And the survey says ...

An internal and external climate survey shed light on areas for the Manatee County School District to focus improvement efforts.

The Manatee County School Board heard the results of the surveys at its workshop yesterday for the first time. The board contracted with Dejong-Richter, an Ohio-based education consulting firm, to help the board get a feeling for how the district stood in the eyes of the public and of the employees who work there.

Two surveys were completed in August, one consisting of 503 phone interviews with residents of Manatee County and an internal survey to which 60% of the district’s 6,000 employees responded.

The parallel between both surveys showed a general dissatisfaction with the district and the board, but an overall satisfaction with the schools and school administration at the local level.