View the School Board 2012 Community Survey

In the wake of a survey conducted from June 12 to June 22, the Windham School Board is now in the data interpretation stages of the results.

According to the final survey presentation which was first addressed by the board on July 17, 871 people responded to the survey, with 79.1 percent indicating that they voted in the March election.

The survey will once again be part of the agenda tonight at 5 p.m. as the board sifts through the pages of new data showing why voters made the selections they did on the warrant articles.

In the town election, residents chose to nix all concrete money items on the ballot, including the budget, only passing the article related to splitting from Pelham and forming a new School Administrative Unit.

The district is currently heavily involved in that process, which includes the search for a new superintendent. Windham will fall under the name of SAU 95 starting next summer.

Over 60 percent of the 'no' voters on money items said that an increase in property taxes was the deterent from voting for a new middle school on London Bridge Road.

But over 60 percent of those same 'no' voters indicated that portables were an item they shot down because they wantto focuse on a new, permanent building.

A massive amount of the 'no' voters were against the budget because of the late teacher salary amendment to the proposed budget introduced and passed at town meeting.

While the 'no' voters gave their reasons, a high amount of survey respondents indicated that spending taxes on public education is more of an investment than an expense.

Many also responded that class sizes in schools affects student learning.

The respondents, who had a median age of 46.3 years and a median time spent in Windham of 12 years, were also 70.1 percent female. Over three-quarters of the participants have children in the district.

Windham Patch ranked sixth in sources where respondents obtain their information, with close to 50 percent of the 871 people indicating it is a source.

The Windham Independent was the top source, with almost 90 percent of the respondents using it to get information about the public schools in town.

Also attached is a full summary and technical report released by the school board, breaking down the data of the survey further.