Link available to share thoughts online
Aurora Public Schools is seeking feedback through a community survey on a strategic planning process which may lead to a school bond issue proposal.
Supt. Jody Phillips sent an invitation to parents, staff and students Tuesday, also inviting community members to share their thoughts on the issue.
“As many of you might know, our district has been engaged in a process to address the needs of our district’s facilities,” Phillips said.
“This process started in 2022, when we adopted a strategic plan, followed by the engagement with an architectural firm (BVH) to conduct a formal facility audit of all district facilities. Following the audit, the district has been engaged in a master planning phase, designed to explore options that address the needs identified in the facility audit.”
The master planning phase has been in process for the last year and a half. Following master planning, the board of education met with a community advisory group over the last six months to present the audit, master planning options, and financial impacts of each option.
“After nearly three years of work with the architects from BVH, the staff, and community groups, we are ready to take the next step in the process, engaging our full community in this process,” Phillips said. “At the bottom of this message, there is a link to a survey. As a way of starting conversations and soliciting feedback, we ask that all community members complete this survey.”
The purpose of the survey is to gather thoughts, feelings, and identify the communities’ priorities when it comes to the facilities of the Aurora Public Schools, Phillips noted. The survey will be open until Friday, May 15.
Participants are asked to respond only once per person to this survey, while also sharing the survey/link with as many community members as possible.
“At the completion of the survey, the board of education will review the results, share with the community advisory committee, and follow up with the BVH architects to prioritize options that meet the need of the district and align with our communities’ expectations,” Phillips added. “When we return for school in the fall, we anticipate to have a formal plan ready to share with our communities. As soon as a plan is identified, there will be another few months of activities to share the plan, open our schools and facilities for the public to tour, hold community input sessions, and follow-up surveys. In the meantime, we will be updating our website to share the work that has been done over the last three years (facility audit, master planning, financial impact, etc).
“We greatly appreciate all of you and your willingness to participate in the process of addressing the facility needs of our school district,” he concluded. “This survey is the first of a few, along with other activities to help educate our communities and allow your voice to be heard in the process.”