Wants Superintendent Feedback

USD 259

August 26, 2008

by Cliff Judy (WICHITA, Kan.)

Wichita Public Schools are taking what officials call a "first step" in asking for community feedback in the USD 259 superintendent search. On Tuesday morning, the school district posted a superintendent search survey on its website.

The survey is four pages long asking parents questions and allowing for further comments.

WPS Superintendent Survey

School district spokesperson Susan Arensman says the questions follow three key topics the Board of Education want to focus on. The topics are the direction of Wichita Public Schools, upcoming challenges and priorities, and characteristics of the new superintendent.

Some parents and grandparents thought the survey was too basic with questions asking things like whether people thought student achievement was important.

"What am I going to say?" says Ray Fleming, whose granddaughter attends Wichita schools. "'No, I'm against it? I don't think we ought to educate these kids? I think they get enough at home?' This or that. You know, that's just a point of idiocy."

USD 259 will continue to accept feedback on the survey until the end of September or beginning of October. That coincides with a scheduled Board's Night Out on September 29th when BOE members will be at three different schools to gather feedback on the superintendent search.

Arensman says the survey and Board's Night Out will not be the community's only chance for feedback, calling the survey a first step.

Parents say they're happy the school board is asking for feedback as long as board members listen.

"I hope they do listen to my opinions and everybody else's opinions," said one Wichita mother. "I know they're going to have mixed feelings. Once they hear everybody's opinions, hopefully, the majority rules."

The school district says it does not have any official applications for the superintendent position because it hasn't begun accepting them yet.

The school district currently has bids out on a search firm to handle the search for qualified superintendent candidates. The BOE is expected to select a firm sometime in the next week and officially approve the search firm in the board's September 8th meeting.

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