Medford School District Capital Project & Communication Analysis

Medford School District Capital Project &
July 1st, 2019

Communication Analysis
M E D F O R D S C H O O L D I S T R I C T C A P I TA L P R O J E C T &
C O M M U N I C AT I O N A N A LY S I S
INTRODUCTION
In August last year, JWA Public Affairs responded to a request for proposals from the Medford School District
(“district”) to gather information from both internal and external constituents regarding specific challenges
facing the district. Those challenges being the current state of the district’s facilities as it relates to class sizes,
the need to expand teaching space to accommodate larger Career and Technical Education classes, and
district communication both internally and externally. Additionally, JWA was retained to assist lobbying
activities on behalf of the school district at both the local and state level, however, lobbying activities are not
part of this report.
This document provides a detailed report of the activities undertaken by JWA to gather information related
to the above questions as well as an analysis of the information. The goal of the report is to provide the
board and cabinet with information that can assist them with decision points. Regarding potential actions
taken to address district facilities expansion, we do not advocate for one action over another, but instead
provide options with as much information as possible for the most informed decisions to be made. We do,
however, provide some strategies and structures that could assist the district in strengthening internal and
external communication.
Acknowledgements
We would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the efforts made by all those with the Medford School
District that were completely supportive of our work and did everything possible to assist us during the
project. District employees, cabinet members and board members sat for what amounted to over 100 hours
of interviews with candor and enthusiasm. In addition to directing his staff to support any of our requests for
support, Superintendent Dr. Brian Shumate never hesitated in his support of any of our actions to drill down
and find information that could assist the district. Chief Operations Officer Brad Earl was responsive and vital
to our efforts in gathering district information and Chief Academic Officer Michelle Cummings supported our
efforts by making her staff and principals available to us for our interviews as well. We would also like to
thank the Medford Education Association (MEA) and the Medford chapter of the Oregon School Employees
Association for their cooperation and support for our efforts during this project as well.
We would also like to highlight the assistance of Jodi Vizzini from the Office of the Superintendent and
Communication & Public Relations Specialist Natalie Hurd for their efforts during this project as well. Without
their support, we would not have been able to gather the information required, set up interviews and put on
the public listening sessions that we did with such success.
“Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an
interest in you.” - Pericles
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Medford School District Capital Project Analysis
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................... 1
Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... 1
Executive Summary................................................................................................................................ 3
PART I ............................................................................................................................... 7
Capital Project Priorities
SECTION 1 .............................................................................................................................................. 8
INTERVIEWS
SECTION 2 ........................................................................................................................................... 11
LISTENING SESSIONS
SECTION 3 ........................................................................................................................................... 14
SURVEYS
SECTION 4 ........................................................................................................................................... 36
FOCUS GROUPS
SECTION 5 ........................................................................................................................................... 39
FACILITIES OPTIMIZATION COMMITTEE
PART II ............................................................................................................................ 41
FUNDING OPTIONS AND STRATEGIES FOR CAPITOL CONSTRUCTION PRIORITIES
SECTION 1 ........................................................................................................................................... 42
INTERVIEWS
SECTION 2 ........................................................................................................................................... 44
FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND CONSIDERATIONS
PART III ........................................................................................................................... 45
POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT
SECTION 1 ........................................................................................................................................... 46
FLUID POLITICAL LANDSCAPE
SECTION 2 ........................................................................................................................................... 47
COMMUNITY CONSIDERATIONS OF BOND ELECTIONS
PART IV ........................................................................................................................... 49
COMMUNICATIONS
SECTION 1 ........................................................................................................................................... 50
S.W.O.T. ANALYSIS
SECTION 2 ........................................................................................................................................... 53
STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE INTERNAL COMMUNICATION STRUCTURE
SECTION 3 ........................................................................................................................................... 58
STRATEGY FOR EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS IMPROVEMENTS
APPENDIX ....................................................................................................................... 61
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Executive Summary
Shortly after being awarded the contract for the project and obtaining a full description of the issues at hand
by Medford School District Superintendent Dr. Brian Shumate and Chief Operating Officer Brad Earl, we
proposed a multi-level strategy that would attempt to obtain the most feedback possible, from many
stakeholder groups and individuals who could provide alternative perspectives.
Our effort centered around engaging many different people, from many sectors of the community, using
various methods to try and gain as clear a picture as possible about what the community and district
employees felt the highest priorities of the district should be, how effectively the district is communicating and
what improvements could be made.
Our strategy involved many hours of one-one-one interviews, listening sessions, focus groups and surveys.
Additionally, we proposed the district convene an impressive group of individuals, who represented various
groups both inside and outside the district to benefit from their insight into how to best address the issues
facing the district.
JWA immediately set about interviewing as many internal and external stake holders as possible,
interviewing 60 individuals and resulting in approximately 100 hours of discussion.
Internally, these interviews were held with district employees, which included all cabinet members, division
directors (Special Education & Student Services; Elementary Student Achievement; Secondary Student
Achievement) school principals, career and technical education teachers, and leaders from both unions. In
addition, we held two voluntary internal listening sessions to hear directly from district employees regarding
the questions under consideration and to hear their unfiltered input regarding the district’s communication
structures. Lastly, to further gather input from district employees and with the assistance of Communication &
Public Relations Specialist Natalie Hurd, a survey was distributed via e-mail to all district employees.
In an effort to reach external stake holders, we conducted numerous interviews with community leaders to
understand their unique perspectives and conducted two public listening sessions, which were also live
streamed via the district’s Facebook page. During these listening sessions, the district also invited input via
written testimony at the sessions and/or via emails sent to a special email box set up by the district for the
project. Additionally, JWA conducted three focus groups that centered on the specific issues. Finally, an
external survey was sent to parents of district students via e-mail as well.
In an effort to further mine differing perspectives regarding the central issues, we advised that a working
group be created by the district that would receive all possible information about the current facilities, student
population and growth projections, the district’s financial situation as well as the current and future needs of
the district regarding its facilities. We advised that the group should have representatives from all school
groups, parent groups, district staff, district leadership and community leaders. We suggested that the group
be led by a community member to provide an outside perspective and that the group be self-guided
regarding what information they need and how often they would like to meet, so as to allow the group of
very capable individuals to have the freedom to explore any area required for them to obtain the necessary
information. The group was given the goal of making a recommendation to the district regarding what to do
with the facilities and how to potentially finance them. That report will be submitted to the district separate
from this report.
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The information gathering process was designed to be thorough and wide-ranging, with the intent to obtain as
much internal and external feedback as possible so that the district and board can use the report as a tool for
difficult decision making.
In addition to the afore mentioned activities, we also examined the district’s current internal and external
communication methods to help determine its effectiveness and offer recommendations for improvement.
Through our work, we have identified key opportunities for the district to improve its internal and external
communications through some structural changes. We would like to acknowledge the dedication district has
shown in recent years to improve communications. Consistently throughout our work, personal admiration and
respect was expressed for the administration’s communications team. It was also consistently acknowledged
the increased efforts by the administration to improve internal communications. We have identified some
functional deficiencies in the communication structure that undermine these efforts. As a result, we have
provided recommendations on alternative structures that could improve the overall communication between
staff and administration.
Additionally, we heard consistently the high level of respect that members of the public have for the district
and administration, as well as the current direction of the district. We also uncovered a general lack of
awareness of certain issues facing the district as well as clear understanding of the district’s investment in its
Pathways program and Career and Technical Education. A general lack of trust in news sources was also
displayed, which has impacted the way in which the public receives their news, and in turn has had an impact
on how the district can communicate with the public. As a result, we have provided recommendations for the
district to better connect with the general public and communicate more effectively with its parents and
guardians of the district’s students.
Concluding Summary and Decision Points: In reviewing the information gathered and providing analysis to
it, we conclude the following:
1. Effective communication is a contributing factor to the challenges faced by the district. As many
school districts located in a growing area, the Medford School District is confronted with the issue of
overcrowding and how to best resolve that issue. It is important that the district does not address this
in a vacuum by simply adding space, but in context of other issues as well. A contributing factor in this
process is the communication effectiveness of the district. In examining the failed 2018 bond attempt
for example, we do not believe failure of the bond was a poor campaign or a lack of communicating
the message correctly to the public, but rather a lack of communication both internally and externally
leading up to the campaign regarding what the community felt was the highest priority and what
would be supported.
2. Structural changes to communication strategy both internally and externally would assist the
district in improving communication and relationship building internally and externally. During
our work on this project, it also became clear that there is solid support for the district and admiration
community wide on the progress the district has made in numerous areas as well as the overall vision
of the district. Despite a recent change in leadership, there is stability and a high degree of trust
within the community. We also observed that internally, trust deficits remain from the past as well. It
is important to realize that in both cases these situations are fluid and can change. We recommend a
strategy to improve the communication structure of the district which will assist in maintaining strong
support from the community and improve communication internally as well.
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3. Internal and external stakeholders believe addressing space needs for the district is the highest
priority. It is clear through our work that the community and district staff support the district’s
investment into Career and Technical Education programs and would support some form of capital
investment into facilities supporting these programs. However, it is also clear that the community and
district staff place a higher priority on capital construction (new or remodel) that would add an
additional middle school to alleviate the current problem with overcrowding and class size.
4. Financial Decision Points. Due to the financial stability of the district, there is a decision point as to
whether to fund any capital projects internally or externally through a bond.
Should the district decide to pursue funding capital projects internally, we recommend the district:
a. Seek input from internal and external stakeholders

i. The district should identify to the best of its ability the project budget and scope and
request input from internal and external stakeholders as to what the project should
look like based on the budgetary limitations.
1. What are the most important things needed?
2. What can we do without?
3. Ensure equity for students/parent communities with design and environment
b. Speak with subject matter experts and end users to avoid assumptions in design or
construction that waste resources.
i. The district has in-house experts in resource management and access to community
members who would volunteer their expertise in finding creative ways to maximize
limited resources
1. What is the most efficient way of using our resources?
a. Limiting waste as much as possible
2. What is the most effective way to using our resources?
a. Ensuring that the end-users have what they need functionally, and
design/construction is not wasted with assumed usage.
3. Assume that technology will continue to change the landscape of education,
causing facilities to change in the future.
Should the district decide to pursue funding capital projects through bond elections, we recommend
the district:
a. Target November 2019 as the date for a school bond election

i. As illustrated later in this document, the current political environment shows that the
window for a successful school bond election for the district is the fall of 2019. Should
the district determine that a bond is the preferred route for funding but opts not to
pursue a bond during the fall election of 2019, we believe that the next available
window for a successful school bond election for the district is May of 2021.
1. Timing is critical in the political environment and as we explain in this
document, competing county-wide bonds for a new jail facility and an
active/unpredictable general election environment create a set of
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circumstances that lower the chance of success for a potential Medford School
District bond in 2020.
2. Should the district decide to pursue a successful bond election in the fall of
2019, the district must decide to move forward no later than August 2019 to
provide time for a successful campaign and to adhere to required state
election timelines.
b. Seek input from internal and external stakeholders

