PAS to survey residents about new building

The survey will ask about other topics as well

The school board has hired School Perceptions to survey residents of the Pipestone Area Schools (PAS) school district about building a new elementary school and other facility matters.
PAS will pay the Wisconsin-based company $9,400 to design and administer the survey and then develop a report and plan of action based on the data collected. Additional fees could apply for site visits, prepaid postage envelopes, and other optional services.
School Perceptions’ proposal was the less expensive of two submitted. The other proposal was from Springsted, a St. Paul company PAS has previously worked with. Springsted’s base cost was $12,765.
“School Perceptions has worked closely with ISG on a number of bond issues that have been successful, so their data has been pretty good,” said Kevin Enerson, PAS superintendent.
Enerson said the survey will be mailed to all district residents and there will be a code that will allow residents to complete the survey online if they prefer.
The survey is expected to present information and questions about the elementary school options under consideration, the tax impact of those options, what people could afford, and where a new elementary school should be located. It will also ask where to house fifth grade students, how people feel about installing FieldTurf at Paulsen Field, how people view the school district and several other questions.
Enerson said the PAS Community Task Force will use data from the survey to inform their recommendation to the school board regarding a new elementary school.
The survey is expected to run into October, Enerson said, with the Task Force recommendation to follow.