A Note of Thanks The Building Consensus Committee is now closing the data gathering phase in its effort to determine reasons why the 2016 school levy proposal failed in last November’s election. We want to thank everyone who participated in this project to date. We have received more than 200 questionnaires from three groups: school employees, civic associations and randomly selected residents who voted in the general election. We are tabulating the data from questionnaires and reviewing all written comments plus those heard in discussions with civic associations to identify recurring ideas and suggestions for how to improve matters in the future. Without the contribution of your time and thoughts we would have no basis for our findings or recommendations; with your participation and support we hope we can issue a report that builds consensus and, possibly, changes the conversation about how best to help the county’s schools, teachers and students in coming years. Finally, we want to reiterate that our Committee is independent of the Board of Education, Superintendent, and Central Office staff. We are volunteering our time and energy to answer what we regard as the most important issue concerning the future of education in Pocahontas County – the need for additional resources to maintain standards for educational excellence in the face of declining federal and state funding. All expenses related to this project are borne by members of the Committee without any expectation of reimbursement by the Board Office or anyone else.
