Capital School District

Performance and Perceptions

A white paper supporting Capital School District strategic
planning

April 2016

Table of Contents
Overview ............................................................................................................. 3
Data Collection and Methodology....................................................................... 3
Background.......................................................................................................... 4
Aspirations .......................................................................................................... 5
Educational Program ........................................................................................... 6
Overall Perceptions ...................................................................................... 6
Core Academic Program ................................................................................ 6
Enrichment Programs .................................................................................... 9
Career Technical Education (CTE) .................................................................... 10
Special Education ....................................................................................... 11
Gifted and Talented .................................................................................... 13
English as a Second Language ......................................................................... 14
Other Academic Information .......................................................................... 15

Student Services and School Climate ........................................................................... 15

Relationships between Teachers and Students ..................................................... 15
Discipline & Safety ...................................................................................... 16
Mental Health Services ................................................................................. 17

Facilities ............................................................................................................ 18
Finance .............................................................................................................. 19
Faculty & Staff .................................................................................................. 19
Community & Communication .......................................................................... 20
Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 20

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Overview
This white paper is intended to demonstrate the current state of Capital School District
(CSD) by presenting a wide range of data and perceptions about CSD.
Along with peoples individual experience with CSD this paper provides a basis for a
comprehensive dialogue about CSDs vision for the future and how best to attain it. It is also
intended to demonstrate the diversity of perspectives within the community of
stakeholders. Some of the information may match your perceptions and some may not. It is
through these differences that people become open to learning more and become curious to
explore issues more deeply.
Also, it should be noted that the data presented is not intended to drive immediate action.
Schools have improvement plans and are taking actions to improve based on their specific
data. This white paper is not intended to replace this school level analysis; rather it is
intended as a platform from which collaborative dialogue will begin.
Based on the interviews and meetings described below, common themes emerged. These
themes then provided a structure for this paper and the content within it. Where appropriate,
available data were integrated into the appropriate sections of this paper.

Data Collection and Methodology

School districts are complex entities. There are some areas where data and perceptions align.
There are some areas where there are no readily available data so anecdotal perceptions may
dominate. To describe the range of performance and perceptions about CSD, numerous data
were gathered during the early spring of 2016. Some examples are:
Academic data from the Delaware System of Student Assessments (DeSSA). The
DeSSA includes the Smarter Balanced assessments for both English language arts
and mathematics and the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System (DCAS) for
Subject area assessments in science and social studies.
Perceptual data gathered through the 2014 Delaware School Survey that measures
drug use among students and factors related to the school environment such as
school safety, violence and student behavior. The survey is administered to
students in 5th, 8th and 11th grade.
Perceptual data gathered from approximately 165 people who attended two
community forums, one staff forum and one student forum.
Perceptual data from one-to-one, small group and phone interviews with the CSD
School Board Members, community residents, CSD administrators, teachers, staff,
community members, elected officials, and volunteers.

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 Perceptual data gathered from a board workshop conducted with CSD School Board
Members in fall of 2016.

Background
Capital School District is a K-12 public school system that serves approximately 6,665 students
in 12 schools:
Elementary

Booker T. Washington Elementary School (K-4)

East Dover Elementary School (K-4)
Fairview Elementary School (K-4)
Hartley Elementary School (K-4)
North Dover Elementary School (K-4)
South Dover Elementary School (K-4)
Towne Point Elementary School (K-4)

Middle

William Henry Middle School (5-6)

Central Middle School (7-8)

High School

Dover High School (9-12)

Other

Kent County Community School (KCCS)

Kent County Secondary ILC

CSD students fall into the following ethnicities:

Caucasian 32%
Hispanic 9%
African American 53%
Asian - 3%
American Indian/Alaskan Native - 1%
Multi-Racial - 2%

Other student demographics include:

English Language Learners 4%
Special Education 17%
Low Income 49%
The 2015 School Choice data documents that 409 CSD students choiced to a school other than
their feeder school within the district, 913 CSD students choiced to charter schools, 448 CSD
students choiced to other districts and 328 students choiced into CSD. In the current 2016
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school year, 976 CSD students choiced to charter schools and 447 students choiced to other
districts.
CSD operates within an annual budget of approximately $97.5M in expenditures.
The District is located in central Kent County, Delaware covering a 125-square-mile area that
is comprised of rural, suburban and urban communities. Towns served by the district include
Cheswold, Hartly, Little Creek, and most of Dover as well as the Delaware side of Marydel.
Dover is approximately 90 miles south of Philadelphia, PA, and 90 miles east of Washington,
DC. While its population is significantly less than that of Wilmington, Delaware, Dover
encompasses a larger area than any other city on the Delmarva Peninsula. In contrast to most
major cities in the Northeast United States, Dover is continuing to grow economically, in
population, and in land area.

