Decorah Community School District Stakeholder Survey Results

Decorah CSD Stakeholder Survey Highlights 368 respondents Strengths of Decorah Community School District Balance of strong academics, sports, extra-curricular activities Dedicated teachers and great, well-rounded students High expectations (academic, social, other) Involved, supportive parents Pride in the district (by community and district stakeholders Challenges or Areas for Improvement Diversity Elementary Facilities Continued focus on improving academics Mental health support for students

Strengths and Points of Pride In addition to academic excellence, we have a large number of wonderful extracurricular activities that are supported by our administration and our families. Music and speech/drama are better supported in Decorah than in many other districts. We have talented hard working students and families. There is an expectation and pride in how hard we work to be intelligent and do well in sports. Dedicated and supportive staff, parents, community members, and students on the school property and in the community, and at other local school districts that we might visit! Good teachers and staff that have high expectations of our students. Very good activity programs across the board.....sports, speech, music, drama, etc.

Challenges & Areas of Focus Acceptance of racial and religious differences, along with staff that are over controlling or do things inappropriate to their position/authority. The district would benefit from new perspectives from administrators and staff that are not from Decorah or graduates of Luther. I also feel that our ongoing debate regarding an elementary school needs to be resolved. John Cline either needs to be renovated/updated, or it needs to be replaced as soon as possible. Treating all students equally- the high achievers, the middle of the road students, and those who are challenged. The students in the "middle" often are overlooked. Communication across the board. With 5 school buildings it takes a good leader to keep everyone informed and moving in the same direction. Something we are very much lacking at this point. Need more respect for your fellow workers. We have not had a good leader with direction for the district for some time now.

General Feedback/Comments This person needs to be easy for the staff to work with, yet a strong leader, who can make tough decisions and back them up. I believe it is crucial to have a superintendent with strong community relations and good communication. Our current situation with trying to get a new school built has shown how important communication is. A superintendent will need to manage the current operations of the district and will need to set the direction we will go in the future. The superintendent also needs to provide leadership for all school district employees, students and parents. A school leader should have a good moral compass. They should be visible at school functions and willing to help the administrative team supervise events. They should seek input from their administrative team. FYI: superintendents come in many forms - Decorah doesn't need to continually hire an older, white man.

Professional Skills Desired 177: Builds School and Community Relations 143: Effectively Manages District Resources 139: Develops and Models a Vision for the District 126: Ability to Lead School Improvement Efforts 123: Visible in the School and Community

Personal Traits Desired 238: Is Approachable and Open Minded 147: Demonstrates Collaborative Leadership 137: Follows Through on Tasks and Responsibilities 123: Demonstrates Integrity

Top Desired Qualifications (Personal & Professional) 238: Is Approachable and Open Minded 177: Builds School and Community Relations 147: Demonstrates Collaborative Leadership 143: Effectively Manages District Resources 139: Develops and Models a Vision for the District 126: Ability to Lead School Improvement Efforts