SCHOOL BOARD DISCUSSES UPCOMING SURVEY

Plans for an upcoming community survey and educational summit top the agenda of the Cape Girardeau Board of Education. The board will meet tonight at 4:30 p.m.

Superintendent Neyland Clark explained that preliminary work has been under way to formulate Project Partnership: Schools and Community, a strategic planning committee.

A survey will be conducted of individuals in the school district about their opinions of where the school district should be headed. The survey will be conducted one-on-one and includes 76 questions, Clark said.

"We hope to do about 1,000 interviews," he said. "We would like to open the process to anyone in the community who would like to be surveyed."

Arrangements are also being finalized for a January educational summit, which will include key community members, who are being called together to discuss the direction Cape Girardeau schools should take.

Clark said committees are also being formed to study in depth the district's finances, facilities and programs.

These committees will submit reports to the school board, which will use that information along with data collected through the survey to create a five-year plan.

Clark said chairmen for each of the committee will be named, perhaps tonight. "None will be chaired by school people."

Clark anticipates that a finalized five-year plan would be released in June.

Other items on the agenda include hiring of Betty Chong as special services director, a discussion of the upcoming election, and an update of the board policy revision.