Aspirations
There is a fairly consistent perception that CSD is a good school district that has a caring and
dedicated staff. The diversity of the District is perceived as one of its biggest strengths as
well as a major challenge. There is a consistent desire for CSD to become a premier district
in the state and nation. People believe that public perception of the District is skewed and
that there is a need to share the great things happening in the District with the community.
People want a district they can be proud of and that is the center of the community.
One staff member stated, Capital has many outstanding educators who have a heart
for our families and education. I want Capital to shine like it should in the
community.
Ideas expressed about how to achieve premier status include:
preparing every graduate for college or for work of their choosing;
reaching non-traditional learners through blended learning, flipped classrooms,
internships, hands-on-learning and other engagement strategies;
supporting the social-emotional development of learners through increased mental
and behavioral health services;
continuing to expand the Career Technology Education Program; and
offering robust Visual, Performing and Related Arts Programs.
Finally, there was a strong desire to address the developmental and individual needs of every
child. This manifests in comments that stress the strong desire for CSD to increase the socialemotional, mental health, behavioral health and academic supports provided to students and
families. At the same time, there is a strong desire to increase opportunities to provide
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programs that engage students while enriching their lives through arts, music, sports, and
other extra-curricular activities.

Educational Program
Overall Perceptions
The perception of CSD is one of being a good district that offers a wide variety of programs
for students. Repeatedly, there were perceptions about students in the middle being lost,
and a general perception that access to challenging programs, in particular the gifted
program at the elementary and middle level, was limited and not available to all students.
There is also a strong desire to improve mathematics performance across all grade levels
while increasing opportunities for students in the visual and related arts. Many individuals
believe that while there are a variety of academic courses offered to students, there is a
need to differentiate instruction to better meet the individual needs and interests of the
students. There is a perception that the grading system is in need of revision and the
promotion guidelines need to be consistently implemented.
A parent stated, I think we need to change our grading policy. The top end of the
scale is 6 points so an A equals 94% or higher. This causes anxiety in students. The
District needs to consider changing this to something that is achievable for students.
Another person commented, We need to trust the teacher. An A means something
and an F means something. When we give students a C when they did nothing, weve
taught them nothing.
Math needs to be a priority. In K-8, students are told they dont need to pass math
and they get promoted on to the next grade level but when they get to the high school
they must pass four years of math, stated a high school math teacher.

Core Academic Program

Capitals core academic program includes English language arts, mathematics, science and
social studies and is a standards-aligned curriculum. English language arts and mathematics
curricula are aligned with the national Common Core State Standards (CCSS) while the science
and social studies curricula are aligned with state and national standards. The perception is
that the core academic program is strong with adequate resources.
One parent commented, There is an outstanding and rigorous curriculum in place in
Capital.
A faculty member stated, Capital School District has a great deal of material
resources, such as text materials for K-12 mathematics, classroom software supports
and other educational materials.
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There is also a perspective that while the curriculum is strong, there is a need for greater
student engagement and to differentiate instruction so that students receive more
individualized instruction based upon their needs.
A teacher commented, Every child learns differently so we need to use different
approaches to meet the needs of the children in our classroom.
Student performance in the core content areas is measured using the standards-aligned
Delaware System of Student Assessment (DeSSA) and local district assessments. Currently,
DeSSA includes the Smarter Balanced assessments for both English language arts and
mathematics that focus on writing, listening and research, and measure real-world skills like
critical thinking and problem solving. Achievement in science and social studies is measured
using assessments from the former Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System (DCAS).
An examination of the assessment results for school year 2014-2015 provides the following
information about academic performance in reading, mathematics, science and social studies.
Based upon these assessments, students in CSD in grades 3 and 4 are performing above
the state average while grades 5 through 11 are performing below the state average.

In mathematics, students in CSD perform below the state average in all grades
assessed, 3 through 11, with 50% or less meeting the mathematics standards across all
grades.

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 In science, the percentage of students scoring proficient (meeting the science

standards) in grade 5 is at the state average (47%), grade 8 performance is below the
state average (44%) and grade 10 is above the state average (47%).

