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Milton School District could turn to survey for community input

MILTON — The Milton School Board has discussed and debated a potential high school referendum for two years.

Now, it might turn to the public for input through a professionally administered survey.

A district-wide survey would be more than a preview of a referendum because it would help the district shape the referendum, said Bill Foster, president of School Perceptions.

"Our process is really kind of to take it from what might be a half-dozen or a dozen options to what the community really wants," he said.

The Slinger-based consulting company presented a proposal at an ad-hoc school board meeting May 20.

The board is scheduled to vote on the proposal at its Monday, June 8, meeting.

If the board approves the plan, School Perceptions probably would administer the survey in fall. It would cost about $9,000 plus expenses, Foster said.

Officials said the survey could ask questions such as:

-- How much money the community would support spending.

-- Whether a new high school should include a pool.

-- Whether the district should spend more money up front for energy-saving technology.

Hiring an outside company makes sense because School Perceptions has expertise in this area, Superintendent Bernie Nikolay said.

"After talking to Bill (Foster), it's more scientific and complicated than I would have thought," he said.

Plus, a professional survey lends credibility, Foster said.

"We're objective and independent," he said. "If a survey is initiated by the district, by the board, by anybody that's in the system, right away somebody will say, ‘Well, you're biased.'"

School board members said they support a survey at some point, though some questioned the timing.

Jan Bue-Wells said the district might be facing drastic cuts in state funding next year and wants to find out more before approving the $9,000 survey.

"The study is valid, and I'm all for it; I just don't know that we want to rush into it right now," she said.

Bob Cullen and Mike Pierce said they're concerned people would have trouble during the recession analyzing the district's long-term needs.

"It's going to be hard to get people's true opinion right now because everybody's so hunkered down, they're probably not going to want anything now," Pierce said.

Pierce also wants to make sure the survey asks if the community favors a new middle school or high school. A new middle school could cost about half as much as a new high school.

The board decided on a high school in 2007. But now that enrollment has flatlined, it's time to again examine the question, Pierce said.

The question probably would be included in the survey, Nikolay said.

"There's still that discussion out in the community, so I think that would be part of it," he said.