Schools to Send Out Strategic Plan Surveys by End of October

The Westfield Board of Education plans to send out a community survey by the end of October to gain input for its five-year strategic plan.

The survey will go out to a random sampling of parents and residents without school-age children, board president Ginny Leiz said at the board’s meeting on Tuesday. The strategic plan steering committee intends to collect and analyze the data from the survey in November and present its findings to the board in December. The committee will then use the data to develop goals for the district. The intent is to have a plan to formally submit to the board for approval in June.

The survey will go out to a pre-selected group of people deemed representative of the wider community, not open to anyone who wants to respond.

“The survey will give us information regarding the community’s priorities for their children and the district as we move forward and make decisions about how to spend tax dollars,” Leiz said.

The board and district also hopes to keep the survey short to make it easier for those selected to complete it in a timely manner, said Superintendent Margaret Dolan.

“We’re mindful that everyone is busy and are intentionally making sure it's not too long of a survey,” she said.

While the survey is intended to be done online, hard copies will also be mailed to those selected, Dolan said.