INSIDE

School district, PTO collaborate on parental survey

By Meg Olson

In early June Point Roberts registered voters can expect an invitation from the Blaine school district to show up in their mailboxes – an invitation to help shape the future of the local school.

“The bottom line is, this should be a thriving school, a vital part of the community,” said district superintendent Dr. Mary Lynne Derrington. “How can we maintain that?”

The survey being mailed out by the school district was first a project of the local parent teacher organization (PTO). “We have been asking for strategic planning for our school for a number of years,” said PTO member Linda Hughes. “We felt it was important to gather the educational needs of the community and present it to the school board.”
As the organization worked with the school district they decided that the district would administer and oversee the survey, “so they could really rely on the data,” Hughes said.

PTO members collaborated with district officials and the school board to come up with 10 questions to determine where Point Roberts children go to school and why, and what the community would like to see in its school. There is also space on the survey form for comments. “We’d like everyone to answer it, including our seniors or people without school kids,” Hughes said. “How does the school play a role in your community and does it affect your property values? Please take the time to at least fill out the comment box at the end.”

Derrington said the survey would be out in early June and would also be available on the district’s web page at www.blaine. wednet.edu. Completed surveys must be submitted by June 15 and there will be drop boxes both at the school and at the community center.

“We intend to analyze the data and incorporate it in whichever way is appropriate,” Derrington said, adding results were anticipated by the end of the summer. “It could be a simple change or long-range planning.”