ii. The district should identify to the best of its ability the project budget and scope and
request input from internal and external stakeholders as to what the project should
look like based on the budgetary limitations.
1. What are the most important things we need?
2. What can we do without?
3. Ensure equity for students/parent communities with design and environment
c. Speak with subject matter experts and end users to avoid assumptions in design or
construction that waste resources.
iii. The district has in-house experts in resource management and access to community
members who would volunteer their expertise in finding creative ways to maximize
limited resources
1. What is the most efficient way of using our resources?
a. Limiting waste as much as possible
2. What is the most effective way to using our resources?
a. Ensuring that the end-users have what they need functionally, and
design/construction is not wasted with assumed methods of use.
3. Assume that technology will continue to change the landscape of education,
causing facilities to change in the future.
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PART I
Capital Project Priorities
This was a central area of concern for the district, particularly because these are large scale projects that
take a great deal of planning, have a longer construction timeline and are costly. The following interviews,
listening sessions, focus groups and surveys centered primarily on what people felt the highest priorities for the
district should be. We sought to find out what people felt what the highest priorities should be for the district
in terms of capital construction projects.
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SECTION 1
INTERVIEWS
The following section contains information obtained from personal interviews with internal and external
stakeholders. In each case, interviewees were advised of the project prior to the interview and a date was
agreed upon to meet. Each interview lasted approximately 45 minutes. Apart from one interview conducted
over the phone, all interviews were conducted in person. Each interviewee was guaranteed confidentiality but
advised that themes or paraphrases of their comments would be used in the report.
The paraphrased statements are examples of the most common themes. In many cases the same sentiments
were expressed by others. In a further effort to maintain confidentiality, direct quotes were not used. These
statements can be found in the Appendix portion of this report.
Each interviewee was asked about their perspective on the critical issues facing the district regarding facilities
and what the district’s priorities should be regarding funding capitol construction projects. In many cases, the
failed bond effort of May 2018 was referenced by the district staff interviewed and bonding was identified
as the primary method in paying for capital construction.
In the case of the individuals interviewed who were not employees of the district, the issues the district was
facing were framed for them, but they were allowed to speak on them from any perspective they chose. In
some cases, those interviewed were not aware of some of the challenges that the district faced, mostly due to
the fact that they are not associated with the district enough to know on a daily basis what challenges the
district employees face. We did not provide that information either, rather we wanted to gain their
perspective independently to gauge how the broader public at-large may also perceive these issues.
Regarding funding options for capitol construction projects, these “outside stakeholder” interviews were not
prompted on choosing public bonding as the preferred method, but in many cases the interviewees chose to
discuss potential bonding as the funding mechanism for any capitol construction projects for the district.
Additionally, since it was a focus of the May 2018 bond election, we asked all interviewees their knowledge
of and perspective about the district’s Career and Technical Education programs and where the programs
and construction for additional Career and Technical Education buildings should fall in the district’s priority list.
The interviewees were not challenged on their statements or debated regarding their beliefs, the goal of each
interview was to provide a safe space and an opportunity for the individuals to provide THEIR perspective on
the issues and how THEY felt they should be best addressed.
Analysis of Internal Interviews: Recognition of overcrowding being a major problem for the district was an
overwhelmingly reoccurring theme. The need for more space was highlighted and viewed as a factor in the
increase of behavior problems with children (in addition to a recent change in Oregon laws pertaining to
physical restraint of children in the classroom). Interviewees overwhelmingly prefer adding a middle school as
the top facilities priority for the district, with a few dissenting opinions, who felt that school size was not a
problem if there were enough staff and classrooms to accommodate the students. In these cases, it was
suggested that the district build within its current footprint and add to the existing structures. However, it was
near unanimous among those interviewed that the district should move to a 6, 7, & 8 grade middle school
system, thereby alleviating some of the overcrowding issues at the elementary schools and place older
children (6th graders) in with children more their maturity level than 1st and 2nd graders.
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When asked how to fund new buildings or remodels to current buildings, most of the internal interviewees
focused on a new bond. In the process, their comments on the failed bond effort of 2018 focused on a lack
of overall communication internally leading up to the bond campaign, which led to a lack of understanding.
Additionally, many of those interviewed did not feel that the 2018 bond effort addressed the district’s
biggest need of addressing overcrowding.
Career and Technical Education Program (CTE) and Facilities: Many comments from staff interviews
regarding CTE programming were consistent with the overall support that is present among district staff.
However, the comments reinforced the need for improved communication. Statements disapproving of how
Measure 98 (funds dispersed by the state to fund CTE and dropout prevention programs) were being spent
were based on a demonstrated lack of knowledge by staff regarding how those funds may be utilized,
beyond only CTE classes. While these individuals were incorrect in their assumptions, their statements show the
need for the district to better communicate the actions they are taking, especially pertaining
The majority of those interviewed supported the CTE program, but some felt disconnected as to what their role
would be as part of an expanded CTE program. This was especially prevalent among elementary school
staff, who supported the idea of CTE and Pathways, but did not see how the programs related to their work,
while other elementary school staff felt that there were ways in which they could change curriculum to help
prepare all students for more the more contextualized learning that CTE uses. We see this as an area of
opportunity for the district to gain further support for the CTE and Pathways program and suggest that efforts
be made to explore these possibilities using staff input and guidance.
Additionally, there was some resistance communicated by some middle school and high school staff, not
towards the idea of CTE being a robust part of the curriculum, but in the way it was being implemented.
These concerns were mostly around a perceived lack of communication about the program, its direction and
how it should be implemented. From our experiences, communication break down is as much about perception
than actual breakdowns. Given the work the district has done to focus on improving communication in recent
years, we recommend that the district explore this situation further to find ways in which key members of the
staff and internal “CTE Community” could work closer in a united effort in support of the CTE program, which
enjoys nearly universal support among district staff.
In an effort to improve ongoing communication regarding the CTE program, we suggest that the district take
the time to provide “snapshot” communications to its staff prior to the start of each academic year to show
how certain funds are being used and any programmatic changes that may take place. This information
should be shared with all staff, so that even those who may not be involved in those programs are aware and
understand that transparency is a priority for the district.
Analysis of External Interviews: While the number of external interviews were much less than the internal
staff interviews, there were clear signs of agreement in areas concerning overcrowding and prioritizing an
additional middle school. Many of the external interviews did not have the detailed knowledge of the
district’s programs, but all were aware of the district’s CTE programs and all supported CTE, recognizing the
impact a strong CTE program would have on the community. The majority of the comments from the external
interviewees focused on how to finance new building projects. These comments are recorded later in the
document and focused mainly on the potential of a bond and how that bond would be supported by the
community.
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The feedback also showed the need for the district to communicate effectively with the community about CTE
programs and the impact they could have. It is common for those on the outside of an organization, who do
not have the inside knowledge of the details of how certain things work and any limitations to make
assumptions about how things “should be done.” Therefore, it is important to leverage the collective wisdom
of the community and its leaders appropriately by providing accurate information on a continual basis. This
will allow for the community to generate innovative solutions in a timely and meaningful manner.
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SECTION 2
LISTENING SESSIONS
Internal Listening Sessions: Two Internal Listening Sessions were held, the first on December 5th, 2018 at
North Medford High School and the second on December 6th, 2018 at McLoughlin Middle School. The sessions
began at 4pm and where scheduled to last for 90 minutes. The sessions were open to all district staff with the
exception of school principals and district cabinet members, with the intent to create an atmosphere that
attendees would feel free to share their thoughts and feelings. The sessions were lightly attended, with only 7
employees attending the first session and 12 employees attending the second. JWA moderated each session.
As stated above, the participants were allowed to speak freely, but were asked to try and focus on the topics
at hand being, “what should the district’s priorities be regarding capitol construction?” and “what is the current
state of communications within the district?”
The comments recorded in the Appendix reflect input regarding what the participants felt the priorities of the
district should be as well as comments regarding Career and Technical Education programs for the district
Analysis: Although all district staff were notified about the listening sessions approximately 2 weeks prior to
their occurrence, attendance at each was light, which is consistent with the very low “open-rate” of the emails
sent to announce the sessions. Those who attended spoke very candidly and passionately. Many stated their
support for additional class space and placed adding another school as a priority. However, the top priority
identified at the internal listening sessions was to address the behavior issues in their classes. Many felt they
were kept from dealing with problematic behavior by current state law. Attendees also felt that the
overcrowded classrooms were a contributing factor to the behavior problems. As a result, they pushed for the
district to address the behavior issues at the upcoming Oregon Legislative Session and to add more
classrooms through the addition of another middle school. The attendees stated their support for CTE, but also
felt that there was more to be done in adequately communicating the CTE vision to the community and staff.
Lastly, a reoccurring theme among the participants on both nights was the need for improved internal
communications within the district. There was universal praise for the communications staff at the district, but
attendees felt that their concerns and ideas were not adequately heard or responded to by administration.
Most felt ignored or at least frustrated with the lack of response, with many wishing for a more direct method
of communicating with the superintendent and the cabinet.
These comments illustrate a clear recognition by the those in attendance about what the most significant
problems are regarding facilities. They also illustrate support for CTE programs, but also a desire to improve
them communication about CTE and a willingness to support it further. The frustration expressed regarding
internal communications is related, but it was clear that the frustration was not as much with the individuals
involved (with some exceptions) as it was with the process in which communication occurs between “front-line
staff” and middle to upper administration. A breakdown in this area leads to a breakdown in overall trust
and appreciation/understanding for what the other side is doing. It will be critical that the district make
concrete changes to its current communication structure so that efforts can be united and focused on how to
improve programs, curriculum and policies rather than how to talk to each other.
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Public Listening Sessions: Two Public Listening Sessions were held, the first on January 16th, 2019 at Oak
Grove Elementary school and the second on January 23rd, 2019 at Lone Pine Elementary school. Each session
was attended by the district cabinet officials with Superintendent Dr. Shumate moderating. The focus of each
event was to invite the public to speak directly to the challenges that the district is facing regarding over-
crowding and the current facilities space limitations. The sessions were not guided by Dr. Shumate to obtain a
certain conclusion. Dr. Shumate’s role was to ensure that all who wanted to speak were given an opportunity
in a respectful environment, attempt to the keep the session focused on the topic at hand and ensure that
certain requests or issues were followed up on by district staff.
The listening sessions were publicized by the local news, direct emails from the district and via the district’s
social media platforms. The intent of the meeting was to gather unfiltered input from the public. The public
was encouraged to say whatever they liked, with the hope that that the comments would be focused on the
topic.
In addition to allowing for verbal testimony, the public was provided with materials to leave written
comments, a specific district email address to send comments electronically at a later date pertaining to the
topic and the meeting was streamed live via the district’s Facebook page. Facebook viewers were able to
comment on session in real-time and send in their comments, which were read aloud at the meeting by district
staff.
Public Session Comments Summary:
At both meetings there was consistent recognition of the overcrowding issue and an overwhelming interest in
having 6th graders moved to the middle school. Comments in support of 6th graders in middle school relate to
need for another middle school with current middle schools at near capacity. There was input regarding the
need to add a middle school, with interest focused on keeping cost down and in remodeling Central High
School to serve as the new middle school. Concerns were expressed over where Central High School students
would go and how they will be supported if Central was turned into a middle school.
There were concerns voiced at first session regarding behavior issues of students and how that impacts class,
with some speaking to the nexus to crowding and the lack of available space, with no other place to take
students during these disruptions. There was concern about class time having been lost as a result.
Some innovative ideas were presented by speakers, a regarding paradigm shift of how students from certain
grades are split up: K-2 schools, 3-5 schools, 6-8 schools and traditional high schools.
Additionally, the idea of holding multiple sessions of school during the day (an early time and later time) was
proposed, which would keep the same number of schools, but split the time that students went to each school.
There were no suggestions on alternate middle school sites and only a few comments requesting a new
elementary school built on the east side as the only middle school proposals/support centered around
remodeling Central High School into being a new middle school.
There was universal praise for the sessions by those who attended.
Analysis: As noted in the above summary, those who attended the public sessions and/or provided comments
via the Facebook Live feed focused mostly on the overcrowding problem facing the district and voiced
support for the construction of new buildings. Attendees also showed support for exploring new ways of
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delivering education to students. Additionally, not only was there verbal and written support for the district
voiced by those attendance, with the opportunity to provide any input they wished, there were no negative
comments made. While it should not be assumed that the district and its direction enjoy unanimous support
from the community, it can be extrapolated that a lack of any public opposition in these forums suggests that
there is strong support for the district. Often when a public body, such as a school district, is struggling to gain
public support and there is an opportunity to voice opposition, the public will voice that opposition at public
forums. Again, the absence of any opposition or negative comments should not be overly stated, but it should
be viewed as the public being generally supportive of the district’s current work and direction. When this is
considered alongside public support for the district looking at new and creative ways in delivering education,
it suggests that there is trust in the district to consider new potential paradigms as well.
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SECTION 3
SURVEYS
In our effort to collect input from as many perspectives as possible, we utilized various methods as illustrated
above. One such method was to distribute surveys both internally to every district staff member and
externally to parents of district students. The following pages are the results of those surveys with an
accompanying analysis for each question’s response as well as an overall analysis at the end of the section.
Internal Capital Construction Survey: The following survey was sent to 1,623 district staff. The response
period was two weeks and we received 291 responses (17%). Each question and their responses are below
followed by an analysis of each:
Analysis: Answers to these questions were evenly split between agreeing that communication between the
district and families is “good” and those “disagreeing.” Additionally, there are a near equal number of
respondents that were “neutral” on the issue. “Neutral” could mean that the respondent was not passionate
one way or the other on this question or did not have enough information to make a judgement. Such a large
section of “neutral” responses also indicates that there are several people who could be won over with actions
that they favor or pushed to the negative category with actions they do not agree with. This in an indicator
that must be paid attention to, as it illustrates what is possible either way.
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Analysis: We see similar equal splits between agree, disagree and “neutral” in response to this question as
we did for question #1. However, this indicates some fundamental problems with staff’s belief that it is not
easy to communicate with upper administration. This is also consistent with information we gathered during
one-on-one interviews and our internal listening sessions. We address this issue later in the report with
suggestions about making structural changes that would improve communications.
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Analysis: Again, responses to this question were significant for all three (agree, disagree, neutral). It is
important to recognize that a significant number of respondents do not have confidence in the district’s
direction. There may be particular reasons for those feelings that this survey cannot sus out. It will be
important for the district to drill down on this as much as possible to seek better understanding. We believe
this can be done utilizing the de-centralized communication structure that we will be recommending later.
Additionally, it is important to note again the number of respondents in the “neutral” camp that could be
either won over or lost. This again reinforces the importance of the district in communicating effectively the
direction and vision of leadership as well as listening to those who disagree AND have constructive
suggestions about improvement.
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Analysis: Again, we see another near equal split in opinion over the adequacies of facilities. This may differ
depending on where the respondent works, as those who work in newer buildings may have a different view
of those working in older buildings experiencing over-crowding. This is an example of when the lack of
number of respondents impacts the conclusions that can be drawn. With such a small sample size, it is difficult
to draw a significant conclusion from this question other than there is a split in opinion that should be
recognized.
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Analysis: This response shows a majority (52%) support for at least an additional middle school by
respondents and an even larger majority (79%) recognizing a need for additional facilities, either through an
additional middle school, an additional elementary school or both.
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Analysis: Although the overall number of respondents should be considered, this response is significant
considering the Pathways Program is an important program that the district has invested in significantly and
seeks to grown more in the future. It is also consistent with feedback we received during our one-one-one
interviews and internal listening sessions. There is a significant number of district staff that reports not having
a firm understanding of what the Pathways Program is. This naturally leads to a lack of support or
understanding by the individual staff member’s role within the program. We suggest that the district focus
efforts in the coming year to fully educate staff members as to what the Pathways Program is, the importance
of it as it relates to the direction of the district and how each staff member plays a part in the Pathways
Program’s success.
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Analysis: Again, taking into account the overall low response rate, the responses to this question are
significant as it illustrates (similar to the Pathways Program) that there are a significant number of employees
(131) who are “neutral” as to whether or not the CTE facilities are adequate. Given the discussion of the CTE
program within the district over the past year, this suggests to us that these individuals do not know enough
about the program or it’s needs to make a judgment either way. This is especially significant given the district
went to the voters for a bond to build new CTE buildings in 2018. It strongly suggests that more work needs
to be done to educate the staff about what buildings and classrooms are needed to adequately support CTE
classes.
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Analysis: When taken into account the previous question about the adequacies of CTE buildings, this
response is very interesting, in that despite a potential lack of knowledge about the specific needs for CTE
buildings, a strong majority of respondents support the CTE program. This suggests support for CTE overall,
but work needed communicating the needs for the program (buildings, supplies etc.) to staff.
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Analysis: In analyzing the responses to this question, it is important to recognize that an increase in staffing
