School district officials seeking views on improving communications

Community members encouraged to provide feedback, suggestions via online survey

Jan. 22, 2009- The Voorheesville Central School District is launching an online survey to learn what the community thinks about district communications.

“We are seeking ways to improve communications with our publics. To do this, we need to determine what information is most important to them and hear their ideas about how that information should be communicated,” said Board of Education President David Gibson. “All of the feedback we receive will be considered seriously as the district continues to devise a more strategic communications plan.”

Community members, parents, business owners and other district stakeholders are encouraged to take a few minutes to complete this brief online survey on the district’s communications efforts.

In December, Gibson facilitated a special public forum that included an overview of the district’s current communications efforts, an open discussion of its effectiveness and suggestions about ways in which the district may be able to better communicate.

“We truly appreciated hearing the thoughts and opinions of the nearly 30 community members in attendance,” said Gibson. “With the online surveys, we hope to provide a broader opportunity for everyone in the community to offer feedback.”

A core group of district officials have been charged with reviewing the feedback and meeting frequently to identify areas for consideration and oversee any potential changes.

The group has already identified several recommendations that may be implemented now at no cost, including:

• Posting middle school and high school announcements on the district Web site.

• Repairing the Web site search feature, which was not working effectively

• Meeting with one of the weekly newspapers to strengthen the relationship

• Meeting with the local seniors center to better facilitate communication

A number of suggestions that carry a cost are currently being researched for consideration in the future, including:

• The cost and benefits of producing a school district calendar

• The cost and benefits of adding an interactive calendar to the district Web site

The district appreciates all feedback.

The survey closed on Friday, Feb. 13.

Review a summary of the public forum (PDF).