Surveys show parent, student support of district's teachers

By Leigh Ann Maze

For the first time ever, the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District surveyed its students, staff and parents. The results, which came back in June, were positive, although there is some room for improvement at the schools.

"It's nice to know that everyone feels safe at school, and that the students and parents feel we have a strong teaching staff, a quality curriculum and informed advisors," said Los Gatos High School principal Trudy McCulloch, after seeing the survey results. "The students feel they are treated well by the staff and by each other."

McCulloch also pointed out areas where the survey showed LGHS needs to improve, among them the maintenance and cleanliness of facilities and discipline.

More than 26 percent of parents and 52 percent of staff members said that they were dissatisfied with the school's facilities, according to the survey.

Survey results show that more than 26 percent of students, 14 percent of parents and more than 20 percent of teachers would like to see discipline at LGHS more consistently applied. McCulloch said she would devise a formal action plan during the summer to resolve those issues. McCulloch also said she wants to focus on issues of diversity at LGHS, and feels there is a need to broaden the curriculum to better include students who don't plan to continue after high school at a four-year university.

At Saratoga High School, Principal Kevin Skelly said that some of the areas in which he wants to improve are similar to those at LGHS, such as fairness and consistency of student discipline and broadening the curriculum to include the middle student. Inadequate facilities and campus cleanliness were also concerns voiced in the SHS survey.

Unique to SHS, though, was the issue of the amount of homework given to students. Fifteen percent of parents and 28 percent of students were dissatisfied with the amount of homework given. Another result of the survey--which Skelly said was a surprise--was dissatisfaction with the technical education available at SHS. More than 14 percent of parents and 17 percent of students were dissatisfied with the high school's computer classes.

District superintendent Cynthia Ranii said she is working this summer to try and get all schools in the district up to speed in terms of technology.

Skelly said that the survey reflected that students, staff and parents feel SHS is a safe and positive environment that provides quality education. More than 93 percent of the students said they were treated well by their teachers.

The district will use the results to improve the schools and as a baseline for future surveys. The district gave the survey as a result of a district objective the board of trustees set for the 1999-2000 school year, to implement a continuous improvement program. Consultant Julie Sambusso developed, administered and analyzed the surveys, which were mailed home to parents in March. Fifty-one percent of Los Gatos parents returned the survey while 37 percent of Saratoga parents returned them. Sambusso said both return rates are very high.

The survey was given to more than 99 percent of the students and staff in the district in March. Ranii said she was pleased at how seriously the staff, parents and students took the survey.

The survey was also administered at NOVA, the district's alternative education program. NOVA coordinator L.D. Hirschklau reported that for a student body in which 68 percent of students reported they do not like school, the students reported general satisfaction with their teachers and how they are treated by them. Students were particularly satisfied with the English, social science and physical education programs at NOVA.

One hundred percent of the staff at NOVA replied that it is a good place to work, with good communication and freedom to work on assignments and appropriate salary and benefits. The teachers also reported 100 percent confidence in the superintendent, the board of trustees and their co-workers.

Hirschklau also noted several areas where improvements are needed. Seventy-nine percent of students said they are dissatisfied with the technology available at NOVA. The upkeep of the buildings and grounds and choice and availability of food and snacks also received low marks.

Hirschklau said she would meet with focus groups of students and work to work on solutions.

The survey will be given every even-numbered year. In between, the district will administer focus groups and mini-surveys to help the schools make improvements.

"This is only the first in a long series of surveys that hold us accountable for our services," Ranii said. "We want to continually improve and increase the satisfaction students, staff and parents have with our public services."

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