and additional buildings/space could have a positive impact on addressing disruptive students, but it does not
tell the entire story. We understand that current laws prohibit staff from adequately dealing with disruptive
students as well. However, even if laws are changed to make it easier for staff to respond to disruptive
students, it is important to recognize that overcrowding can be a factor in the causation (in addition to other
societal factors) of disruptive students. It is also important to note that while there was a demonstrated support
for the CTE program in the previous question, internal support for additional CTE buildings comes in last in
priority ranking between these choices.
Concluding analysis regarding internal survey: While the answers provide some insight to the perspectives
of MSD staff for example, it should also be recognized that the sample size is small considering the number of
surveys sent out. In the case of staff, 1,623 surveys were sent via email. The emails themselves had an
“open” rate of only 30% and only 17.8% of the surveys were answered. These statistics in and of themselves
are perhaps as important as the survey results themselves. However, the responses do highlight a couple of
interesting points.
First, that there is a clear division of strong opinions on multiple responses indicate that there are individuals
“dug in” on one side, however, on the same questions an almost equal number that are “neutral” or have no
opinion. This suggests that there a significant number of employees who could be lost or won over depending
on the future actions of the district. If the district wants to gain support in these areas, it is recommended that
the district focus on furthering its internal communication efforts vis a vi the district’s goals, direction, vision and
the supporting reason behind them. This could be done in the “off-season” prior to the start of the new year
via volunteer sessions with administrators and/or as time allows when staff returns for the new school year. It
is important for employees to not only have a clear understanding of the vision, direction and goals of the
district, but also to know the “why” behind them. Also, collecting input on a continual basis is critical to not
only achieving buy-in, but also eliciting new ideas and perspective that can provide value.
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Secondly, it is clear that the district must continue its efforts to educate employees on the Pathways and CTE
programs and the role of each employee in relation to these programs. If these are programs that are a
central feature to the district’s curriculum and long-term vision for preparing students for the future, then it is
critical that all employees are keenly aware of the features of the programs and why they are important. It
is also important for each employee to understand their role in relation to them so that they can work freely,
but also with clear intent, using their talents and skills to maximum effectiveness.
The secondary effect of getting all employees on the same page with the district’s direction, vision and goals
is also that employees can accurately communicate them to their fellow community members. This does not
assume that each employee will agree with and support the direction, vision and goals of the district, but they
will have an understanding that will hopefully result in constructive criticisms moving forward, focusing on how
to continually improve the programs, rather than focus on a lack of communication. Dissent in any
organization is healthy as long as the issue under debate is clear to all parties and all parties have an
interest in improving the situation.
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External Capital Construction Survey: In addition to the above internal survey of internal staff, an
“external” survey was sent to district parents containing similar questions. Some questions were altered to
match the audience, but the collection method (via email) was the same. The survey was sent to 13,000
recipients. The collection period was two weeks and we received 552 responses (4%). Below are the
questions, the responses and an analysis for each question.
Analysis: This question is intended to create context for the following answers. The school that their children
can attend can have an impact on the perspective of the parent. Respondents were allowed to choose more
than one school to account for multiple children attending multiple schools within the district. It should also be
noted that while there were more respondents identifying as high school parents (355), collectively the
elementary school parents accounted for 197 respondents.
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Analysis: This slide shows that the majority of respondents felt that communication between the district and
the families was good. It also suggests that at least 20% of respondents were “neutral” on the question,
either without a strong feeling either way or did not feel they had enough information to make up their mind.
As we mentioned in our analysis of the internal survey responses, this can be viewed as a group representing
a significant number of people that could either be “won” over or “lost” depending on the actions of the
district. While the majority feel the district is communicating well with parents, it should be noted that nearly
20% do not feel the same way. While this represents a minority of parents, it is still a significant number and
will require further investigation as to find out why and what can be done to improve this perception among
these respondents.
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Analysis: This slide shows that the overwhelming majority of individuals receive most of their information
from the district via district emails, district phone calls, district paperwork and Peach Jar. We encourage the
district to continue to use these resources as they are clearly still relied upon by the respondents. However, it
is also important to note that a significant number of respondents (21%) obtain their information from social
media and “word of mouth,” which is a significantly higher number than receive district news via local media
(1.8%). This is consistent with feedback we received during our interviews and focus groups. This is both a
challenge and an opportunity for the district. Understanding that at least 20% of the respondents obtain their
information from “unofficial” channels such as social media and word of mouth, it is important for the district to
identify other methods to get information to these individuals through these channels so that the information is
as accurate as possible. Understanding how the information is received by the parents is vital to determining
the best communication methods.
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Analysis: This chart shows the relationship between how the respondents receive their district information and
which source they trust the most. In the chart prior, respondents stated that they did not rely on local news as
their source of information for the district as much as they did social media, however, this chart shows that their
trust in the information they receive from local news sources is higher. Additionally, it should be noted that
respondents trust “word of mouth” or in-person communication nearly as much as hearing from local news
sources and more than social media or national news outlets.
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Analysis: This chart reflects the respondent’s confidence in the direction of the district. It should be noted that
this survey was sent after a recent change in leadership at the district, with the new superintendent having not
taking over at the time of this report and his vision not fully shared with the district’s parents, which may be
represented in the over 30% of respondents who stated that that they “neither agree nor disagree” with the
direction of the district. We believe this is significant in that is shows the “available support” of a significant
number of district parents that could either be gained or lost.
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Analysis: This chart highlights the need for the district to improve communications as it relates to the
Pathways program. Despite efforts by the district, respondents overwhelmingly stated that they do not
understand Pathways. We believe the district should make this a major focus during the upcoming school year
both internally and externally, as there is a consistent awareness gap by both groups regarding a signature
district program. We recommend this be done by utilizing all platforms to consistently educate staff and the
public on Pathways and its relevance. This should be viewed as a “marketing campaign” that gets the
information out and does not expect that it is always retained. Just as in any campaign, it is important to stay
“on message” and continually push that message so that accurate information is reinforced consistently and
eventually becomes accepted by the audience.
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Analysis: This chart shows the overwhelming support for CTE programs by district parent respondents. When
considered alongside the previous chart, it shows how willing the community may support Pathways if the
public fully understood it. We believe there are some gaps in the community’s understanding of the details of
the CTE program, but we believe this chart shows the support of the concept and direction.
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Analysis: The respondents to this question were nearly even, but it also shows the “neutral” response as
being a quarter of the total. We believe this means that there are a significant number of people who either
do not have enough information to decide or do not have strong feeling either way. Additionally, we feel
that “adequacy” in this case relates to adequate space, since overall the district facilities are well maintained,
and many have been recently upgraded.
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Analysis: This chart shows a strong majority of respondents feel as though the schools in the district are
experiencing overcrowding. This is somewhat telling in that many of those we interviewed from high school
communities in the district did not experience the overcrowding on a daily basis as those in the elementary
school communities, indicating that the issue of overcrowding in the schools is one that is recognized widely by
district parents in the community.
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Answer Choices 1 2 3 4 5 6
Keep current facilities the way they are and add more staffMantener las instalaciones actuales como están y agregar más personal 26.68% 135 13.64% 69 9.68% 49 11.07% 56 33.79% 171 5.14% 26
The district should just keep doing what it is currently doing. Make no changesEl distrito debería seguir haciendo lo que está haciendo actualmente. No hacer cambios 4.80% 24 12.60% 63 5.20% 26 3.00% 15 8.40% 42 66.00% 330
Build a new middle schoolConstruir una nueva escuela secundaria 12.27% 60 22.90% 112 39.26% 192 18.00% 88 6.95% 34 0.61% 3
Build a new elementary schoolConstruir una nueva escuela primaria 6.48% 32 16.60% 82 22.27% 110 36.64% 181 14.98% 74 3.04% 15
Build a new middle school and a new elementary SchoolConstruir una nueva escuela secundaria y primaria 30.24% 153 16.21% 82 14.62% 74 12.45% 63 18.18% 92 8.30% 42
Remodel Central High School to create a new middle schoolRestructurar a la Escuela Preparatoria Central de para crear una nueva escuela secundaria 24.81% 129 18.85% 98 10.19% 53 16.92% 88 13.46% 70 15.77% 82
Analysis: To provide context to the chart above, we also provided the breakdown for each answer based
on percentages. The chart and breakdown show a preference for adding buildings, with the various options
all receiving support. However, the responses also indicate a strong preference by over a quarter of the
respondents to keep the buildings as they are and add staff to accommodate the larger class sizes. This is
particularly interesting given the previous chart which showed an overwhelming recognition by respondents
that the district is dealing with an overcrowding problem.
We interpret these two responses to indicate that while the parent respondents recognize that overcrowding is
problematic, they also have concerns about new construction, based likely on the financial impact. This is
consistent with responses from interviews, focus groups and listening sessions, which even when supporting
adding new facilities highlighted a need for the district to use funds as efficiently as possible. We believe this
slide reinforces that feeling of skepticism towards expending funds and favoring a very thoughtful and cost-
efficient plan for adding facilities.
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Analysis: When given an option of what type of building should be added, an additional middle school was
favored, which is consistent with feedback from interviews, focus groups and listening sessions. However, it is
interesting to note that parents slightly favored adding additional CTE buildings over an additional
elementary school. Additionally, a significant number of respondents still felt that the district did not need to
add any buildings.
Concluding analysis regarding external survey: The external survey of the “parental community” from the
district illustrated a perception of an overcrowding problem for the district and support for construction of
additional buildings, but the responses also showed that despite that acknowledgement, there remains
skepticism. We believe this is evident by the number of respondents who either chose to do nothing regarding
building new facilities and instead preferred adding staff. When taking into account alongside the
acknowledgment of a lack of space, we believe this is an important indicator from a slice of the community
that should not be ignored. We further believe that when this is considered in conjunction with feedback
received from other sources during the project, the desire to fully justify any new additions to facilities and
efficient use of funds should be taken very seriously by the district before moving forward on any new capital
projects.
Regarding communication, we see that respondents provided positive reviews for the district’s efforts;
however, we also see areas of caution and opportunities for the district. It was noted that respondents
received a notable amount of information regarding the district from social media and word of mouth, more
so than from local news media. We encourage the district to recognize this and utilize various of methods to
“push” accurate information from the district to the community via social media and other means so that those
passing information on will at least have accurate and timely information from the district. We also believe it
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is important for the district to continue to actively monitor social media and have frequent in-person contacts
with the district community whenever possible to best detect when clarifying information is needed and
respond accordingly using the district’s tools.
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SECTION 4
FOCUS GROUPS
Three focus groups were conducted as part of the project and as an alternative method in gathering further
input on the issues at hand. Each meeting was convened at our offices and were moderated by JWA staff.
The groups were asked their perspectives in relation to the issues and were allowed to speak freely. Each
session was limited to one hour to honor the participant’s time commitment. In an effort to maintain anonymity
and honor our commitment to confidentiality, individuals will not be identified, but their comments and themes
of the discussions are presented below.
The first of the three focus groups involved parents of special needs or intellectual and developmentally
disabled (IDD) district students. All the participants were mothers of these children.
The parents felt that the district provided outstanding services to their special needs children and appreciated
that many of the resources were due to the district being a large organization. However, each parent wished
that the district felt “smaller.” This was explained to mean that the parents would like a closer relationship
with the district and better communication. Each parent felt that since their children did have greater needs
than other students, they were very involved with the instruction and care their children were receiving from
the district and therefore, would like more input and feedback from the district pertaining to actions or
policies under consideration.
When asked how the parents would prefer to receive information, they advised that email sufficed, but when
asked in what form of communication they most trust, they were unanimous in stating that they most trusted
their friends and neighbors. This was due to their perceived overload of information from multi-media and
the unreliability of information gathered from social media. As such, they preferred hearing directly from the
district in a more personal manner or discussing information with people they trust.
The next two focus groups were populated by individuals who are leaders within the community i.e., business
leaders, non-profit leaders, educators, social service leaders and former elected officials. We intentionally
split the groups in two, with one containing individuals whom we believed were more closely involved and
“current” on district related issues and the other containing leaders who may not be as involved.
The focus group with current knowledge of the district’s challenges and current backgrounds that required
their involvement with district in various ways spoke to the need for innovative ideas. The group felt that the
current education model is outdated and that if the district was to move forward with infrastructure changes
and if the district would be asking voters to approve additional taxes, then the district should take the
opportunity to be innovative with the funds. Additionally, the group felt that the timing was right to include
innovative changes to curriculum, schedules, etc., if the district was to utilize new funding for innovative
building ideas.
This group was also supportive of a bond for an additional middle school but felt strongly that the district
needs to demonstrate efficient use of current facilities and funds first, which also including re-modeling the
current Central High School building. Lastly, this group discussed the need for the district to address the mental
health needs of its students.
The final focus group was comprised of community leaders that were not as currently connected to the district.
This group was supportive of creating more space for students and favored remodeling Central High School
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to accommodate an additional middle school. However, the group focused on the district being as efficient as
possible with funds. There was considerable discussion about why more funds are needed if the area is
growing, questioning why an increase in population did not lead to sufficient funds for education.
The group focused on using any funds obtained from a tax efficiently, advocating for good buildings and
facilities, but not trying to build the “Cadillac of schools.” The group felt this was an important “customer
focused” concept for the district to consider when asking the taxpayer or “customer” for additional funds. The
group suggested that any bond put forward should have a “consumer focus,” show tax payers “what was in it
for them” and address the issue that the last time the district went out for a bond, the community was told that
there would not be an additional bond for another 20 years. What changed? Why will this be any
different?
In regard to Career and Technical Education programs, the group was supportive of these programs, but
questioned why the district was not partnering more with the Rogue Community College and suggested that
the district seek to do more with RCC. They felt that this would expand CTE offerings, but also limit the cost
requirements from the district.
Analysis: All three groups stated clear opinions on how the district could improve in key areas. A common
thread was that of communication. The group comprised of parents focused on a communication strategy by
the district that “made the district feel smaller.” We take this to mean that the parents who are closely
involved in their children’s experience at school would like a closer, more personalized style of communication
from the district and it is our experience that parents who feel more “in-tune” with the school district are more
likely to support the district’s initiatives.
Additionally, the thread of needed improvement in communication with the broader public is also observed in
the statements by both community leader focus groups. The community leader group with closer ties to the
district supported the district’s efforts and vision, but also expressed ideas to help the district succeed. It is
important for the district to recognize this and leverage the combined talents and experience of the area’s
community leaders, mining them for ideas that could improve the district. Doing so can achieve critical “buy-
in” from influence community members for direction of the district. It also shows the public that the district
views itself as a partner with the broader community and seeks diverse opinions. A public that feels it is shut
out from the decision-making process of a government entity are bound to push back and often the district will
lose support of the public in such circumstances.
The group of community leaders that were not as close to the district and therefore, not as knowledgeable of
the detailed inner workings, illustrated the importance of the district consistently demonstrating its wins and
challenges with the broader community. The focus group shows how individuals who are committed to giving
back and helping their communities can also be under-informed about the issues and challenges facing the
district. This is another reminder that to achieve better buy-in and build stronger connections to the broader
community, the district will need to dedicate time and resources to doing so.
All three groups demonstrated a willingness to support the district and have the proven desire to lend their
voices and minds to causes that are important to the district. However, all three groups have also shown a
need for the district to continue to work towards achieving a close relationship with the community outside the
traditional idea of focusing only on the “school community.” A commitment by the district to being part of,
economic development, health care improvements, crime reduction and overall increase in community livability
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through the education of children and preparing them to live productive and upstanding lives as a adults has
the powerful potential of transforming the more traditional influence of the school district on the community
into the district becoming one of the major influencers on our community as a whole.
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SECTION 5
FACILITIES OPTIMIZATION COMMITTEE
An important piece of the information gathering and feedback process was to tap into the combined intellect
and experience of the community and school staff by asking for volunteers to serve on an ad-hoc committee
that would examine the state of the district’s current facilities, the district’s financial position and facility needs.
The committee would then provide their feedback and recommendations on what the district could do.
We felt this was an important piece to the project, as it would pull in members of the district, parents of
students and community leaders with various expertise to examine the issues collectively in a way that one-on-
one interviews, listening sessions, focus groups and surveys could not. As a result, in late 2018 we presented
to Dr. Shumate and his staff the proposal to convene an ad-hoc committee comprised of various groups.
Each group represented a “school community,” district personnel or community members at large. Due to the
number of elementary schools in the district, several groups were created to represent various perspectives
from the elementary school “community.” Each middle school and high school in the district were represented
with their own groups. The groups comprising the committee were as follows:
• Elementary School Parents – 5 parents (Howard, Hoover, Jacksonville, Ruch, Kennedy)

