Incoming Fayette County Superintendent Jody Barrow will not be on the job until July 1 but he is already wanting to hear from residents on a stakeholder input survey available on the school system’s website.
“I subscribe to the idea of seeking first to understand, then to be understood. I’ve used this (survey) approach before. So I wanted to reach out to the stakeholders,” Barrow said Monday. “I’ve researched the school system from the outside, now I want to research it from the inside out to get a better picture.”
Barrow will officially begin his job on July 1. In order to help chart the future direction of the school system, he is asking all stakeholders including students, parents, employees and the community to provide their thoughts, ideas and suggestions regarding various aspects of the school system, said school system spokesperson Melinda Berry-Dreisbach.
The 10-question online survey is posted on the school system’s website at www.fcboe.org through May 31. Questions are open-ended, giving respondents the opportunity to describe their views of each topic, Berry-Dreisbach said.
Berry-Dreisbach said the information collected will be used to develop organizational plans and procedures, as well as for mapping out a sense of direction for the school system. Barrow in promoting the survey said he places a high degree of importance on the feedback received from the stakeholders in the school system and community.
Noting that the survey is but the first occasion to reach out to stakeholders, Barrow said he comes to Fayette County with no preconceived notions.
“I expect a range of input,” Barrow said of the survey. “I really want to hear what people have to say.”
Barrow was hired April 29.
The survey asks for input on issues such as the important qualities a superintendent should demonstrate, a description of the student population, the school system’s major strengths and major weaknesses, thoughts on student discipline and attendance, input on the college and career readiness of Fayette graduates, and a wish list of items for the superintendent and school board to do or not do.
