SCHOOLS SURVEY DUE SOON

The deadline for returning surveys concerning Cape Girardeau schools is Dec. 31.

The Vision Planning Committee, appointed by the Cape Girardeau Board of Education, is collecting opinions about school issues through a two-fold survey. The survey was published in the Dec. 20 Southeast Missourian. The same survey was also direct mailed to 400 households in the school district.

David Hahs, spokesman for the planning committee, said about 150 responses from the newspaper survey and 50 from the mail survey have been turned in.

"We are still hoping to get surveys returned for a more numerically complete sampling," he said.

The survey asks respondents to rank a list of education issues from very important to not important. The form also has space for individuals to write in additional issues or concerns that might not be listed.

The surveys are a second tier of community input for the committee. In October, the group held a series of community meetings asking people to express their opinions about the school district's future.

The surveys follow up on these issues, Hahs said. "We want to make sure we will be able to report as accurately as possible the public sentiment and priorities," he said.

The committee will compile a report for the board of education. The school board will use the information in formulating a five-year strategic plan.