• Elementary School Classified Staff – 5 employees (Oak Grove, Lincoln (2), Griffin Creek, Wilson)
• Elementary School Certified Staff – 5 employees (Wilson, Jackson, Kennedy, Roosevelt, Jefferson)
• Elementary School Administration – 5 administrators (Roosevelt, Hoover, Lone Pine, Griffin Creek,
Washington)
• Hedrick Middle School – 1 parent; 1 classified employee; 1 certified employee; 2 administrators
• McLoughlin Middle School – 2 parents; 1 classified employee; 1 certified employee; 1 administrator
• North Medford High School – 2 parents; 1 classified employee; 1 certified employee; 2
administrators
• South Medford High School – 1 parent; 1 classified employee; 1 certified employee; 2
administrators
• Central Medford High School – 1 parent; 1 classified employee; 2 certified employees, 2
administrators
• District Office – 3 cabinet members; 1 facilities employee; 1 athletic department employee
• Union Representatives – 1 MEA Representative; 1 OSEA Representative
• Community at Large – 7 members
• MSD School Board – 3 members
Although the committee was large, we felt that it was critical to not only represent as many voices as
possible, but to provide a clear focus for their work. One of the frustrations voiced by district staff and
community members over the prior 2018 bond attempt, was a lack of input. In cases such as these, where
community-wide challenges are being addressed, by a public entity, it is crucial that individuals feel as though
they were “heard” during the process rather than “herd.” We feel it is also important that district staff,
parents and community members have “skin in the game” by being part of the solution as well. Just as
importantly, we felt that the collective experience, talents and perspective of the group would provide not
only a good temperature of what could be done, but also provide potentially new ideas as well. Lastly,
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identifying the committee as an “ad-hoc committee” was a critical aspect to help ensure the group functioned
at a high level.
Our experience in both the state and local level of government, was that in most cases, ad-hoc working
groups performed better than those groups with appointed membership and no definitive end date. This was
due to the hesitancy for some members to join the group due to the time commitment (most people sought out
for such committees are accomplished individuals with many time consuming commitments ) and the common
practice of such groups to move in a slower and less focused manner due to the lack of a deadline to
accomplish its goals. Ad-hoc groups are more likely to have higher-caliber membership, since the sought-after
members know the commitment will be short term but have an impact on the community since the mission is
focused and has a deadline. As a result, such individuals are more likely to give their limited time to such a
mission.
In creating the committee, we proposed that the group be led by a community member, to provide an outside
perspective and to eliminate concerns about objectivity by having the group led by a district employee.
Additionally, we felt it was important that as consultants for the district that we remained in the background
and that the meetings were convened and supported by district staff.
We recommended that the committee be briefed initially by district administration on the current facility
challenges facing the district as well as the current financial position of the district. We further recommended
that the committee be provided any information related to their task that could legally be provided, with the
intent for the district to be as transparent as possible so that the committee could be privy to as much
information as possible in order to provide their recommendation.
Lastly, we suggested that the committee be “self-led,” allowed to form in the manner they wished and meet
when the group felt was most appropriate, with he goal to finish their work, providing a recommendation by
June 2019. We felt that by bringing together a collection of experienced and accomplished individuals, it
was important to provide them with the information and resources they needed to be successful, but to allow
them to have control over the process, allowing the group to maximize their abilities.
At the initial meeting, district staff provided information to the group, briefing them on the financial situation
of the district, the current state of the district’s facilities and demographics of the district. Staff then requested
that the group examine all necessary materials and information, deliberate and provide a recommendation to
the district regarding what the district should do regarding facility capital projects and financing those
projects.
Due to the timing of this report, we do not have the final recommendation from the ad-hoc Facilities
Optimization Committee. The final recommendation will be provided to the board separately.
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PART II
FUNDING OPTIONS AND STRATEGIES FOR CAPITOL CONSTRUCTION
PRIORITIES
As part of the project, we felt it was important to break out the feedback and ideas regarding funding
options and strategies for capital projects. As is the case when dealing with any challenge, individuals can
support or oppose a given course of action or strategy, but to move forward in a constructive manner, there
must be alternate ideas or strategies put forth by those in opposition. Therefore, when we received feedback
critical of the district’s course of action or strategies, we asked the individuals to provide their suggestions for
improvement.
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SECTION 1
INTERVIEWS
Internal Interviews: Although individuals were only interviewed once, we have broken certain sections out for
analysis here since they addressed potential funding options and strategies based on the interviewee’s capitol
construction priorities. In many cases, when staff was asked about funding options, they focused on bonding
as the strategy, making the majority of comments related to a potential bond focused on voter strategy as
well. When the subject brought the idea of a bond up as a way to fund capitol projects, we followed up.
Analysis of Internal Interviews: There was broad support internally for a new bond to pay for capitol
projects, with the highest priority being that of an additional middle school by the subjects interviewed. There
was also support for additional CTE buildings, but overall the majority placed adding another middle school
as the higher priority. As mentioned above, a bond was the preferred method of financing the project, which
may also be a result of what method each interviewee was most familiar with. In regards to a potential
bond, it was mentioned in several different ways that should the district go out for a bond, it would be
important to demonstrate to the public not only the need for the bond, but also demonstrate that the district
has been efficient with its use of funds to date and has an efficient plan moving forward. Since many of the
employees interviewed were also Medford residents, they also recognized that many Medford residence are
aware of the current bond and may be hesitant to add an additional bond. Some of the interviewees
themselves stated their hesitance but were swayed by their knowledge of the need.
It is important to consider this information, as it shows the definite sensitivity of the voters towards a new bond,
but also demonstrated that support may come from a well-informed public as to the need.
External Interviews: In speaking with the external subjects, we also separated out our analysis related to
financing potential capitol improvement projects for the district. As this subject was discussed, the external
interviewees also referred to a potential bond as the method of financing projects. When a bond was
brought up, we followed up as appropriate with further questions.
Analysis of External Interviews: A majority of interviewees also identified the need for a bond to address
overcrowding and to provide additional space for CTE classes. However, in doing so efficient use of the funds
was consistently mentioned as being very important. This was also apparent regarding any potential bond
strategy as well. Interviewees spoke to importance of educating the community as to the needs and also
showing an efficient plan for the funds. Additionally, interviewees spoke to the remaining hurt feelings in the
community between “North Medford” families and “South Medford” families. It is clear the perception
remains by “North” families that there was not equal treatment of the two high schools when funds were spent
from the current facilities bond. Many still felt that North Medford High School did not get the same level of
attention and that “promises were broken.”
While this may seem trivial to some, in light of the fact that the current bond went to voters over a decade
ago, it is a key to understanding the mood of the electorate and their potential support of a bond, beyond
the typical focus on cost and taxation rate. There remains an emotional element that lingers from the last
bond and that the district has yet to be able to adequately address. It is recommended that whether or not a
potential bond be pursued by the district, it should be a priority for the district to meet with “North Medford”
families to hear their concerns/perceptions and understand them so that they may be addressed in a way that
no longer causes this group of individuals to feel somewhat disenfranchised from their school district. Should
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the district decide to pursue a bond, it will be vital to show value to the “North Families” and build trust if the
district wants to gain their support.
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SECTION 2
FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND CONSIDERATIONS
Current Bond: In 2006 the community voted in favor of a $188.9 mm for facility upgrades and a new
building (South Medford High School). The current bond sunsets in 2034.
Approximate cost to build a new middle school - $80mm
Approximate cost to remodel Central High School into an additional middle school - $5mm to $40mm
(depending on scope of remodel)
Approximate cost to build a new elementary school - $35mm
Approximate cost to purchase land within the urban growth boundary for new buildings - $500k - $1mm (per
elementary school); $1mm - $2mm (per middle school)
Potential Bond Options: In considering a potential bond, it is important to consider what the community will
support and to what level. The community is currently paying on a $188.9 mm bond that passed in 2006,
which funded several capital construction projects, which were completed in 2013. The current bond is due to
sunset in 2034.
An additional bond could be pursued that would lay an additional tax upon the current bond, with both
sunsetting in 2034 or the new bond continuing on for a longer period of time to lessen the annual payment.
We also recommend the district explore with legal counsel the option of seeking a new bond that would
begin upon the expiration of the current bond, but since approved could be borrowed against to fund current
projects. This would allow for new construction and would provide more certainty for bond purchasers
regarding when the current bond sunsets and when the new bond would begin.
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PART III
POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT
It is important to consider the current and future political environment when considering long-term funding
decisions. Analyzing the political environment can provide a roadmap forward, identifying potential potholes
to avoid or at least be mindful of and paths of least resistance, where a certain action would be most
accepted by the community.
We have provided an analysis of the current and potential political environment, but It is also important to
understand that the political environment is not always fair or reasonable. The political environment is
determined by external factors and the perceptions of the community members. These perceptions can be
based on inaccurate data that are not of the district’s doing, but must be acknowledged nonetheless, since
they inform the community member and therefore become the individual’s attitude towards a potential action
the district may take. Therefore, it is important to take into consideration what the political environment is or
could be, not what we want it to be.
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SECTION 1
FLUID POLITICAL LANDSCAPE
In Oregon, our legislature meets each year, with every other year being a “full session,” meaning that the
state representatives and state senators will convene in Salem from February through approximately June
30th. 2019 is a “full session” year. The current legislature has met since February, with the end of the session
being June 30th per state law, unless the legislature adjourns early.
During this year’s session, the legislature took on several large and polarizing issues, such as changing labor
laws, PERS reform, climate change cap and invest legislation and of course a gross receipts tax on businesses
for additional school funding. In a vacuum, these political actions could be analyzed independently, but
politics never operate in a vacuum. The cumulative effect of these issues must be considered as to whether the
district should ask the community to pass an additional bond for capitol projects.
The nature of the debate on these issues has led to fatigue in some potential voters. People have expressed
frustration that their businesses are being over-taxed to support schools, while others feel the schools are
under-funded and need the additional money to provide better programs and instruction. It is likely that
these arguments will continue for the remainder of 2019, even after the session is completed as they will be
popular topics for the media to cover.
It is also important to note that recent actions near the end of the 2019 Oregon Legislative Session have
created even more fluidity in the political environment. It will be critical to be constantly vigilant in analyzing
the political environment going forward as it related to the Medford School District.
Oregon has enjoyed a strong economy state-wide. Unemployment remains low, which is true for Jackson
County as well. While the housing market has slowed in recent months, housing (rental) costs remain high and
prices in general continue to rise for certain sectors, we feel that overall the economy is still perceived as
strong. This is an important factor when considering the passage of a bond. However, recent national stories
regarding trade and economic uncertainty may still have a negative impact in the months leading up to any
potential bond election.
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SECTION 2
COMMUNITY CONSIDERATIONS OF BOND ELECTIONS
An additional, but very important factor is how the district as a whole is perceived by the community. This will
have a large impact on the success of any potential bond. Through our interviews, the listening sessions, focus
groups, survey responses and tracking news stories, we feel the community maintains a strong overall
impression of the district. If this were not the case, it is very likely that feedback provided would have
reflected such. It was our intent that community members had as many opportunities and avenues as possible
to provide input. However, from a political perspective, the most common complaints centered mostly around
the failed bond attempt from May 2018.
The majority of which were critical of the short timeline and lack of information about the bond. Additionally,
many of those we spoke to who were critical of the bond, were still supportive of the district and Career and
Technical Education, but simply did not support the bond at that time because they felt it did not address the
highest need of the school district.
Bonding
From our analysis, we do believe that there could be community support for a bond, with a few important
caveats:
1) The bond must address the perceived greatest need (increased space to alleviate overcrowding)
2) Bond money must be used in the most efficient manner possible.
In addition, we feel from the various feedback we received that CTE classrooms could be part of a bond that
addresses space needs, but that the bond would need to show the need for the district to build the classrooms
rather than partner with other entities. Additionally, it is critical that any buildings or remodels completed for
CTE classrooms must show parity between the North Medford High School and South Medford High School
campuses. While it is recognized that each campus needs are different, both school communities must be part
of the planning/design process and communication must be strong between the district and the school
communities justifying the final plans.
Lastly, regarding any potential bond, it must be understood that the need and plans for the bond must be
communicated effectively to the community, not only to support passage, but also to support the work after it
is completed, which helps ensure ongoing support for the district.
Timing
It is important to consider the political timing of any potential bond campaign. Historically, school bonds are
most successful during periods of time when other tax measures are not also under consideration and the
supporting side can ensure high turnout in support of the bond. It is problematic for passage when other,
more controversial items are on the ballot at the same time as well. Additionally, time periods for such bond
elections are the fall (November) and spring (May) each year.
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In analyzing the upcoming political calendar, we recommend November 2019 as the election cycle with the
most potential for successfully passing a bond. The November 2019 cycle is ideally timed for a potential
bond should the desire be to seek bonding funding prior to spring 2021. The general election cycle of 2020
ensures high voter turnout across the board by voters motivated by reasons beyond just the potential school
district bond.
With the Presidential primary season calendar being adjusted for the current cycle, it is possible that the
Democratic nomination for President could still be in question during the May 2020 election cycle, causing an
unpredictable electorate to turnout with a focus on other matters. Additionally, recent news of Jackson County
deciding not to pursue a bond for a newly constructed jail in the fall of 2019 suggests that the next available
date for a jail bond would be May 2020, providing a competing tax measure for voters to consider.
The November 2020 General Election cycle becomes even more packed with candidates from the Presidential
to the local candidates for office. This is also problematic for passing bonds, since the electorate can again
be unpredictable and focused on other more emotionally contested races. Candidates may also use a
potential school bond to campaign for or against in an effort to bolster their own campaigns.
For reasons of political timing alone, the above examples reinforce our recommendation that to maximize
chances of success any potential bond put to the voters by the district should target November 2019 or wait
until the election cycles of 2021.
Internal Financing
Financing internally any capital projects would alleviate timing issues related to bonds and be responsive to
some in the community who do not feel that an additional bond would be supported. In this scenario, (funds
allowing), the district remodel Central High School to accommodate a third middle school and make
improvements to current CTE space while utilizing the existing budget. This could act as a “placeholder” until
2021or later for the district to bring a larger bond to voters that would construct an additional elementary
school and a fourth middle school.
This option would necessarily limit the scope of work that could be done to the funds available and may not
provide the impact that the district requires to answer the challenges of overcrowding and available CTE
program space. In a worst-case scenario, if a remodel was not extensive enough, community members and
parents may feel that some students are not provided the same learning environment as students at the other
two middle schools. CTE programs may growth may be stunted due to a lack of adequate space, which leads
to a lack of student/parent interest.
In a best-case scenario, this action would provide the most cost-efficient way to take advantage of the
existing space at Central High School, which has been upgraded since 2012. Remodels would focus on
health, safety and security of the students and staff and provide a third middle school in a building that is
held in high regard by the community. The cost-efficient, self-funded model would also respond to stated
concerns of the community and potentially place the district in a stronger position in the future for a larger,
longer-term bond that could add the additional schools. An additional, but less identified option by the
community is to expand the current middle schools within their existing footprints to accommodate additional
classrooms and staff with internal financing options. This would go against the models of adding a third
middle school but could potentially provide cost savings in the future should an additional middle school still
need to be added.
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PART IV
COMMUNICATIONS
As we began our work with the district, we were asked to evaluate the effectiveness of the district’s
communication, but internally and externally. The concern was that the district was not adequately
communicating internally with its employees regarding district needs and vision. The district was also
concerned that they were not adequately communicating the district needs and vision to the community,
despite a concerted effort by the district.
This concern was partially due to feedback received as a result of the 2018 school bond election. The district
received feedback that employees did not feel “heard” and were left out of the decision-making process as it
related to what the 2018 school bond election should have been focused on. Further, the district was
concerned that the public was not fully aware of the district’s needs and/or was not in agreement with the
district on what the highest priorities should be regarding capital projects should be. The goal of the district
as stated to us, was to seek understanding both from district employees and the community on what they
believe the priorities of the district should be as they relate to facilities improvements. Further, we were
asked to evaluate the district’s communication methods and provide an analysis with suggestions for
improvement.
As part of our work, as we gathered feedback from our various methods, (interviews, surveys, focus groups,
listening sessions), we probed regarding the individual’s/group’s opinion as it related to district
communication. We asked specifically about communication surrounding the bond, but also in general and
asked questions about how they would improve it.
During this process we uncovered some consistent themes and perspectives that were at times unique to the
individual’s area of responsibility or even with their position in the community. As is often the case with issues
surrounding communication, perception is key to understanding. As a result, we respected each person’s
perception as well as their perspective, which can be informative as well. We asked questions seeking
understanding but did not challenge individuals on at times was an inaccurate assumption based on the
information we know. Our interest was in their perspective and how that impacts the district’s ability to
effectively communicate with them.
The following is a breakdown of the strengths of the district’s communication efforts, as well as areas of
improvement. We also offer a strategy to help improve the district’s communication both internally and
externally. Our recommendation is focused on structural changes that we believe the district could implement
that could improve communication.
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SECTION 1
S.W.O.T. ANALYSIS
Strengths: Throughout our interviews with district staff, there was universal respect for the district’s
communication team as well as the efforts by the current administration to improve communication. The district
communications team was praised for their approachability, dedication and talent. Most also recognized the
fact that the current administration brought on board communication professionals. Staff working close or
within administration reported their appreciation for the current superintendent’s style, stating that it was
straightforward and clear. Externally, parents reported via the afore mentioned survey that they felt the
district did communicate well with them and during public listening sessions there were no examples given by
members of the public regarding poor communication.
The district has demonstrated a commitment to embracing current technology to enhance communication. The
district utilizes Facebook, Peach Jar and Twitter platforms to transmit information externally and uses email to
provide frequent updates to district staff. Further, it was our experience during the project period that district
staff was responsive to issues that arose involving the district which required a quick and nimble response.
We witnessed the district administrators and communications team act decisively and clearly in several
situations. The district has also shown a transparency and confidence in its willingness to improve. It is
common for organizations to be insecure when regarding its ability to communicate, however the district
embraced its value of continual growth by encouraging our work and wanting to find ways to improve. Staff
praised the implementation of the “Golden Pear Awards” and greater recognition for teachers and staff.
Weaknesses: District staff who worked outside of administration at school sights complained of a
disconnected upper administration. Staff voiced concerns about not being “heard” and pointed to instances
when they would bring a complaint or an idea forward, only to feel ignored when there was no apparent
follow up. Staff also stated that they felt a disparity in treatment between elementary schools and high
schools in particular, feeling that high schools were the priority for administration. Elementary school staffs
stated that they would like to see more of the superintendent and have him more present in their classrooms
during the day. The prevailing feeling of many elementary school employees was that some in the upper
administration did not fully understand their perspective and it did not feel their points of view or ideas were
“getting through.”
Many employees were either misinformed or confused on some of the district’s major programs, such as
Pathways and CTE, either not fully understanding what they were or where they fit within the programs.
Employees in the classified union felt underappreciated, citing their willingness to support and help the CTE
program for example, but not feeling as though they had been engaged to do so.
A significant hurdle to the internal communications was the inability to communicate effectively by email. This
is a critical area of communication in a large organization and in an era where it is an expected method to
transmit information quickly and efficiently. Overall, the district’s typical “open-rate” for emails has been
under 40%, meaning that many emails are not only ignored, but not even open and read. When asked
about this, staff cited a lack of time to read emails. This was consistent with the internal survey sent out
regarding this project, which provided another platform for employees to provide input. The inability to
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communicate via email in a large organization, with many separate work locations will continue to hamper the
district in a number of ways until corrected.
Community members, while in general very supportive of the district and the direction, were also unaware of
certain programs or the needs of the district. Several community members also cited lingering hard feelings
regarding the perception that the North Medford High School community were not treated as well as the
South Medford High School community regarding facilities. While in some cases the examples cited were not
entirely accurate, it is clear that the perception remains and goes beyond parents with children still in school.
Community members also stated that while they appreciate the amount of resources that a larger district like
Medford can bring to bear, they also longed for more personal communication. One focus group cited a
desire for a “small school feel” when it comes to communication.
Opportunities: The district is staffed by a collection of hard-working, talented and intelligent people at all
levels. There was also a consistent desire to improve and make things better by everyone we spoke to
internally during the various sessions. Additionally, there is a shared passion for the work being done, which
sometimes evokes great emotion. We view these as a resource to be tapped into. Every organization has
areas that need improvement, but those that also have the passion and desire to improve and the courage to
make changes are the organizations that function at the highest levels.
Our investigation shows that the district is at a place of financial stability, has made great strides in serving its
students, is supported by the community and has a vision that addresses the communities needs into the future.
Although challenges exist in pending contract negotiations and addressing facility space needs, the fact that
the district has stability in the afore mentioned areas means that it can focus on improving other areas.
Organizations that are fighting to stay alive often are not able to focus on growth. The Medford School
District has the opportunity for growth in the area of internal and external communications.
Additionally, the nature of the industry that the district is in allows for an annual “reset” also know as a “school
year.” While we recognize that that the district and many employees are working through the summer
months, it is recognized that new school years offer new opportunities. We suggest that the district utilize the
summer months to work with stakeholders and move forward implementation plans on strategies that support
growth where it is needed.
Threats: Perception is reality, and this must not only be acknowledged, but addressed. Perception can be
managed by providing accurate information in a continuous manner and actively seeking to understand the
underlying reason for the given perception. If not, (mis)perception can drive a narrative that can damage the
organization.
As seen in the survey responses, both internal and external, there were significant groups who identified as
“neutral” on several questions. These “neutral” respondents represent and even greater number of people
who can be influenced to either support or oppose a given action or idea. If the district wants to bring
“neutral” individuals into the “support” column, there must be a concerted effort to reach out to staff and the
community and effectively communicate its desired message on a consistent basis. To create the message, the
district must first be willing to listen to staff and the community on a continual basis as well.
The education industry is fast-paced and there is little time to pause the action to make repairs. It is easy for
some in similar organizations to simply given in to the pace and accept that they “just don’t have the time to
deal with it.” Unfortunately, this is short-term thinking that will eventually damage the organization. If the
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district allows for the pace of the school year to continue to move without finding ways to make changes on
the fly, the district runs the risk of squandering its support. Resentment can fester and if inaccurate information
is not corrected, it becomes fact. If answers are not provided by the district in a timely manner regarding a
given issue, others will step into the vacuum and provide their own answers. The district must be willing and
ready to address these issues and recognize that it will be a continual process given the nature of their
industry.
It is also important to acknowledge that there are lingering feelings from actions of past administrations and
community actions that while the current administration may not be responsible for, these feelings are still
quite real and threaten to be a continual stream of resentment that runs beneath the surface. The feelings of
the North Medford High School community are a good example of this, and past labor tensions are another.
It is important that the district drill down into any long running issues such as these and address them by first
listening, then responding in an effective manner.
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SECTION 2
STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE INTERNAL COMMUNICATION STRUCTURE
Given the strengths of the district, the talent and the dedication by the district to strong communication both
internally and externally, we recommend structural changes that could increase the effectiveness of the
district’s efforts.
Through our interviews the concern about “responsiveness” was referenced regarding how employees felt
their suggestions and/or complaints were being handled. There were frustrations from teachers regarding the
feeling that they would make a complaint to their administration and many times not hear of any resolution or
if they did it took a longer period of time than they felt was appropriate, leaving them feel as if they were
ignored. Teachers and staff also wanted the ability to speak directly to cabinet officials and the
superintendent but felt there was no mechanism to do so. Lastly, teachers and staff felt that administrators
did not always understand what they dealt with daily or did not always show understanding.
Frustration regarding “responsiveness” was also felt within administration. Administrators were concerned with
the poor “open rate” of emails by staff, believing that it is hard to transmit information in a timely manner at
an organization their size if email is not fully utilized. Additionally, some within management were unclear at
times who they reported to on given situations, further extending the time it took for resolution on certain
issues.
To be clear, in most cases individual performance was not the cited as the source by those expressing
frustrations. Rather, they voiced concerns about the process of communicating within the district.
It is critical in any relationship for both parties to feel heard. In many cases the lack of purposeful listening by
one party is the root cause of a breakdown in communication. In the examples cited by those interviewed, it is
clear that individuals do not feel heard when they do not receive timely feedback. Even if the feedback is
negative, not the outcome the initiating party desired, in many cases the initiating party can accept the result
if they felt their perspective was heard and seriously considered.
In any organization, especially one the size of the Medford School District, it is important for all parties to
understand that certain issues will take time to resolve and that some needed changes may be beyond the
current capabilities of the organization at the time for various reasons (time, resources, circumstances, finances
etc.) but the key is for the organization to ensure a culture of “responsiveness.”
Making “responsiveness” a value within the organization ensures that most will feel that if their
suggestion/complaint is not resolved to their satisfaction, they were heard and respected. It is important to
note that there are complaints and issues which must be dealt with immediately, without delay and in the most
professional manner. We are referencing complaints, suggestions and issues which fall outside of these. We
recognize that the district has structures in place to deal with internal complaints and that the unions actively
represent its members as part of the process as well. Instead we are focusing on additions to the structure
currently in place as a way of enhancing communication, not replacing current district policy.
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STRATEGY
1. Establish a written policy that ensures timely resolution of complaints or suggestions (As
mentioned above, we are focused on those complaints or suggestions that do not necessitate
immediate action by administration).
a. Establish a period of time that is appropriate for the receiver of the information to consider
and respond to. This must take into account workflow and responsibilities. However, an initial
review can be conducted, and the initiator should be notified within a short period of time that
their information was received and outline the steps that the individual will be taking as a
result. These steps can be general in nature:
i. “I have received your suggestion and have reviewed it. I will be sharing it with ______
at my next available meeting to discuss it further. I hope to get back to you with further
information by the end of next week.”
Key to the process is the acknowledgement and follow up as promised, even if the follow up
at the end of next week is that a meeting did not take place and the individual is planning
meeting again and will provide another update at a set date. If the initiator is not given clear
timelines of action and those timelines are not followed, trust in the process is broken.
Timelines must be set and honored, even if resolution does not occur quickly.
2. Establish a policy that provides a path to communicate directly to the top of the organization
a. In organizations the size of the Medford School District, which operate at disparate locations
and at the pace school districts often do, it is unrealistic and inappropriate for all members of
the organization to have “walk-in” privileges with the superintendent or other department
heads. However, it is important for those leaders to make themselves available on a
consistent basis and for a procedure to be established where any employee may be able to
contact the leader with a concern or suggestion. The process must be thoughtful and
respectful. (Again, we recognize that procedures do exist within the organization that involve
union representation and human resources. These suggestions are not intended to replace
those).
i. Establish a process that can be utilized after the initiator follows the above policy and
feels that their concern/idea should be heard at levels beyond their immediate
supervisor or they disagree with the outcome.
1. The initiator should be able to make a written request for review of their
concern/suggestion by the next level of supervision within their chain of
command.
2. The request should be acknowledged in a timely manner as before with a

