Survey examines votersí thoughts about Dist. 196 and levy Posted 6/29/01 by Brett Andersen Staff Writer Just what does the public think of and expect out of District 196? At the June 25 meeting, the Board of Education came closer to answering that question when Skip Bresin of KV Systems Corporation presented the results of a districtwide survey. Bresin prefaced the results by stating they are a ìscientific snapshotî of public opinion. And the district should be prepared for that opinion to shift over time. He also stated there are no correct scores. For example, a 50 percent may be very good in one category but considered poor in a different category. Also, individual interpreters will view scores differently. The 55-question survey used a random sample of 447 individuals who voted in the November 2000 general election. The survey was gender and geographically balanced. Bresin stated the margin of error is plus or minus 5 percent for a poll of this type. He cautioned that since the survey was done over about two weeks toward the end of April, the impact of some of the recent budget adjustments may not be reflected in the survey. The report is broken down demographically to include all individuals surveyed, parents of children in the district, levy supporters, levy opponents and by city of residence. While Bresin keeps other districtsí survey results confidential, he stated that the more than 86 percent of parents surveyed who rated the district ìabove averageî or ìexcellentî is the highest rating heís had this year. He said heís completed surveys for several other suburban school districts. Nearly 80 percent of all surveyed ranked District 196 ìaverageî or higher. A mere 2.2 percent considered the district ìbelow averageî or ìpoor.î Levy opponents ranked the district ìabove averageî or ìexcellentî by 65.5 percent. When asked if they are proud of their schools and would recommend them to friends, 91.5 percent of parents agreed and 84.6 of all surveyed agreed. 80.3 percent of levy opponents agreed they were proud of their schools and would recommend them to friends. In the school finance categories, Bresin said District 196 scored comparable to other suburban scores. Seventy-two percent agreed they got their moneyís worth from schools and 15.2 percent disagreed. The balance responded ìdonít know.î Levy opponents thought they received their moneyís worth by 54.9 percent. However, only 22.1 percent thought money was being spent wisely. Of all surveyed, 52.1 percent thought money was spent wisely and 31.1 percent thought money was spent unwisely. Bresin stated a large percentage claiming they donít know is typical during financial questions. Several questions were asked concerning school programs and what the district should increase or decrease. The top four items on the ìdo moreî list are basic instruction in reading, writing and math (55.5); extra academic help for students who need it (53.9); classes to prepare students for college (50.1); and education in the use of computers and technology (48.8). The ìdo lessî category didnít generate any overwhelming concerns. The top three items were athletics (12.5); community education (6.3); and student transportation (5.4). The survey exposed a large division in the community when asking about the 2000 levy referendum. While 62.2 percent of all and 70 percent of parents agreed the levy was necessary to maintain a quality program, 82.8 percent of levy opponents disagreed. In fact 53.3 percent of all surveyed thought the district did not demonstrate a clear need for a levy. Levy proponents named the desire to maintain programs and a quality education and that schools need more money as the top reasons for supporting the levy (21.6 percent each). People voting against the levy cited that it cost too much; taxes are too high was cited as their primary reason for voting against the levy (28.5). The district not spending money wisely was named by 25.9 percent of levy opponents as their reason for voting against the levy. While it may never be completely understood what role the schools play in the local economy ó considering developments, property values and population ó the survey did indicate more than 69 percent of those surveyed considered the quality of the schools before deciding to move into the district. The comparisons among Rosemount, Apple Valley and Eagan didnít demonstrate any dramatic differences between the citiesí responses. ©Thisweek Newspapers