Most parents pleased after Osseo school reorganization

Parents were up in arms last winter when the Osseo School District announced plans to revamp four schools.

But a survey conducted last fall and recently released by the district shows that most parents have adjusted well to the changes, at least in three of the schools.

The survey was directed at parents of students at Cedar Island Elementary School, in Maple Grove; Fair Oaks Elementary School, in Brooklyn Park, and Oak View Elementary School, in Maple Grove. They were asked to rate their schools in such areas as school climate, communications and academics. Three-hundred-eighty-seven parents, most of them representing Cedar Island and Oak View, responded to the survey.

The returns were overwhelmingly positive.

"It was pretty clear that in areas that had to do with how the school is feeling, I think the positive ratings were at least 90 percent in all cases," said Don Pascoe, Osseo schools director of research and assessment. "It's hard for me to imagine them being much better than that. ... It would appear we've done some things right."

For instance, 97 percent of the parents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: "Staff at school make my student feel welcome." Ninety-five percent of the respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: "Staff at school make me feel welcome."

In a few areas, the approval rating was lower. For instance, 86 percent of the parents responded favorably to the following statement: "My student is appropriately challenged by the reading instruction at school."

Pascoe said students and staff at the schools were also surveyed, but added that those results haven't been released yet. He said another round of surveys would be conducted in the spring, and warned that surveys are only part of the picture of how successful the schools will be. For instance, the district still wants to collect student achievement data as well as discipline data from the three schools

"This is one piece of that big puzzle," he said.

During the Osseo schools reorganization, two other elementary schools -- Osseo and Edgewood, in Brooklyn Park -- were shut down. Another -- Weaver Lake, in Maple Grove -- was converted into a science magnet program.

The surveys are being conducted at the three reconfigured schools because they are supposed to be operating as one K-6 system, Pascoe said.