resolution made in a timely manner as well.
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3. Requests of this nature should all be copied to the cabinet member responsible
for that division as well as the superintendent.
a. It is not expected that the cabinet member or superintendent will

intervene and resolve the issue personally, but it is important for the
top levels of the organization have an understanding as to what the
issue is and that it has risen to that level within the organization.
b. It is also important for the initiator to know that their concern/issue is

not only being reviewed at level above their supervisor, but that the
highest levels of the organization are made aware.
4. The supervisor should take whatever action they feel is appropriate and
inform the initiator within the promised timeframe or update the timeframe as
needed to the initiator. If the concern/issue is being elevated or moved within
the organization, the initiator must be notified.
5. When the decision is rendered, the supervisor(s) involved must pass the
resolution back down through the chain of command, ensuring that all involved
are aware of the resolution and any steps that must be taken as a result.
6. The initiator must be notified in a timely manner.
7. In the event the initiator is not satisfied with the resolution of the
concern/suggestion, further action should be handled through the individual’s
representation if appropriate.
b. Everyone in the organization must be held accountable to the established protocol.
i. For any policy or protocol to be effective, it must be followed. This means that
supervisors throughout the organization must not only be willing to enforce the policy
but follow it themselves.
ii. As such, we recommend establishing a written policy/protocol that is created through

input from all involved parties, agreed upon and trained on continually so that all
members of the organization understand what the policy/protocol is and that it strong
lines of communication are a value of the organization.
c. The policy must be recognized as a high priority by all involved
i. If the policy is followed, but only to the least extend possible, it will be viewed as
perfunctory only and lose impact. The entire organization must understand that failing
to be responsive, even to the smallest issues can have a ripple effect that will sow
seeds of mistrust. Conversely, an organization, whose members feel as though they
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are seen and heard can operate at a higher level because of the high levels of trust
established.
3. Empower managers with enforcing communication policies
a. With an organization the size of the Medford School District and with disparate locations, we
believe it is important for the district to embrace a “de-centralized” method of decision
making, which entrusts its leaders to make decisions that are within policy and the vision of the
district.
i. While this can often be viewed as a way of empowering decision making by leaders,
it is also important in speeding up the communication loop by leaders to their staffs,
which further enhances the communication process and can build trust.
ii. Key to this is not only the leaders higher in the organization empowering the leaders
within their chain of command to make decisions on their own, but to expect them to do
so and hold them accountable. However, this also means supporting their actions and
decisions as long a they follow policy and are in line with the vision of the
organization.
iii. It is also critical to hold leaders accountable when the policy is not followed and in this
case the communication loop is delayed. Doing so reinforces what the expectations
are and builds trust within the organization as well.
4. Establish when quality time can be spent by cabinet members with mid-level managers and
front-line staff
a. With an organization the size of the Medford School District and the speed and pace in which
the education industry moves during the academic year, it is unrealistic to expect the
superintendent and cabinet members to regularly visit classrooms and spend large amounts of
time at each site. The superintendent and cabinet members, just as teachers and staff, have
responsibilities unique to their positions that must be taken care of for the good of the entire
organization. However, it is important to support organizational wide commitment to
communication for leaders in these positions to regularly schedule time with groups within their
area of responsibility. This time must be:
i. Balanced. No group should feel they have more opportunities to discuss matter more
than another
ii. Open. All respectful comments should be encouraged as long as they are intended to
help the organization
iii. Focused. All members of the group should be “present” and not distracted and the
time allotted for the meetings should be short enough to be realistic, yet long enough
to be meaningful. We recommend smaller meetings of no longer than 30 minutes as
long as the interaction is focused with no distractions. Larger group meetings should
be no longer than an hour and ensure that topics are focused, and time is maximized.
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All meetings should respect the tie commitments all attendees are making and should
start and end on time, without exception. Time is a commodity in the education
industry and should be respected as such.
iv. Committed. There must be an organizational commitment to having such sessions and
only the most extraordinary of circumstances should cause a cancelation.
b. We recommend that these meetings be a combination of small gatherings with specific work
groups that can speak to their particular set of needs and issues and larger gatherings that
allow for a broader range of topics.
c. All groups within the organization must be committed. This will not be effective if only the
leaders are expected to make the effort. For it to be meaningful, all sides must respect the
other and make the commitment to communication as an organizational value. All sides must
be responsive and be willing to take the time to meet.
5. Create quarterly and annual reports on organizational communication
a. To ensure that policies are followed, and gaps are not created in the organizations
communication loops, we recommend that the district assign the responsibility of tracking use
of the communication policy and gathering information on how it is working.
i. The individual should act somewhat as a “communication ombudsman” with the

freedom to speak to district personnel regarding the communication policy and report
with absolute freedom on quarterly and annual state of the district’s internal
communication.
1. We recommend that this be part of the district’s Human Resources division to

ensure consistency when adhering to district policies and confidentiality
requirements.
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SECTION 3
STRATEGY FOR EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS IMPROVEMENTS
As cited previously, it is clear that the district enjoys a great deal of support from the community regarding
the progress the district has made on various fronts in the recent years as well as the vision of the district. We
believe there is a high level of trust within the general community for the district. However, we also see areas
of growth for the district in how the district communicates directly with the district families and community at
large. In the current times of multiple media platforms and shorter news cycles, it is more imperative than
ever that the district continue to embrace technology and invest into marketing the district and the vision of the
district in new ways. As we have observed from our information gathering, district families are obtaining
information regarding the district in various forms and we know that the general public consume information in
ways that are different from even 10 years ago. Therefore, we believe the district must continue to evolve as
well, addressing these challenges by embracing its strengths as a district and leveraging them to its
advantage.
STRATEGY
1. Use social media to reach the public
a. As mentioned before, the district has embraced the use of technology and social media.
While the district can reach parents of district students via email, Peach Jar and written
notices, it is important to note how little district parents relied on local media for district
information. We suspect this is consistent with the general public given the dependence on
social media by so many people.
i. We suggest that the district publicly market more aggressively the Facebook and
Twitter addresses for the school district to gain followers.
1. Allows the district to push information out to the public rather than wait on
local news to distribute press releases.
a. Reach more people, more quickly with important information

b. Respond more quickly to an ever-shorter news cycle
c. Ensures more accurate information released directly from the district
2. Allows district to promote programs to the greater community to create more

awareness and understanding.
a. Pathways
b. Career and Technical Education
c. District success stories
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2. Speak directly to various parent community groups whenever possible
a. Through our work on the project, it was clear that the district’s community consists of many
smaller communities of individuals and families. Each of these smaller groups have their own
perspectives, needs and concerns and communicate with each other on a continual basis about
the district. It is also important to note that “word of mouth” was a news source that many
respondents to the external survey favored. Additionally, we received feedback from
parents that many wished the district “felt smaller.” We recommend that the district create
methods to speak directly to these various parent groups.
i. Identify the various district groups by varying perspectives and needs with
representatives from the following areas as an example:
1. Each school board zone
2. Each level of curriculum

a. Elementary
b. Middle School
c. High School
3. Specialized curriculum
a. Alternative and Special Education
b. Dual Language
c. Home Schooled/Online School
ii. Create a “Parent Senate” of volunteer representatives from each group with monthly
meetings led by superintendent and attended by cabinet members to provide updates
and ask for input regarding on-going challenges or upcoming issues. The group is
advisory only and exists to allow for clearer lines of communication between the
district and the various community groups.
1. Obtains unique perspectives not otherwise received from emails and other
methods of “pushing” information.
a. Creates a sense of “being heard” by each important community group.
2. Attendance of cabinet members and superintendent confirm importance of the

group to the volunteer members.
3. Creates buy-in from important community groups on district actions.
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4. Allows representatives to communicate district actions or challenges directly to

their peer groups more effectively.
a. Members of the community groups understand how to effectively

