Budget Survey

1. DRAFT – FOR DISCUSSION ONLY Budget Survey Chatham County Schools February 12 – 25, 2013

2. These are the most challenging times in a generation for public education in our state and our county. For the fifth consecutive year, Chatham County Schools is forced to adjust its educational programs and operations to cope with a reduced budget. District leadership sought assistance from parents, staff and community members to meet these challenges in a consultative and collaborative way. A survey was available from February 12 to 25, 2013, to provide an opportunity for parents, staff and community members to express their views about budget issues. Participants were sent email invitations with a unique link to access the survey; participants could also request an invitation through the district's YourVoice™ page on the district website. Survey results will be used to help the district make tough choices while understanding how each of the items impacts families in the community. The following report provides an overview of survey responses. DRAFT – FOR DISCUSSION ONLY Overview

3. DRAFT – FOR DISCUSSION ONLY Participation Rate and Distribution Note: *Percent excludes “Did Not Answer” responses (n=475).

4. There has been much public discussion concerning budget cuts for school districts.  Please help us understand the information you have received. Has enough information been given to the community about these issues? DRAFT – FOR DISCUSSION ONLY Budget Information

5. Survey participants were asked to rank the five services and programs they consider to be most important to educating students. DRAFT – FOR DISCUSSION ONLY Ranked School-Based Services and Programs

6. Please share circumstances, events or ideas that influenced your rankings of the school-based services and programs. DRAFT – FOR DISCUSSION ONLY Responses to Open-Ended Questions

7. Survey participants were asked to rank the five services and programs they consider to be most important to educating students. DRAFT – FOR DISCUSSION ONLY Ranked District Services and Programs

8. Please share circumstances, events or ideas that influenced your ranking of the district services and programs. DRAFT – FOR DISCUSSION ONLY Responses to Open-Ended Questions

9. DRAFT – FOR DISCUSSION ONLY School Enrollment How many children do you have attending Chatham County Schools? Does your child attend a school not operated by Chatham County Schools (charter, private or other school)?

10. Please describe any additional issues you think should be considered by Chatham County Schools while addressing the current budget. DRAFT – FOR DISCUSSION ONLY Responses to Open-Ended Questions

11. OPTIONAL: Please share an email address where we can email you further information about issues in this survey and other district news. DRAFT – FOR DISCUSSION ONLY Responses to Open-Ended Questions

12. DRAFT – FOR DISCUSSION ONLY Conclusions Highlights Next Steps Seek to increase and improve communication with the community Use survey results as one tool in developing the budget and to further conversations with the community Make survey results available to all community members (post report on district’s Your Voice page and share results with the media via a press release) • Less than 50% of respondents said they received enough information about budget issues • More than 50% of total survey respondents were non-employees and over 250 community members provided email addresses for further communication • Survey results are in alignment with focus of the proposed budget