Elk River Area School District — Transcript
Monday, August 3, 2026
School Perceptions Survey Results Analysis
Student Behavior and School Climate Improvement
Communication and Parental Engagement
District Administration and Board Perception
Staff Workload and Professional Development
Votes (1)
School Perceptions Survey Results Presentation and Discussion
Darren from School Perceptions presented comprehensive results from student, staff, and parent surveys for the second consecutive year. The most significant finding was an unprecedented improvement in student behavior reported across all three groups, identified as a particularly difficult area to move. Student survey results showed no regression in any item, while staff surveys indicated growth in all five indexes. Parent survey data, however, reflected a decline in confidence in district leadership, attributed to recent facility planning and bond surveys. The presentation also covered communication strategies, staff workload challenges, and the potential for the district to share its behavior improvement success at state conventions like MSBA. Board discussion focused on interpreting data discrepancies, the impact of budget cuts on perception, and optimizing communication of positive outcomes to parents.
Notable Quotes (6)
the good news in your report is most of your data is incredibly stable. There's been some significant growth in an area that's the hardest to move the needle... the trend across all three reports is that all three groups, staff, student, parents are reporting the student behaviors getting better.
this is the first time in my four years at the company I can say I'm giving a student report where not one single item redressed. Every measure by which we asked students how things are going either stayed the same or it improved.
District administration doing what it takes makes our district successful regressed by 3.6%. District heading in the right direction uh regress by 5.3% and the school board is doing what it takes to make our district so successful regress by 6%.
workloads on the minds of a lot of people because I don't know a district that I've worked with these past two years that isn't cutting positions and asking more of their folks.
I do I do think that the the fact that you'll never make anybody happy as you're proposing a facility plan as large as you tested I can't help but stress you. I think that those first questions about board, district direction, district administration are tangled into the mindset of not everyone's going to love this plan.
I think it's been very helpful for us to use this information to formulate goals that are meaningful. I think it's been good for the administration.
Ordinances & Resolutions (11)
Presentation of student survey results.
Presentation of staff survey results.
Presentation of parent survey results.
Prior survey conducted for strategic/referendum planning, impacting parent perception.
District activities related to public referendums.
Reference to a special services plan for students.
Reference to a special services plan for English Language Learners.
Parent portal identified as a preferred communication method.
New data visualization method being implemented for survey results.
Improved data tools for internal analysis of survey results.
Conference where the district is encouraged to present its behavior improvement success.