communicate with their peers.
3. Commit to becoming a larger part of the Medford community
a. Given the importance of the district’s role in the community, we recommend the district
leadership commit to a greater role within the community regarding important topics such as:
Public Safety, Economic Development, Human Services. While these areas do not appear to
be related to primary and secondary education, we believe that given the district’s role in the
community educating future leaders, parents and contributing members and the fact that the
district is one of the area’s largest employers, the district can be an influencer in these areas.
i. We recommend that district leaders take part in community conversations where these
topics are discussed and provide the district’s unique perspective.
4. Have a larger voice in issues that effect the district at the state level
a. We recommend that the district continue a commitment to having a strong voice on the state
level regarding policies and laws that impact the district.
i. The Medford School District is a significant district in the state of Oregon, not only
representing the area it serves, but also providing a voice for larger rural areas
located outside of the Portland-Salem-Eugene metro areas. The perspective of the
Medford School District should be heard on a consistent basis and the interests of the
district should always be protected.
Page 60
APPENDIX
*The following pages contain excerpts taken from inter views and lis tening sessions co nduct ed
during the pro ject. In an effort to maintain confidentiality, n o attribution is made.
Page 61
Regarding Capital Project Priorities:
Internal Interviews
-Take into account enrollment 10 years from now
-Facilities needs beyond just CTE
- Should include middle school plan and how it will pay off for Rogue Valley
-Use Central High building (Community has strong connection to that building)
- Should we consider using Central as a Tech High School?
- What does the public want?
- Whatever we do, we need the best bang for our buck
-Overcrowding in the elementary schools and middle schools is an issue, which requires more buildings or
expansion of existing buildings
-Needs to be a long-term solution
-Buildings need to be for future growth as well and should include projections based on state-wide models
-Middle School should be part of a bond to ease overcrowding and we need to involve elementary school
teachers
-Greater need (greater than Career and Technical Education classrooms) is addressing overcrowding in the middle
schools and elementary schools
-Any bond should include funds to build or remodel for new middle school
-Voters need to understand the overcrowding issue and reason for additional schools
-Need additional middle school
-Too much overcrowding at middle schools and elementary schools
-Ultimately/ideally need two additional middles schools and one additional elementary school to deal with
current need and plan for future needs
-Any capital should include a middle school and Career Technical Education and provide long term solutions
-Demographic changes have affected school overcrowding
-A middle school should be part of any funding decision
-Concerned about middle school and Career and Technical Education on any bond together and would prioritizes
a middle school over additional classrooms for Career and Technical Education
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-An additional middle school (a third) would help alleviate pressure from elementary school dealing with behavior
problems and overcrowding
-A fourth middle school only addresses the social/emotional needs, not necessary at this point
-Would rather Career and Technical Education classrooms would be expanded at NMHS and
SMHS than a fourth middle school
- Feels that two middle schools should be a priority for any funding
- Prioritizes building middles schools with additional funding and prefers two additional (four total middle
schools) to alleviate overcrowding and address behavior issues
-Need an additional middle school and elementary school
-Consider a second middle school on the east side to address more development
-Would prefer a new middle school over an elementary school
-More overall impact to elementary schools by moving 6th graders to middle schools and adding
a third middle school
-Would help address student behavior
- Funding solutions should NOT include Career and Technical Education classroom expansion
-There are enough resources for us to have Career and Technical Education and can work with Rogue
Community College
-Would need to show that the district has exhausted all the possibilities and resources before
asking more money for Career and Technical Education
- Doesn’t feel another middle school building is needed
-Expand current middle school buildings.
-Large middle schools are ok, as long as they are staffed properly
-Additional administration, teachers, counselors are cheaper than a new building
-Overcrowding is the biggest issue
-A middle school is needed
-Career and Technical Education should be included, but new buildings should be built on both campuses
-Best to have four middle schools
-Biggest need is for another middle school
-Overcrowding and behavior problems are biggest issues
Page 63
- An additional middle school is highest priority
-Ideally remodel Central and build new middle school and new elementary school as well
-Three schools total needed
- New middle school is the priority, but why is Central an option?
-Thought the Central High School building as a high school was out due to condition
-One of the reasons given for new South Medford High School
-One middle school may not be enough
-Prefer two middle schools (four total) for space and so that kids can stay on same track from their
middle schools to their high schools
- Overcrowding needs to be addressed but thought Central High School building was not suitable for a school.
What has changed?
-Should address existing needs of elementary school and expand current middle schools to accommodate for
overcrowding
- Adding schools is viable
-Probably need two middle schools to avoid the politics of moving students
-Need four middle schools
-Too crowded
-Class size is biggest concern
-Either re-model Central High School for new middle school or expand current buildings with more staff
- Need for one – two more middle schools
-Two middle schools allow for a cleaner split from middle school to high school
-Re-model Central High School for new middle school
Page 64
External Interviews
- Must address biggest need - Overcrowding
-Need new middle school
-Use the Central high for another middle school
- Overcrowding in elementary and mid-high is a major issue
- Didn’t realize the existing problem
- Do we need another elementary school?
-Doesn’t know, but expects growth to require one soon
-Sees the need for Career and Technical Education, another middle school & an elementary school
-Preference would be remodel of Central High School
-Questioned whether or not existing schools have room for temporary classrooms
-Priority order: Career and Technical Education Rooms, middle school, elementary school, but would like
all three
- Overcrowding is the biggest issue
-Use a bond to expand capacity
-Find another source for funding Career and Technical Education capital projects
- Utilize Central building as oppose to building new middle school
-Going to grow more in the district
Page 65
Listening Sessions:
Internal Sessions
-Addressing behavior problems should be our top priority
-Need to build more space to deal with issues resulting from behavior problems
-Don’t feel connected to kids with large class sizes
-Need more staff space
-Some teachers don’t have the appropriate space to prepare for classes
-Should we combine our 7,8,9 grades instead of 6,7,8 grades?
-Societal problems are exacerbated by lack of space
-Teachers cannot connect with students and help them build relationships
-Behavior problems get even worse with crowded classrooms
-Should be focused on relationship building and social tools with kids in the lower grades to help prepare
them for future classes and society in general
-Teachers need time AND space to build connections with students
-District wants to be viewed as premier district, but there are still issues that need to be addressed
-Must plan better for growth/plan for long term financially
-Capitol decision should be for long-term problem solving
-Split classes are not best for kids
-Teachers feel they are forced to teach split classes to avoid hiring more teachers
-It seems the plan is to try and max out every class to avoid hiring more staff
-District needs to engage with the City of Medford and communicate with the city and planning officials
more
-Would allow the district to plan better for the future and be more in concert with the city
-Remodel central high school into an additional middle school
-It will only be a temporary band-aid though
-Should pursue a sales-tax to pay for schools instead of another bond
-Community does not feel connected to the district, won’t support the bond
Page 66
-Need laws changed to deal with behavior issues in the classroom/should not have to dress in protective
gear to teach
-Behavior issues a result of kids not socialized, overcrowding keeps teachers from spending time needed
to help
-Do more in elementary schools to build connection to Pathways kids need to start early
-Make it clear to parents, kids and staff about why it is important for younger ages to start
working on Pathways
-Kids on Chromebook a lot, but not much hands-on learning otherwise to enhance skills
-Students are not as motivated as before
-Academic programs are too rigid
-Need to be more hands-on and contextualized. Need more Career and Technical Education
classes
-Career and Technical Education is a great idea that is poorly communicated to staff and the community
Public Listening Sessions - Facebook Live Comments (Unedited):
- “Yeah, please explain why my son on middle school hardly ever had homework. Not only does
homework reinforce what they learned that day, it encourages parent interaction with their child, teaches
time and project management, prioritization skills and responsibility. As well there are so many different
learning styles that classroom discussion and online assignments just aren’t adequate. Hence, the
apparently outdated practice of read it, hear it, write it and go home and reinforce it. Please address this.
Your test scores for funding are not as important as my child’s ability to be a successful intellectual adult
post school. I have shared it... and I’ve gotten the test scores rhetoric and the falsities about how
homework isn’t really good for my child. I was given the run around that I would be offered some
resources to supplement his Subpar education in the classroom with some more in-depth and intellectual
work at home. I didn’t receive that, nor do I feel that that should be necessary (even though it is
apparently). The district is funded by the citizens, we pay you to do a job. Why aren’t you doing it? I’m
not the only parent with this concern, most of the parents I know have mentioned the same....”
- “One way to boost funding is through fans showing up to sporting events and paying admissions fees.
Right now, to attend a football game and to sit in reserve it’s $9. I am a family of six and for us to
attend a game it’s $54 to attend a high school football game. Has there been thought about lowering the
cost for admission fees to see if it helps boost attendance?”
- “Busses and middle schools are way overcrowded. My 8th grader is talking about it right now. No
reason why the busses should be three to a seat. They don’t fit! Not safe w” [text was cut off at this point]
- “Is there a plan for a bond to build new facilities instead of continuing to add on? I think that being
able to have smaller class sizes would allow for a strategic allocation of all students that may alleviate
many challenges.”
Page 67
- “I am happy to help rally the community to understand the need for facility growth. This need directly
impacts student success and achievement.”
- “We absolutely need smaller class sizes in elementary. Behavior problems increase with large classes
and the level of education we can deliver to our kids is significantly reduced when we have so many
students.”
- “Addressing class disruptions: As a teacher, it is a nightmare. I think it is one of the biggest issues I have
faced in the district.”
- “We opted not to enroll in 6th grade academy this year because when we went to visit Hedrick, we
realized how overcrowded the school is already. Adding 120 more students to an overcrowded middle
school didn't seem like a great solution. It was clear when we visited Hedrick that the administrators were
already feeling overwhelmed and frazzled! I think we need to build a new middle school where there will
be room for our 6th, 7th, and 8th graders to grow and thrive together.”
- “I am not happy with what our teachers have to deal with! It is amazing the language that students use
in the elementary level and nothing is addressed!”
- “I am also not happy that when a student disrupts a class that the whole class has to move because of
that student!”
- “Medford is just going to keep expanding. Yes, it will be unpopular, if taxes are raised for a new
school, but it will help our children in the long run with their education. It will also provide more teaching
jobs. Lessen the loads of the teachers we already have. Classroom sizes are way too big. It causes
teachers to become overworked and while being horrendously under paid. I don’t know what areas (if
any) have HOA fees, but if not, that should be implemented.”
- “As for there being overcrowded buses, all I can say is a former bus driver is that first student needs
more buses, more drivers and definitely more monitors. There are some regular routes that do not have
monitors and, in my opinion, desperately need them. And only having routes that pay 4 to 5 hours a day
isn’t enough to be able to live on. I had to quit because daycare costs more than my mortgage, so I am
unable to work. Bus drivers need a significant rise in pay to make the job more appealing and so that
they are able to retain drivers and monitors. Monitors are significantly paid less than drivers. The wage
gap needs to be addressed and fixed. Then the behavior and language used on buses by kids will be
nipped in the bud.”
- “There should be another Elementary school and middle school built on the east side of Medford. Yes,
taxes will be raised, but in the long run it is better for our kids. Have fundraisers and bake sales to help
make a dent each year. Every little bit helps. A multicultural food night extravaganza or something ha-
ha.”
- “The 6th grade have done the Academy before back in the early 2000s why did it end? Was it not a
good thing?”
- “I echo the excellence of this meeting being available online. Thanks!! If we do need new funding for
schools, which it seems like is the case, how do we convince our community that additional taxes will be
worth voting for?”
Page 68
- “How much of the bond that will be paid up in 2033 has been spent? How much is left to spend?”
- “Can having more charter schools help reduce class sizes and costs?”
- “What if we have some of our students take online courses or bring books home (basically part-time
homeschooling) ... just give the option to parents that are interested and have the time... I'd think that
would allow classes to be quite a bit smaller at school. If I could have my boys 2 or 3 days a week to
homeschool within the district’s guidelines, I would sign up for that.”
- “Agreed!! 30+ kids in an elementary classroom is crazy!”
- “I have 30 3rd graders at Wilson. My teaching partner has the same. 4th grade at our school has 33
and 34. It's a big problem at most schools.”
- “I heard they purchased a building in CP district just for kindergarten.”
Response: As a Kindergarten teacher I love this idea. Kindergarten is a whole different ball of
wax and it would be amazing collaboration to have a lot of Kindergarten teachers working
together like that.
Response: Whoa! This would be amazing!!! Kindergarten definitely doesn’t belong in the same
box as other grades. The collaboration would be AMAZING!!! The trainings, staff meetings, SIP
days, etc. could actually be tailored specifically to kindergarten. The ways that this would be a
great idea are endless!!”
Regarding Career and Technical Education Program:
Internal Interviews
-Career and Technical Education should be a broader offering rather than just “shop” classes (public
perception)
-Understanding the Pathways program is critical
-District needs to educate teachers and staff that student success equals college OR career readiness and how
that can be supported by a potential bond that expands Career and Technical Education buildings
-Frustrated that Measure 98 money is being “mis-spent”
-Believes that ALL of Measure 98 funds should be spent on Career and Technical Education (funds may also
be spent on drop-out prevention programs)
External Interviews
-Had no idea there was as much emphasis on Career and Technical Education at the district
-Understands why there should be
Page 69
-Shouldn’t the district partner with Rogue Community College?
-There should be one physical location where all Jackson County school districts could teach Career and Technical
Education (pool resources)
-This would be a collaborative effort to spread the burden among districts.
-Utilize Rogue Community College more when teaching Career and Technical Education classes
-Why go all on your own?
Regarding Funding Options and Strategies for Capitol Construction Priorities:
Internal Interviews
-A bond should be considered
-Take into account enrollment 10 years from now
-Facilities needs beyond just Career Technical Education
-Convince voters that bond is for future and will not be back asking for more soon
-A bond should be simple and doable
-Should include middle school plan and show how it will pay off for the Rogue Valley
-Highlight the use of the Central High School building
-The community has a strong connection to that building, which is historic and goes back many
years in the community
-Interested in best long-term solution
-Should Central High School become a “Tech” High School?
-Wants best bang for buck
