Looking to do a “deep dive” into what is really happening in the various buildings around your school district? Now, is the time to do a climate and culture study. These surveys provide you with contextual data, so both students and staff may perform at optimum levels. Topics include leadership performance, teacher/staff performance, building atmosphere,…
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By Rick Nobles I recently celebrated my birthday, and it was not a big deal. Although it was a milestone birthday – 65 – which means I get $2 off my next haircut at Great Clips and some other swell discounts, it still was not a big deal. To me. Or to anybody else. Want…
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We recently were hired by a long-time client to conduct internal research about employee perceptions on a variety of topics. We used virtual Listening Sessions via Zoom combined with a real-time online survey to hear from 19 different leadership and staff groups. And the findings have been remarkable. First, we were pleased (and a bit…
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By: Matt Deichmann, APR One of the things I do know – is you don’t know what you don’t know! District administrators and Board members often make assumptions about the thoughts and feelings of all stakeholders based on the feedback from a small group of individuals they know well. To extrapolate results from this extremely…
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If you are planning a ballot issue for your school district in spring 2022, the time is right to do pre-election research. Pre-election research will tell you three things: What your patrons are willing to support. How much they are willing to pay.  How the district is perceived by the voting public, which will help…
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Superintendents dream big: new buildings, performing arts centers, stadiums, and one-to-one initiatives. Whatever it takes to improve the educational experience for their “kids” is exactly what superintendents want – and go after. We applaud the vision, the audacity, and the effort – and we want to help. We have been exceedingly fortunate to work with…
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Is your school district considering a bond issue election in the near future? If so, keep in mind the following things that could impact your election results. Cost – Often, the most important consideration is how much the election will cost the average homeowner in new tax dollars. Depending on the size and nature of your…
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The 80/20 rule has never been more apt. In most school districts, there are two distinct groups of patrons. There are raving fans who support everything the district does and the “citizens against virtually everything” (or CAVE dwellers) who rain on everyone’s parade.  Collectively, these groups generally make up about 20% of the patron population.…
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