Robertson County Parent Survey 2016 Results & Report 6th through 12th grades

Parent Participation: All Time High

Congratulations Heritage Elementary: Greenbrier Middle School 48% participation Reward: $1,000 Robertson County Schools & REdI Greenbrier Middle School 42% participation Reward: $750

Overall 80% of responding parents are satisfied or very satisfied with their overall experience in Robertson County Schools 70% think our system does a good or excellent job at providing quality education to all students 64% think our system does a good or excellent job compared to surrounding counties 51% feel our system does a poor to fair job compared to neighboring private schools Remember that information is from those that responded, not the entire population but 20% response rate is excellent

Academics 69% of all surveyed say their students are planning to attend a 4 year college after high school (72% of all high school parents) 75% are satisfied/very satisfied with the guidance program 31% of high school parents say our system does a poor to fair job at preparing their students for the next level after high school Results of this vary by school: Parents with Advanced Students say their needs are not being met at this rate: Heritage Elementary 55% Coopertown Middle 54% Springfield High 38% Greenbrier High 35% Heritage High 34% Greenbrier Middle 32% Jo Byrns High 27% East Robertson High 27% Springfield Middle 26% Parents with students at grade level say their needs are not being met at this rate: East Robertson High 64% Heritage Elementary 59% Coopertown Middle 55% Greenbrier High 44% Heritage High 44% Springfield High 37% Greenbrier Middle 31% Springfield Middle 21% Parents with students below grade level say their needs are not being met at this rate: Greenbrier High 64% Springfield High 52% Heritage High 51% Jo Byrns High 39% East Robertson High 36% Greenbrier Middle 34% Springfield Middle 30% Heritage Elementary 27%

Communications 87% feel there is a welcoming atmosphere in their school Between 70-87% responded with good or excellent when asked if teachers, school office staff, principals, district office staff and school board members are responsive to their concerns Charts looks the same at all schools with only a slight variance in %

Behavior Do you believe there are serious and recurring student behavior issues at your child's school outside of the general behavioral issues you may have on occasion?: 31% say yes 2016 2014 Change Springfield High School 51% 23% +28* Greenbrier High School 46% 21% +25 Greenbrier Middle School 34% 22% +12* East Robertson High School 32% 19% +13 Jo Byrns High School 32% 13% +19* Heritage High School 24% 13% +11 Springfield Middle School 23% 36% -13 Coopertown Middle School 11% 18% -7 9th through 12th grades 39% 17% 6th through 8th grades 26% 23% *numbers inconsistent with some behavior indicators

Technology No access to internet: 2012 13% 2014 7% 2016 3.5% 2012 13% 2014 7% 2016 3.5% Elementary 2015 12% Even though the rate is dropping each year on the 6th – 12th survey, it could be because those without internet are not filling out the survey. From the Elementary survey last year, 12% of parents did not have access and most of these surveys are filled out via paper because they are sent home with the kids in the communication folders. We only had 80 surveys from paper to enter this year whereas we had over 1000 last year submitted via paper.

Websites What information could be added to your school's website that would be helpful to you?: Classroom Assignments (57%) Links to online textbooks (57%) School News (50%) Club/Sports information updated (49%) Parent involvement opportunities (40%) Lunch menu button (39%) Graduation Hub (38%) Daily Announcements (36%)

Nutrition 43% of parents are not satisfied with school lunches (up from 34% in 2014) Comments: Food running out before late lunch periods Portions too small Taste of food Need vegetarian options Provided information to Patsi Gregory by school so she can address any issues.

Facilities 89% feel satisfied/very satisfied with school safety Up from 77% in 2014; 69% in 2012 All schools now have secure entrances and processes in place to keep the campuses safe 85% feel the overall condition of the schools are neat, clean and in good repair 15% that don’t listed these as the top priorities: Bathrooms (cleanliness & facilities) Gyms (cleanliness on and under bleachers) Heating A/C Painting interior walls Sandy Hook: December 2012 Each school has specific issues that can be addressed but bathrooms were tops across the county

Transportation 37% of parents are not satisfied with their students’ bus experience Up from 22% in 2014 Biggest issues: Amount of time students are on the bus Long waits for after school bus e.g. some are waiting over an hour after school has been dismissed Need cameras on the busses Extra monies from the fuel budget due to the lower cost of fuel this year have been allocated to buy cameras for all school buses.

Innovation Academy 22% of high school parents responding know the Innovation Academy is available; 28% of middle school parents 140 parents wanted more information sent to them about the program General comments: Need more STEM programs in the system Interest in computer coding Implement “Standards-Based-Grading”

Strategic Plan Suggestions Academics: Homework Hotline Promotion; Marketing Plan for Successes & Programs Communications: Move to more texting & emailing for school wide information (unless vital to make a call); communicate to teachers regarding the request for emails Behavior: Transparency in reporting general discipline information; consistency in reporting throughout the system Nutrition: Develop a survey for the nutrition department to gather more information; make sure food is not running out for late lunch periods. Facilities: “Attack of the Teenage Bathroom” project Transportation: Follow-up survey to parents; have cameras installed on all busses; “Bell-Time” study to help address timing concerns

Next Steps Coordinate with school administration to confirm that suggestions are reflected in the school system’s strategic plan Report on what programs are being put in place to address significant parent concerns Monitor and report on the results of programs put in place as a result of these concerns