-Need buy-in from Community and Teachers
-What does the public want in a bond?
-If another bond is attempted for Career and Technical Education buildings, there needs to be a forecast on how
many students would utilize Career and Technical Education classes
-Must justify the need
-What are the state-wide trends for Career and Technical Education program graduates? Bond
supporters need to know
-What careers have resulted and in what industries?
Page 70
-Needs to be a long-term solution
-Buildings need to be for future growth as well
-Should include projections based on state-wide models for population growth
-Any potential bond must ensure equity between North High school and South High School buildings
-Middle school should be part of any bond to ease overcrowding
-Any bond effort needs to have elementary school staff buy-in
-A potential bond should include an additional middle school
-Greater need for additional middle school than additional Career and Technical Education buildings.
–Overcrowding in the middles schools and elementary schools is the biggest issue facing the district
-Voters need to understand this issue and reason for additional schools
-Demographic changes affect school overcrowding and must be understood
-An additional middle school should be part of any bond
-Concerned about an additional middle school and additional Career and Technical Education buildings
on a bond together
-Additional middle school is the highest priority
-Would need to communicate very effectively, ensuring that Career and Technical Education is broad and
has an impact on many students
-Believes there is a need for an additional middle school
-Need to show community that the district is being efficient with tax money
-The district needs a bond, but need to show that we are making the best use of what we have
-Any bond should be limited in scope, supporting Career and Technical Education
-Should be responsive to what the industries in the Rogue Valley need
-Would need to sell any bond to educators as well
-Should address the largest need, which is more schools to address overcrowding
-Bond should be big enough and long-term enough that the district needs to come back again soon
-Need to put rational forward for expansion of Career and Technical Education buildings and how it connects to
middle school and elementary school curriculum
-Career and Technical Education buildings MUST be equitable to ensure support from BOTH high schools
Page 71
-Must be able to justify the expense and show current efficiencies to voters
- Would support a bond for Career and Technical Education building expansion, but feels elementary school staff
and parents need to be educated about the impact it will have on the community and the role of elementary school
curriculum in the Career and Technical Education program
-Elementary school staff would support bond for Career and Technical Education buildings if connection was
stronger to elementary school staff
- “Maker Spaces” in elementary schools would help connect Career and Technical Education to elementary
school staff
-Supports a potential bond that expands the Career and Technical Education with an additional middle school (for
3 total middle schools)
-Feels a 4th middle school would address the social/emotional needs, but may not be the highest priority at this
point
-Would rather Career and Technical Education buildings expand at North Medford High School and South
Medford High School than a 4th middle school.
-Additional middle school would help alleviate pressure from elementary schools dealing with behavior problems
and overcrowding, because 6th graders would then attend middle schools
-Should consider building an additional elementary school than a 4th middle school
-Supports buildings that help Career and Technical Education classes
-Feels that 2 additional middle schools should be a priority
-Supports an additional middle school (possible 2 additional) to alleviate overcrowding and address behavior
issues
-Focus on safety
-Still paying on previous bond
-Community will be concerned about how much they can support
-Need an additional middle school and an additional elementary school
-Would prefer a new middle school over a new elementary school
-More overall impact to elementary schools by moving 6th graders to middle schools
-Would help address student behavior
-Believe elementary school staff would be supportive of bond for additional middle school
-Consider a 2nd middle school (4 total) on the east side to address future development
Page 72
-Feels an additional middle school and a Career and Technical Education building expansion bond would
be successful
External Interviews
- Supportive of Career and Technical Education, but the district seems to be just throwing money at the problem
rather than finding a better way
-Inequity between North Medford High School and South Medford High School exists
-Newer buildings for South Medford High School as a result of the last bond and older buildings and
promised buildings that never happened for North Medford High School
-South gets new Career and Technical Education buildings, North only gets a remodel for Career
and Technical Education buildings?
-Hurt feelings held over from last successful bond
-Supportive of additional middle school
-Career and Technical Education buildings should be built in the middle of the North Medford High School campus
-Should NOT include Career and Technical Education building expansions
-There are enough resources for us to have Career and Technical Education
-Should work with RCC
-Would need to show that the district has exhausted all the possibilities and resources before asking more
money for Career and Technical Education buildings
-Any potential bond should be big enough to address issues through long-range planning
-Doesn’t feel an additional middle school building is needed
-Expand current middle school buildings and add staff
-Large middle schools are ok, as long as they are staffed properly
-Add administration, teachers, counselors (cheaper)
-If Career and Technical Education is part of the bond, both South Medford High School and North Medford
High School need to have equal buildings.
-North Medford community still have hard feelings regarding 2006 bond
-Feel that South Medford High School enjoy new buildings, while North Medford students/staff
have to make-due with older buildings
-North Medford community supported the bond after being told that North Medford High School
would also get new buildings
Page 73
-Need to show a “desperate need” if the district wants to raise taxes
-Bottom line will be overall cost to taxpayers
-Career and Technical Education buildings could also be part of a potential bond
-Community would better accept a bond for an additional middle school
-Longer term fixes would be more supported
-Bottom line will be cost
-People want quality though and to be part of a good district
-Add new tech as part of the bond that will forward leaning and innovative
-Should be very small. Still paying on current bond
-Adding an additional middle school is highest priority
-Ideally remodel Central High School and build an additional middle school and new elementary
school as well (3 additional buildings)
-Career and Technical Education building expansion could be part but should not be a stand-
alone item on bond
-Career and Technical Education buildings could be part of the bond
-Need to show impact on community (Career and Technical Education)
-Should address existing needs of elementary schools and expand current middle schools to accommodate for
overcrowding
-Need additional space for Career and Technical Education program expansion
-Adding schools is viable
-Probably need 2 additional middle schools to avoid the politics of moving students
-Would prefer to go out quickly for bond
-Waiting is important if it is a larger bond
-Fairly ambivalent about a bond. Believes he/she can make do with whatever is available
-Need 4 middle schools, should add 2 more middle schools
-Too crowded
-Any bond would need to be under 100mm
-Class size is biggest concern
Page 74
-Either re-model Central High School for an additional middle school or expand current buildings with
more staff
-Need to make new bond relatable to votes
-Get support from trades for Career and Technical Education expansion
-Need to communicate effectively how expanding Career and Technical Education will affect this?
-Career and Technical Education should be part of any bond
-Good for econ development of region
-Need for 1 or 2 additional middle schools
-2 middle schools allow for a cleaner split from middle school to high school
-Re-model Central High School for an additional middle school
-Career and Technical Education buildings are important, but not sure public would support a bond to pay
for them
-Equity issues still exist between North Medford and South Medford High School due to work done as part of last
bond
-Supportive of Career and Technical Education building expansion and addressing overcrowding in elementary
and middle schools
-The district needs to justify the need to the voters for any potential bond
-Recruit bi-partisan leaders in Medford to co-chair a bond committee
-Attend events together and be hand-in-hand to show that it is a non-partisan need
-Supportive of another bond, but it must only address the biggest need - Overcrowding
-Need an additional middle school
-Need to make the case to the public better
-District must justify the need to the community
-Spend some local money and ask the state to help as well (did not specify what “local money” should be
used)
-Use Central High School for an additional middle school.
-Class size is the biggest concern
-Career and Technical Education building expansions should be part of any bond
Page 75
-Need to communicate effectively how Career and Technical Education building expansion will affect class
size and justifiably placed on a bond
-Either re-model Central High School for an additional middle school or expand current buildings with more staff
-Understands that there is overcrowding in elementary and middle schools
-Thinks there must be evaluation from community
-Didn’t remember about the current existing school bond
-Sees the need for Career and Technical Education, an additional middle school & an elementary school
-Preference would be remodel of Central High School for an additional middle school
- Questioned whether existing schools have room for temporary classrooms
-Priority is to build Career and Technical Education buildings first, but would like additional middle school and
elementary school as well
-Stronger and more frequent messaging to the community
-Encourage enhanced leadership in all sectors of the education community
Regarding Internal Communications:
Internal Interviews
-Metrics are valuable, but need to be meaningful
-Statistics only tell part of the story, would like to understand better why graduation rates are improving (some
negative reaction to news of graduation rates)
-Don’t always feel that the administration represents their interests
-No way for line-staff to feel directly connected to cabinet
-Feels administration is too rigid in the vision and direction for district
-Cabinet needs to have empathy and respect for what they (staff) do, but don’t need to be friends
-Improve working conditions
-Cabinet should be in the classrooms more
-Cabinet needs to communicate the “why” more to get buy-in
-Not enough time to open and read emails from administration
-Provide more “open” time for team building
-More staff would result in more prep time
Page 76
-Feels there is a disconnect between cabinet and staff
-Feel “we” are heading in the same direction with cabinet
-Admin needs to be more authentic
-What is the strategy to deal with overcrowding?
-Seem to base current class size off of last year’s numbers, then respond with sudden changes after the students
show up for the first day of school.
-Why can’t we project and plan better and communicate that with staff?
-Concerned about the impact sudden changes have on the students too
-Cautioned against moving too quickly to place children in other classrooms suddenly when enrollment
exceeds expectations
-Complaints are not always heard by administration
-Had one on one meetings with upper administration, but nothing comes of it
-Don’t feel they are heard by the cabinet or board
-No follow-up on complaints, no explanation given
-Lack of trust between administration and staff
-No way to communicate directly with cabinet
-No meaningful tool to communicate directly with cabinet, don’t know who to ask
-Need more forward thinking, we are too reactive as a district
Regarding the May 2018 Bond Election:
Internal Interviews
-Teachers are unhappy overall and felt disrespected by lack of input in the last effort
-Career and Technical Education was a 1-size fits all solution that does not work for each school
-Went too fast without gathering enough input
-Public meetings held we not useful
-Last bond was successful because everyone got something out of it
-Teachers love Career and Technical Education but did not have enough information about it to support the bond
-It was assumed that teachers would support bond even without enough communication
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-Lack of support from elementary school staffs came from a perception that district cares more about high schools
-Making building new Career and Technical Education classrooms supported that feeling
-As an employee, felt that she understood the last bond well, but as a taxpayer, could see how there was not
enough known and understood and Career and Technical Education
-Elementary school staff did not fully understand or embrace the last bond. Didn’t impact them
-Elementary school staff would embrace Career and Technical Education as part of the bond as long as there was
a piece for them in it as well
-Rogue Community College has programs too, why does the district need Career and Technical Education
programs?
-The district isn’t always based in reality
-Attended two district Q/A sessions during last bond
-Felt both were insincere
-Needed to be a longer more collaborative process
-Need to have a clear message
-Cabinet must have a closer relationship with staff
-Bring ideas to MEA for PARTNERSHIP
-Classified Union is used to not being consulted or taken seriously
- “MUST INVOLVE CLASSIFIED UNION AS WELL”
-Classified staff supports the Career and Technical Education programs and would welcome involvement in future
programs like internships etc.
-Elementary school staff felt the bond “was not for them”
-Too much too soon
-Last minute
-No outreach effort to union prior to bond
-Elementary school staffs felt the bond “was not for them”
-Classified support CTE and would welcome involvement in future programs like internships etc.
-Still lingering hard feelings from North High parents who felt they got the short end on the last bond and are
treated differently from South.
-Need to educate public about what CTE is and how it impacts the area
Page 78
-Take time to educate public on need
-Newer buildings for South Medford High School as a result of the last bond and older buildings and promised
buildings that never happened for North Medford High School
-South gets new Career and Technical Education buildings, North only gets a remodel for Career and Technical
Education buildings?
External Interviews
-Need to educate public about Career and Technical Education
-Most don’t know what it really is
-Not just plumbing, electric, construction
-Educate STAFF on Career and Technical Education
-Better understanding and how they fit in would result in more support
-Elementary school staff still have resentment over being ignored during last May’s bond attempt
-Resent money going to high schools and not anything to help them (perception)
-Must either show nexus to elementary schools with new bond or add SOMETHING to the new bond that would
include help to elementary schools
-Need to get voters to understand the current limitations
-Show voters how it will impact them
-They currently pay a premium for skilled labor to come to the valley to do jobs
-Career and Technical Education programs could keep that money locally
-Buy-in must be achieved with teachers and the community
-MSD needs to communicate better with parents in the meantime to gain support
-Allow for remote viewing on Board meetings from neighborhood elementary schools (from district employee)
-So that families can ask questions via closed circuit
-Allows for people living in neighborhoods near their schools, to watch meetings together more easily
-Will bring families of similar circles together and feel that MSD is reaching out to them
-The community does not seem to understand the overcrowding problem
Page 79
-Career and Technical Education is misunderstood. Needs to have a clearer message
-Parents need to better understand the need for Career and Technical Education and what the impact will be on
the community
-People need to know “What’s in it for me?”
- Need to educate comm on why CTE?
-Still lingering hard feelings from North High parents who felt they got the short end on the last bond and are -
treated differently from South.
-Need to educate public about what Career and Technical Education is and how it impacts the area
Take time to educate
-MSD needs to communicate better with parents in the meantime to gain support
Allow for viewing on Board meetings from neighborhood elementary schools.
Allow for closed circuit access so that families can ask questions via closed circuit
Will bring families of similar circles together and feel that MSD is reaching out to them
The community does not seem to understand the overcrowding problem
CTE is misunderstood. Needs to have a clearer message
Parents need to better understand the need for CTE and what the impact will be on the community
People need to know “What’s in it for me?”
- Need to educate comm on why CTE?
-Newer buildings for South Medford High School as a result of the last bond and older buildings and
promised buildings that never happened for North Medford High School
-South gets new Career and Technical Education buildings, North only gets a remodel for Career
and Technical Education buildings?
-Stronger and more frequent messaging to the community
-Encourage enhanced leadership in all sectors of the education community
Page 80

