Survey Results

HPS Families,

I hope that you can take a moment to breathe and relax over this long holiday weekend.  We could all use this time to be refreshed and to get ready to get back to school on Tuesday morning!

Let me take a moment to publicly thank the teachers and Staff at HPS for their tremendous work in getting ready for the start of the school year. Also, thank YOU for your patience and understanding as we obviously had many issues to work through over the two weeks.

I also want to thank you for participating in the recent survey of HPS Families about the start of the school year. More than 400 of you participated in this survey. The information you shared will not only help us improve next year’s kickoff of the school year, but will also help us reach our goals for supporting Every Student, Every Day.

OPEN HOUSE 

• HPS Families gave 4.03 out of 5 stars for their school’s readiness for Open House.

Your comments with this question on the survey showed that we still have many hurdles to clear this year to get the school year started: COVID restrictions, many new staff members, and a string of communication issues.

Much can and will be changed around Open House next year.  We will build a staggered schedule for Open House so families that need to visit multiple buildings can do so. We will also make improvements to our registration process before next spring.  It is also clear that more effort will be needed to communicate when Open House will be held.

FIRST DAY/WEEK

• HPS Families  gave 4.03 stars for how well the first week of school went for their student(s).

Obviously transportation, scheduling, and technology issues came up consistently in your comments from these questions. I should have recognized these issues sooner.

Moving forward, I will work with building principals to ensure class and bus schedules are ready earlier in the summer. Our team at the ISD is also working to make sure your student has a learning device, that it connects to the internet, and that it works correctly. 

COMMUNICATION

• HPS Families  gave 3.51 stars for how well the first week of school went for their student(s).

Many of your comments around communication mentioned the late change in our daily schedule due to COVID restrictions and our communication of route cancelations in transportation.

Soon, all HPS families will be given access to a two-way communication tool that will allow us to keep you up to date on information from the school district, for your child’s school, and from the classroom. This tool will also allow you to easily communicate directly with us. The “Remind” application  is coming soon!

Here are a few additional things brought up in the survey that I am currently working on:

• I recently met with members of the Executive Committee of the Board of Education to review the comments from this survey. Our review of the first few weeks of school will help us improve and grow.
• We continue to hire and train bus drivers each day. Soon we will post for a full-time position that will help recruit drivers AND fill some of the other support needs in our buildings. We also hope to hire a new Transportation Supervisor soon.
• I will be hosting more focus groups with students, parents, and the community in the near future to hear about what is working and what still needs more work in our schools.

The sentiment of our families was loud and clear in this recent survey. I am committed to building on our strengths and getting better at growth areas. It  will take more time and require more listening to find solutions. We can and will do it together!

Always Do Better,

Shanie J. Keelean
Superintendent, Holland Public Schools