By Crystal Hayduk
The Chelsea School District Board of Education conducted a special meeting on Dec. 8 to learn the results of the recent community survey.
Consultant Rich Ramsey of the Michigan Association of School Boards presented board members with the information collected from the online SurveyMonkey and the community forums conducted in November, as well as the results of the board member survey.
The survey and forums were conducted to determine the community’s thoughts about the district’s strengths and opportunities for improvement and characteristics for the next superintendent.
Out of about 2,100 households with children in the Chelsea School District, 160 people responded to the survey. “More is always better, but I’m satisfied with that number of responses,” said Ramsey.
“The people of this district elected the board, and it seems they are relatively satisfied with how the school is run. There are always some people who are unhappy, and this has given them an opportunity to share their thoughts,” he said.
The common themes that emerged from the survey are as follows:
District strengths – dedicated, caring, and effective teachers and staff; student academic achievement; music, arts, and athletics.
District challenges – funding and budget, class size and student enrollment, communication, and staff morale.
Desired superintendent background – master’s degree with administrative certification; previous experience as a teacher and assistant superintendent or superintendent; expertise in budget development, curriculum development, and contract negotiations.
Both the board and the community agreed that the top personal qualities desired by the next superintendent are honesty, integrity, and high ethical standards.
The board set the minimum salary at $140,000.
It is expected that the position will be posted for a nationwide search no later than Jan 4.
“I’ve been pleased and impressed with the thoughtfulness and commitment of this board of education,” said Ramsey. “They are paying attention to the needs assessment of the survey and to transparency.”