Medford School District Capital Project & Communication Analysis

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Medford School District Capital Project & Communication Analysis

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Medford School District Capital Project &

July 1st, 2019

a. Seek input from internal and external stakeholders

a. Target November 2019 as the date for a school bond election

b. Seek input from internal and external stakeholders

Public Session Comments Summary:

• Elementary School Parents – 5 parents (Howard, Hoover, Jacksonville, Ruch, Kennedy)

Approximate cost to build a new middle school - $80mm

Approximate cost to build a new elementary school - $35mm

2) Bond money must be used in the most efficient manner possible.

2. The request should be acknowledged in a timely manner as before with a

a. It is not expected that the cabinet member or superintendent will

b. It is also important for the initiator to know that their concern/issue is

6. The initiator must be notified in a timely manner.

b. Everyone in the organization must be held accountable to the established protocol.

ii. As such, we recommend establishing a written policy/protocol that is created through

c. The policy must be recognized as a high priority by all involved

5. Create quarterly and annual reports on organizational communication

i. The individual should act somewhat as a “communication ombudsman” with the

1. We recommend that this be part of the district’s Human Resources division to

1. Use social media to reach the public

a. Reach more people, more quickly with important information

2. Allows district to promote programs to the greater community to create more

1. Each school board zone

2. Each level of curriculum

a. Creates a sense of “being heard” by each important community group.

2. Attendance of cabinet members and superintendent confirm importance of the

3. Creates buy-in from important community groups on district actions.

4. Allows representatives to communicate district actions or challenges directly to

a. Members of the community groups understand how to effectively

3. Commit to becoming a larger part of the Medford community

Regarding Capital Project Priorities:

-Take into account enrollment 10 years from now

-Facilities needs beyond just CTE

- Should we consider using Central as a Tech High School?

- What does the public want?

- Whatever we do, we need the best bang for our buck

-Needs to be a long-term solution

-Need additional middle school

-Too much overcrowding at middle schools and elementary schools

-Demographic changes have affected school overcrowding

-A middle school should be part of any funding decision

-Need an additional middle school and elementary school

-Would prefer a new middle school over an elementary school

-Would help address student behavior

- Doesn’t feel another middle school building is needed

-Expand current middle school buildings.

-Additional administration, teachers, counselors are cheaper than a new building

-Overcrowding is the biggest issue

-A middle school is needed

-Best to have four middle schools

-Biggest need is for another middle school

-Overcrowding and behavior problems are biggest issues

- An additional middle school is highest priority

-Three schools total needed

- New middle school is the priority, but why is Central an option?

-One middle school may not be enough

- Adding schools is viable

-Need four middle schools

-Class size is biggest concern

- Need for one – two more middle schools

-Re-model Central High School for new middle school

- Must address biggest need - Overcrowding