Special Education committee
looking for participants New administrators and
principals in place for 2019-20 Career and technical education
leader awarded Fit for the Future
construction update
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ANOKA
-
HENNEPIN
SCHOOL
ON ANOKA-HENNEPIN SCHOOLS
DISTRICT
FALL 2019
Community survey results show
continued positivity for district
little deeper into the programs portion of this, 85%
of respondents said the district offers a wide range of
educational opportunities. “This is an outstanding job on
something extremely important to people,” Leatherman
said.
More and more members of the community view
Anoka-Hennepin as a district of excellence.
That’s according to a scientifically valid community survey
conducted by the Morris Leatherman Company in May,
in which 500 randomly selected residents throughout the
district were contacted by phone. Peter Leatherman, CEO
of the nationally recognized research firm, shared that the
overall results of the district were above-average in many
cases.
Parents, specifically, are continuing to have positive
responses to a variety of school-level experiences,
including: overall quality education, 98% agree; individual
learning needs are met, 97% agree; and that schools are
clean and well maintained, 97% agree.
Anoka-Hennepin’s excellent rating continues to remain
steady. It’s now 12 percentage points higher than the
metro average for a combined total (excellent and good
ratings) of 86%. In fact, 86% of the respondents also
believed that the district meets the learning needs of all
students. “A good reservoir of people are enthusiastic
about the quality of education here,” Leatherman said.
Financially-speaking, the majority, 69%, believe the
district spends tax money effectively and efficiently. “You
still are extraordinarily stable,” Leatherman said. “People
really do feel good about the spending in the district.” He
went on to share that the district is 16 percentage points
above the norm on this topic.
Tracking such data enables the district to adjust
operations in order to meet community expectations.
View full results at ahschools.us/surveyresults. n
The results showed that the community continues to
see the same three items of importance — good teachers,
good programs and excellent education. Digging a
Community survey results:
key indicators
Anoka-Hennepin School District’s annual
community survey is conducted by the
Morris Leatherman Company. Each year,
500 randomly selected residents
throughout the district are contacted by
phone. As a scientific survey, it is accurate
plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
How would you rate the quality
of education provided by the
Anoka-Hennepin School District?
0%
4%
What do you like most about the
Anoka-Hennepin School District?
The top five responses provided, and the only
ones above 10 percentage points.
Excellent
Good
teachers
Good
10%
33%
Only fair
New elementary
schools open in
Blaine and Ramsey
communities
18%
Poor
Unsure
53%
12%
14%
17%
14%
What do you think is the
most serious issue facing the
Anoka-Hennepin School District?
The top five responses provided. According to
Leatherman, none reach the concerned 20% level.
Good
programs
Excellent
education
Good
education
Broad
curriculum
8%
Large
class sizes
13%
9%
Lack of
funding
Bullying
12%
10%
High
taxes
Budget
cuts
Main entrance at Brookside Elementary School. The building is located at 17003
Nowthen Blvd. in Ramsey.
Two new elementary schools — Brookside in Ramsey
and Sunrise in Blaine — are finished. They’re currently
serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students in
their communities.
Dr. Anissa Cravens, principal of Brookside and Deb
Shepard, principal of Sunrise, have shared virtual tours
of the new schools on their respective school websites,
ahschools.us/brookside and ahschools.us/sunrise.
Check them out!
Funding for the two new elementary schools were
approved by voters November 2017 through the Fit for
Future referendum. Updates on other Fit for the Future The media center at Sunrise Elementary School. The buidling is located at 12576
Lever St. NE in Blaine.
projects are included on page 6. n
Fearless
‘rock stars’
are making a
difference
By Superintendent
David Law
As we head back into a
new school year, I work with
my team to create a back-to-
school theme as a focal point
for our school district’s work.
This year, Anoka-Hennepin
is celebrating our staff and
students as “rock stars,”
linking the challenging job
our staff have of performing
in front of a crowd every day,
under all sorts of conditions,
to the work that musicians
do.
This theme was shared in
our back-to-school video,
that included a rewrite of
“Taking Care of Business” by
Bachman Turner Overdrive
(BTO), showcasing our
middle school music teachers
performing and even lyrics
that highlighted the excellent
work our staff do each day.
A group of students from
across the district was also
included, singing a rewrite
of “You Ain’t Seen Nothing
Yet,” also by BTO, reminding
the world that the best of our
students is yet to come.
The video has received
positive feedback and nearly
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