Survey ranks district as ‘good’

A recent survey of parents found the Post Falls School District is mostly good, very good and excellent.

More than 850 parents responded to the School Improvement Survey the district mailed to homes or asked parents to fill out during parent-teacher conferences.

About 80 percent of all responses rated the district “good” or better. Superintendent Jerry Keane said the district surveys its constituents – parents, students and employees – on a rotating basis. This year, it was the parents’ turn to weigh in.

“It’s just to make sure we’re doing the right stuff and to try to get feedback as to what we can do better,” Keane said.

The unscientific survey confirmed something the district already knew, Keane said. It found that parents wanted better connections with their children’s teachers.

It also revealed some information that surprised Keane. More parents than he expected said they were familiar with No Child Left Behind, the federal education law, and the state’s Idaho Standards Achievement Test. He said parents were also familiar with the graduation requirement that says students must pass the ISAT to get a diploma.

The survey was broken into two parts, Keane said.

The first asked parents about the general quality of the district’s programs.

The second asked parents how familiar they were with No Child Left Behind and state-required tests.

Though only about 17 percent of parents responded to the survey, Keane said he felt good about the participation. Anything close to 20 percent is a good response, he said.

The superintendent cautioned that too much weight shouldn’t be placed on the survey results.

“Obviously, people who did take the time to respond obviously felt pretty strongly,” he said. “What the survey gives us is just a little snapshot of where we are right now and what we can do better.”