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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels November 8, 2004 Online school survey results similar to phone polls By Bill Choy Ashland Daily Tidings The online portion of the Ashland School District Community Survey showed similar positive results with its phone-based counterpart, although more people expressed concerns about school closures. In September, representatives of Davis, Hibitts & Midghall Inc., based in Portland, randomly called 400 residents to ask survey questions about the district. The results were released last month. To give more residents a chance to respond, the survey was put online, with 193 taking the online survey, Superintendent Juli Di Chiro said. The results will be discussed at the district's school board meeting tonight. Results from both surveys will be used in the district's work on the Ashland Quality Education Model. Overall, 50 percent of online survey results said the school district is doing a very good job, 26 percent said somewhat good, 9 percent said neutral and 6 percent said somewhat bad. This compares to 48 percent of participants saying very good in the telephone survey, 34 percent somewhat good, 7 percent neutral and 2 percent somewhat bad. In educating children, 52 percent of online participants said the district was doing a very good job, 32 percent said somewhat good, 7 percent were neutral and 6 percent said somewhat bad. This compared to 43 percent who said very good in the telephone survey, 34 percent somewhat good, 7 percent neutral and 2 percent somewhat bad. When asked if they felt more positive about the district than two years ago, 49 percent of online participants said it was about the same, 38 percent said it was more negative, and 10 percent said more positive. Fifty-eight percent of telephone participants said it was about the same, 19 percent said more negative, and 14 percent said more positive. In unweighted survey results, of 84 online participants who said they felt more negative about the school district, 51 percent said it was because of school closures, compared to 37 percent of 77 negative responses from the telephone survey. Briscoe Elementary School closed in 2003, and Lincoln Elementary is scheduled to close in June, due to declining school enrollment and budget cuts. Di Chiro said these results were not surprising to her. "We knew parents didn't agree with these decisions," she said. "Sometimes, we have to make decisions that are not popular and this is one of them. ... It was a hard decision to make. You wouldn't see a happier person if we could keep all five schools open, but we just don't have enough students and enough funds to keep a small school open." While the telephone survey gave the district enough data to go on, Di Chiro said it was important to give everyone a chance to express how they feel. "This is Ashland and people like to express their opinions," she said. "We didn't want people to feel excluded." The board meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the Ashland Council Chambers. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams