At School Perceptions, one of the most common questions we get asked is, “When is the best time to launch a survey?” Because all our educational partners and the districts we serve have slightly different circumstances and needs, our standard answer is, “It depends…”
Until we can have a dialogue where we better understand your local needs and goals, we are hesitant to give one-size-fits-all advice. However, we do have some general guidance related to our variety of survey products that we have found to be tried and true.
Community Operational Referendum Survey Scheduling Suggestions:
When you can clearly articulate your budgetary needs.
In alignment with the budgetary need you are looking to address.
Approximately six to seven months prior to the potential vote.
This allows enough time to:
Study the results we provide.
Communicate your findings back to your community.
Write a resolution that reflects the survey’s findings.
Keep the topics covered in the survey fresh in the community’s mind.
Community Capital Referendum Surveys Scheduling Suggestions:
When you can clearly articulate your facility needs.
Approximately six to seven months prior to the potential vote.
This allows enough time to:
Study the results we provide.
Communicate the findings back to your community.
Potentially modify the plans with your builder/architect based on survey findings.
Communicate those modifications back to your community.
Write a resolution that reflects the survey findings.
Keep the topics covered in the survey fresh in the community’s mind.
The bottom line is that it is always better to engage with your community than not to survey at all. At School Perceptions, we would be thrilled to partner with you in “Measuring What Matters.”
The School Perceptions Blog and Resource Center features the voices of our team members. This post was written by Daren Sievers, Project Manager.