Survey Full of Questions

The Moorpark Committee for Effective Schools recently sent out about 4,000 surveys, ostensibly to determine parental concerns regarding public schools in the city. While the members are undoubtedly committed to their task, there must be reasonable concern regarding the objectivity of the process.

1) The committee is heavily weighted with school employees; while some argue that they are parents first, their basic indoctrination has been previously provided by the district. How can one objectively assess one’s employer when that employer is looking over their shoulder, has provided the standard for assessment and writes the paycheck to provide for their children?

2) The survey was conducted by an outside agency. A lengthy and confusing questionnaire (28 items) was mailed at the end of February with a request to return by March 1. Since the envelope containing the survey had nothing to connect it with Moorpark, many expecting the survey either actually trashed it or very nearly did so.

3) The survey was announced as being anonymous, yet there was a serial number on each one. A friend told me he had torn the number off, commenting, “How stupid do they think we are?”

Now, when it turns out that the number of respondents is fewer than expected (850), it has been decided that the survey will be sent not to additional people but to some (1,500 lower socioeconomic-minorities) who did not respond to the first survey. If the survey was anonymous, how are they determining who did and did not respond in order to send another? It is likely that some will send back two surveys, thus adulterating and skewing the results.

The chairman of the committee suggested that the pastor of the Catholic church be encouraged to remind parishioners to respond. Precisely by what reasoning method was it determined that Catholics did not respond? Why involve churches?

Surveys, at best, are subject to question. Even a cursory look at these procedures leads one to the perception of manipulation in order it produce the desired result or no definitive result at all. The citizens of Moorpark deserve and expect unadulterated results.

M. BRET TAYLOR

Moorpark