document for the website so that survey respondents seeking additional clarification would have an easy place to find answers. They also suggested adding demographics questions in regards to whether people taking the survey have grandchildren or future children in the District.

Bill Foster from School Perceptions, which will administer the survey, attended the meeting. The survey will be sent via mail to all District residents and may also be filled out online.