Appleton school district to offer residents survey, focus groups to weigh in on superintendent search
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APPLETON - The search for a new Appleton Area School District superintendent is set to start soon, and community members will have a chance to speak up.
At a Tuesday morning meeting, the school board approved a contract with the Wisconsin School Board Association to create a community survey and lead focus groups to learn more about what people want to see in the next head of the district.
This will cost the district somewhere between $3,200 and $3,500, according to the contract that was approved at the meeting.
The search for a new superintendent comes after the school board approved the retirement of Judy Baseman last month. This school year will be Baseman's last as head of the district. She started in the role in 2017.
District residents and families will have a couple opportunities to give input on the search for her replacement.
More: Judy Baseman, head of Appleton public schools since 2017, will retire in June
A survey is scheduled to open Friday and will be available for community members to complete until Jan. 4. It should take about 15 minutes to complete and will have space for people to write comments.
The survey will be listed on the district website and shared on a variety of platforms such as local media and emails to families.
WASB has used this survey for several years and updates it every year to align with current trends in schools, said Louise Blankenheim, director of search and governance consulting services, who will assist the district with the first phase of the search.
Results of the survey will be broken down demographically, she said, and board members will be able to read any individual comments or notes people write.
Community members and district staff will also have the chance to speak on this topic through a series of focus groups this month and next. There will be virtual and in-person groups.
The first community focus group is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. on Dec. 15 and will be held virtually, according to discussion at the meeting. Registration will be required for that meeting.
Some details still need to be worked out, but the board discussed having another handful of community focus groups the first week of January, including one potentially for students.
Focus groups for teachers, district leadership and support staff will also be held on those dates, with virtual and in-person options.
More: Appleton Area School District student staff still have to wear masks, but that'll change in January
Reach AnnMarie Hilton at ahilton@gannett.com or 920-370-8045. Follow her on Twitter at @hilton_annmarie.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Appleton school board plans survey for superintendent search
