Sept. 26, 2006

Opinion survey shows continued satisfaction with GCISD
School finance and state funding remain top concern among community

Grapevine-Colleyville ISD residents continue to be satisfied with the quality of the District and the education students receive, while the issues of school finance and state funding remain concerns, according to a recent telephone opinion survey conducted for GCISD by Raymond Turco and Associates.

Four out of every five residents sampled, or 80 percent, were either satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of education in GCISD. That number was even higher among parents sampled, with satisfaction ratings of 99 percent among parents of elementary students, 98 percent among parents of middle school students and 95 percent among parents of high school students. Overall satisfaction with the District has been 77 percent or better over the past 10 years, even with various changes in the Board, District leadership, state regulations and financing.

The survey was conducted Feb. 28-March 16 for 401 randomly selected households within GCISD. This is the fifth public opinion poll of residents and is part of the District’s ongoing community outreach. Other polls were conducted in 1996, 1999 and 2001, with residents polled in 2004 to gauge community support for a bond program. Of the households surveyed in 2006, 35 percent were under the age of 44, 25 percent had lived in the District less than five years and 52 percent had no children in the District.

In the current survey, the most important factors in determining quality of the District, rating 95 percent or higher, were parent-teacher conferences, ongoing training for teachers, computer technology availability and training, and cooperation among school board members. High scores on national exams such as SAT, ACT and AP were also highly rated, as was the level of community involvement.

Overall, 48 percent of residents surveyed assigned GCISD a grade of “A” and 38 percent graded the District a “B,” for a combined positive rating of 86 percent. Lower grades have remained fairly consistent over the past 10 years, while higher “A” grades each year indicate more enthusiastic responses.

In addition, satisfaction levels among parents regarding the District’s performance at meeting the academic needs of students were high among all grade levels. Parents of middle school students rated the District’s performance highest at 95 percent. Parents of elementary school students rated the District at 89 percent, while 85 percent of parents of high school students indicated that the District is meeting the academic needs of students.

Finances/state funding was cited as one of the top issues facing the District, with Robin Hood/state financing and keeping good teachers named as other concerns. This is somewhat consistent with previous surveys, although concerns about growth/overcrowding and drugs/alcohol have decreased.

Survey results were presented to the Board of Trustees on Sept. 25 and will be used to help District staff and Trustees better understand how the community views education in the District.

Fast facts from the 2006 survey:

• Nearly 16 of every 17 residents, or 94 percent, surveyed said the District provides a variety of academic opportunities.
• Parents were complimentary of the overall curriculum and the quality of teaching by ratios of 11.5:1, and 11 of every 12 parents surveyed felt that teachers and staff address the instructional needs of their child.
• Health services, advanced academics, gifted and talented, social studies instruction and economically disadvantaged programs were the student services that received the highest ratings among parents.
• Of parents sampled, 62 percent were either satisfied or very satisfied with the job the District has done in preparing students who continue their education.
• Of residents surveyed, 69 percent said the performance of GCISD students to students nationwide is better than average.
• Nine of every 10 residents surveyed placed their highest confidence in individual campus administration, but were still highly confident of central administration (rated better than six to one) and the school board (rated better than four to one).
• Providing comparable education opportunities for students on each campus, meeting the instructional needs of all students, and planning for future needs were the District activity statements that generated the highest satisfaction ratings. Also rating highly were addressing the concerns of parents, effectively communicating with District residents and providing parent education opportunities for working with his/her child academically.
• The top five most important issues for the school board to address in the next two years are quality of education/curriculum, Robin Hood/taxes, finances/state funding/managing money, teacher-related/hiring/paying more, and overcrowding/growth/more schools.

Background of survey:
GCISD retained the public opinion research firm of Raymond Turco & Associates to conduct its periodic public opinion poll of District residents as part of its ongoing community outreach program. This is the fifth time that the firm has conducted this project for the District, resulting in 10 years of trending data. In order to draw valid comparisons, many of the questions were similar to previous surveys, with new questions incorporated to gather public opinion about certain timely issues. The survey was designed to gather opinions about education and related initiatives currently under study, from both the perspective of patrons with and without children in the District. The information gathered in this report will allow elected officials, District staff and interested citizens to better understand how residents in the community view the District, and public support or opposition to District initiatives.

Methodology:
The telephone survey was completed for 401 randomly selected households within GCISD, making 12,478 contacts between Feb. 28-March 16. The average length of the interview was 11 minutes. The study area was divided into four subsectors, matching the current four middle school attendance zones.

Respondent profile:
Of all respondents, 35 percent were under the age of 44, significantly lower than the same age range in prior surveys (54 percent, 61 percent, 51 percent). Another 47 percent were 45-49 years old while 17 percent were 60 years or older. The percentage of respondents who had lived in the District less than five years was 25 percent, while the number of residents living in GCISD more than 11 years jumped to 51 percent compared to prior surveys (32 percent, 30 percent, 36 percent). The number of households with no children in the GCISD schools increased to 52 percent in 2006, compared to 49 percent in 1996, 42 percent in 1999 and 33 percent in 2001.