November 3, 1997

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Trost) RE: SURVEY SEEKS PARENT VIEWS ON SCHOOLS What do parents think about their childrenıs schools? Thatıs what San Diego City Schools hopes to find out with its third parent satisfaction survey, due to hit local mailboxes this week. More than 85,400 surveys are being sent to all parents in the district. Parents are asked to respond to the 15 questions based on their youngest child in school in the district. There are 137,000 students enrolled in the districtıs 167 schools this year, but surveys are sent based on the number of families, not individual students. Questions in the survey ask parents about school safety and cleanliness, whether they are satisfied with their childıs achievement and how parents and children are treated by staff. These are the same questions asked in the previous two surveys, conducted in 1994 and 1995. Two new questions were added this year to assess parent reaction to smaller class sizes in kindergarten, first, second and third grades. The surveys are printed in English and five other languages: Spanish, Hmong, Vietnamese, Cambodian and Lao. District officials are asking parents to return the surveys by Nov. 21 in the postage-paid envelope provided by the district. Previous surveys have resulted in a return rate of about 25 percent. This yearıs survey will cost about $40,000 and will provide district officials with information that can be used to focus on areas parents see as problems districtwide or at individual schools.