1. Pocantico Hills School District Community Connect Poll Results Report to the Board of Education March 26, 2007 Heather T. Adams, Business Development Manager New York State School Boards Association

2. Overview What is Community Connect? Pocantico Hills Poll Poll Results Things to consider

3. What is

4. From your residents’ telephone... Residents are invited to call a toll-free phone number and answer a series of questions designed by the district in cooperation with NYSSBA. Lines are open 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

5. …to NYSSBA’s computer... Questionnaire is recorded into the NYSSBA computer Participants respond to questions by pressing the number keys on their phone or leaving a voice-recorded message.

6. The Poll The 39-question poll was developed, recorded and approved by the district. 696 households were contacted by mail. Reminder Phone messages.

7. The Poll Poll was conducted from Monday, February 27 through Monday, March 12, 2007. A total of 168 individuals responded.

8. Who responded 57% of respondents had lived in the district for 11 or more years, –29% living in the district for more than 20 years. 30% of respondents had a household income more than $150,000 –27% choose not to disclose their household income

9. Who responded 79% of respondents indicated they voted on the May 2006 school district budget. –49% supported the budget –30% did not support the budget –21% declined to disclose how they voted 74% of respondents indicated they voted on the June 2006 school district budget. –66% supported the budget –16% did not support the budget –19% declined to disclose how they voted

10. Who responded Length of residency

11. Who responded Household income

12. Who responded Zip code

13. Who responded respondents with children in school distribution across grade levels

14. Who responded High school child is attending N=48

15. Results

16. Using a traditional grading scale, what grade would you give the Pocantico Hills School District overall?

17. What grade would you give the school board overall? #1 among respondents not supporting either budget, those declining to disclose how they voted, those residing in the district for more than 20 years. #1 among respondents residing in the district for 2-5 years. #1 among those choosing not to disclose income

18. What grade would you give the district's administration overall? #1 among parents with children in grades 9-12, non-supporters of either budget and those declining to disclose how they voted, residents of more than 20 years #1 among supporters of 1 st budget, residents of 2-5 years and those with a HH income of $100,000- $149,999.

19. What grade would you give the district in preparing students for high school? #1 among those declining to disclose how they voted in either budget and those declining to disclose HH income.

20. If you had to pick one specific area of the academic curriculum to strengthen in order to prepare our students for high school what would it be?

21. What grade would you give the district in providing the opportunity for parents and the community to be involved in the school district? #1 among those declining to disclose how they voted and residents of more than 20 years #1 among those voting in the first budget, those not supporting either budget and those living in the district for 11-20 years

22. What grade would you give the district food service operation? #1 among those not supporting the budgets and those declining to disclose how they voted.

23. What grade would you give the district's technology program? #1 among residents living in the district for more than 20 years

24. District Report Card ABCDFNo opinion School district18.2%49.1%24.2%6.1%1.8%0.6% School Board13.3%30.9%20.6%15.8%9.7% Administration22.4%31.5%23.6%9.7%7.9%4.8% Preparing students for high school 15.8%35.8%21.8%9.1%1.8%15.8% Opportunity for parents and community to be involved 33.7%31.9%18.4%8.6%4.3%3.1% Food service operation 13.5%31.9%19.0%11.7%1.8%22.1% Technology program 30.1%31.3%11.7%3.1%0.6%23.3%

25. To what degree do you think it is important for the Board of Education to support small class size in the elementary schools? #1 among non-supporters of the second budget

26. How important should it be to address improvements in building infrastructure? #1 among those not supporting the budgets

27. How important should it be to repair the leak in the swimming pool? #1 among non-voters and those declining to disclose how they voted as well as respondents with a HH income between $75,000- $99,999

28. How important should it be to keep the district's computer systems updated? #1 among those not supporting the 2 nd budget

29. If given a choice, would you prefer to have more than one proposition on the bond issue ballot, allowing residents to vote on different project items separately?

30. Most effective means of communicating information about a future facilities project to the Pocantico Hills community 50.9% Newsletters, flyers and fact sheets 30.4% All of these 9.9% Community forums & presentations 6.2% District web-site 1.2% Local news media 0.6% Board of Education meetings 0.6% Word of mouth or "the grapevine"

31. Did you vote on the 2006 school district budgets? May June

32. How did you vote on the budget? May June

33. Primary reason for supporting 45.2%To support the education system in Pocantico Hills 27.4%Maintaining high quality instruction May June 32.1%To support the education system in Pocantico Hills 26.9%Maintaining high quality instruction 19.2%Satisfaction with the allocation of funds

34. Primary reason for not supporting 45.2%Taxes are too high 27.4%Available funds not allocated properly 21.1%Dissatisfaction with the staff and board May June 42.1%Dissatisfaction with the staff and board 26.3%Available funds not allocated properly 15.8%Taxes are too high

35. Level of satisfaction with the educational value provided by the school district given the community's investment through taxes. #1 among parents of students attending Briarcliff High School, HH income of $50,000-$74,999 #1 among voters, non-supporters of the budget, HH income of more than $150,000 and those not disclosing HH income. #1 among supporters of the budget, HH income of $75,000-$99,999.

36. How well informed do you feel you are about school district budget issues? #1 among parents of students attending Briarcliff High School and respondents with a HH income of $75,000- $99,999

37. Tax Certiorari Currently the state has set one tax rate for both commercial and residential property within the district and taxes are based on residential property value. Over the last few years, residential property assessed values have increased and commercial property has remained level resulting in commercial property being over taxed. As a result, the district has been and will continue to be faced with numerous judgments ordered by the court, totaling millions of dollars.

38. How do you think the district should plan for payment of future judgments ordered by the court?

39. Summer Day Camp

40. Do your children attend or have you considered sending your children to the Pocantico Hills Summer Day Camp?

41. How important is it to increase the Summer Day Camp hours on Fridays from 12 noon to 3 PM? #1 among parents with children in grades 6-8 and non-voters

42. If the district increased Friday Summer Day Camp hours would you be willing to pay an additional amount? #1 among parents with children in grades Pre-K – 8, non-voters, HH income of $75,000 and above #1 among parents with children in grades 9-12, voters, HH income of less than $75,000

43. Information Sources

44. Top source for school district information 32.9%District newsletter 25.3%Student/backpack notes (#1 for residents living in the district for 10 years or less and pre-K-5 parents) 14.6%Weekly letters from superintendent/principal 11.4%Word of mouth 8.2%Board meetings 3.2%District web-site 1.9%Neighborhood meetings 1.3%Teachers 1.3%Don’t receive information 0.0%PTA

45. Things to consider 1. Lower response rate than 2003 survey 2003 – 2912007 - 168

46. Things to consider 2. Lack of information on Tax Certiorari issue

47. Things to consider 3. Importance of school newsletter and other school publications as an unfiltered source of information

48. Things to consider 4. Baseline data–continue to gather community input

49. Questions