By Holly Wagner
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
The Quincy School District has compiled a Community Accountability Report Card that will be mailed to 22,000 homes next week.
The Report Card includes information about the district and a survey asking for opinions about the quality of education the district provides and whether people would like to see changes.
One question asks if people are satisfied with the current configuration of educational centers, or if they would rather return fourth- or fifth-graders to neighborhood schools. It also asks if residents would support a tax referendum for "specific projects, improvements and/or reorganization."
"It's important to us to be able to convey things to the community in any way they are willing to receive it," School Board President Tom Dickerson said. "It seems the only time we communicate is when something is on the ballot.
"We're not asking for money," he said. "We're passing along information of value. We're doing what we can to communicate."
The Report Card details:
* The district's schools and programs and how many students are enrolled in each
* The number and positions of staff and administrators
* Demographics
* How the district stands on annual yearly progress under No Child Left Behind
* A summary of school improvement goals
* Finances — how much revenue comes from local, state and federal sources, and how it's spent. A graphic shows how the district's per pupil spending compares with the state average. Another details the district's financial bottom line for the past five years and five years into the future.
"It's really about what we look like right now," Superintendent Tom Leahy said.
The survey will tell the board "the community's preferences of how they think we should look," he said. "Then it's up to us to come up with a plan."
District administrators want to know if the community prefers the neighborhood school concept and would be willing to pay for it. The survey asks respondents to rank three options or suggest an alternative:
* Nine K-5 centers with grades 6-8 at the junior high and 9-12 at the high school
* Eight K-4 centers, and schools serving grades 5-6, grades 7-8 and grades 9-12, or
* The current configuration
"We really want a true picture of what the community wants us to look like," Leahy said.
Completed surveys are to be returned by April 28. The survey results will be reported at a School Board meeting and discussed at a board retreat in May.
The Report Card is the culmination of several months' work.
"I want to thank the Board of Education for allowing us to do this," Leahy said. "I truly believe they are looking to represent the community well ... by allowing for this to happen."
District staff involved in the project included Christie Dickens, Patricia Sullivan-Viniard, John Tignor, Rich Royalty, Jodie Cooper, Chris McLaughlin, Jackie Schlipmann, Phyllis Stewart and Jeanne O'Connell.
Printing was donated by The Herald-Whig. Postage costs also were covered by donations, and JK Creative Printers donated services to prepare the piece for mailing.
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Where to go
* Hy-Vee
* K mart
* Wal-Mart
* County Market
* Quincy Senior and Family Resource Center
* Quincy Public Library
Surveys also may be mailed to the School Board office, 1444 Maine, or returned to any of the district's educational sites.
To obtain a copy of the Accountability Report Card and survey, or for more information, call the School Board office at 223-8700.
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