Public dislikes emphasis on FCAT
Revamp school lunch program, survey respondents say
BY MEGAN DOWNS
FLORIDA TODAY
Brevard Public Schools needs to spend less time focusing on the FCAT and improve its lunch program, according to results from a community survey conducted by the district.
The school system won high marks for maintaining safe, clean schools and boosting parent involvement.
District officials surveyed 2,189 people, including teachers, parents, students and retirees, asking them to rank the best and worst parts of the school system.
They also asked participants to list potential threats facing the district in the next few years, as well as potential opportunities that the district should seize.
The district will use results from the survey to assist in strategic planning.
"We want to make sure that we have considered all viewpoints," said Steve Muzzy, assistant superintendent of information technology. "This info will be used by our board and our strategic planning team to make more informed decisions."
Muzzy said participation in the online survey increased tenfold over last year and they received responses from 30 out of Brevard's 48 zip codes. The survey was open to the community to respond for almost a month.
The majority of the respondents -- 1,996 -- were parents. The parents listed strengths in this order: cleanliness of buildings, opportunities for parental involvement, safety and security, quality of teachers, student access to technology and the district's Web site.
Other findings include:
All survey participants listed the district's weaknesses as too much emphasis on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, poor disciplinary policies, a lackluster school lunch program, not enough counseling services and a lack of foreign language programs.
Parents listed the biggest threats to school success as lack of education funding, the potential loss of space industry jobs and the overall economy.
In separate survey, the district polled parents and employees to give the school system grades in 32 categories. Each child was given a copy of the survey to have a parent complete.
About 21,000 elementary school parents polled gave the district an "A" in 31 of 32 categories, including expectations of student learning and a safe and clean environment. They gave it a "B" in the breakfast and lunch program.
About 3,400 middle school parents polled gave the district an "A" in 27 of 32 most categories but "B" in five categories including overall quality, BPS TV, extra-curricular actives, homework quality, breakfast and lunch program.
High school parents gave schools an "A" in only one of 32 categories: progress reports. Parents gave a B in 32 categories and a C in one category, the breakfast and lunch program
About 5,560 employees polled gave the district an "A" in 26 categories, including overall satisfaction and accountability. They gave the district a "B" for strategic plan communication, decision making and encouraging innovation, a "C" for equipment and resources and opportunities to improve the work environment.
Employees gave Brevard an "F" for employee recognition.
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