In social studies, the percentage of students scoring proficient (meeting the social
studies standards) in grade 4 is slightly above the state average (64%) while the
percentage of students scoring proficient in grade 7 is below the state average (47%).

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While the overall academic achievement in the core content areas is below that of the state
average in the majority of grades and subjects, the growth data available from 2011-2013 in
reading and mathematics demonstrates that the amount of growth students are making in
these subjects overtime is higher than the growth made by other students in the same grade
across the state.

Enrichment Programs
CSD curriculum includes a variety of classes that are designed to enrich and enhance the
educational program. Dover High Schools Visual and Performing Arts Program offers courses
in music, art, drama, communication and dance.
There is a common perception that these programs offer opportunities for students to engage
in high-quality learning experiences that align with their interests. At the same time, there is
a strong to desire to expand more engaging opportunities for students within the normal
school day and to consider these programs as essential.
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 As one stakeholder said, While Capital offers a lot of different types of arts programs
for students; I would like to see the visual and related arts having more of a presence
in the daily curriculum and not something extra that has different value. These types
of opportunities need to reach more students.
All classes matter! These classes need to be graded and we need to stop pulling kids
out of them for extra help in other subjects, stated one teacher advocating for the
specials and related arts.
Another teacher shared, We have an amazing drum line!

Career Technical Education (CTE)

Capital School District currently provides Career Technical Education in the following
pathways (series of 3 or 4 consecutive courses) at Dover High School:

Animal Science
Environmental & Natural Resources
HVAC/Sheet Metal
Culinary & Hospitality Management
Early Childhood Education
Computer Aided Drafting
Communications Technology
Certified Nursing Assistant
Business & Corporate Management
Marketing

In addition, the following state approved programs will be implemented school year 2016-17:
Academy of Finance
Manufacturing Production Technician
Manufacturing Logistics Technician
At Central Middle School the CTE programs includes:

Agriscience
Family & Consumer Science
Exploring Health Sciences
Exploring Business

Both Dover High School and Central Middle School offer Jobs for Delaware Graduates
programming (grades 7-12). Kent County Community School and Dover High School also offer
Specialized Technical Experiences to our special education population including the Print
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Shop and Project Search. All CTE programming is inclusive. CTE course offerings continue to
expand and more students are taking advantage of unique course pathways that are relevant
and align with their individual interests and talents. Future possible programming updates in
Agriscience, Certified Nursing Assistant and Computer Aided Drafting are being discussed.
Students can earn dual enrollment credits, articulated college credits, and certifications after
successful completion of the programs through Delaware State University, University of
Delaware, Delaware Technical & Community College, Goldey Beacom College, and Wilmington
University.
A parent said, We have good CTE programs but we need more offerings for our
students.

Special Education
The Capital School District participates fully in inclusion practices at all schools to the
greatest extent possible for all special education students. In 2015, 17% of the students in
CSD were identified as special education receiving specially designed instruction through the
special education programs. This includes two schools, Kent County Community School and
Kent County Secondary Intensive Learning Center (ILC).
Kent County Community School (KCCS) / Delaware Autism Program (DAP) at Capital
The Kent County Community School (KCCS) is located in the Capital School District and serves
approximately 225 students ranging in age from three to twenty-one who exhibit a variety of
disabilities that include physical, sensory, cognitive communication, and those that are
medically fragile. The primary purpose of the program is to provide an educationally
appropriate program for each student designed around the needs of the student supported by
related services. A consultative and integrated approach to service delivery is used where
teachers and therapists work collaboratively in designing and delivering educational and
therapeutic strategies in the classroom.
The Kent County Community School provides specialized programming for students with
autism through the Delaware Autism Program (DAP) located within the district. There are
currently 100 students throughout the district enrolled in the program. The classes and
programs are located in peer appropriate settings as the District strives for placing students in
the least restrictive environment possible to maximize opportunities for social as well as
academic development.
Kent County Secondary Intensive Learning Center (KCSILC)
Kent County Secondary Intensive Learning Center (KCSILC) is a county-wide program in the
Capital School District. The purpose of this program is to provide an alternative placement for
students with disabilities who are behaviorally involved to the extent that they cannot access
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their education in the general school environment. The school currently serves over 100
students and offers additional levels of support for the students.
Early Childhood Programs
Capital provides a variety of early childhood programs for students in the District. These
include:

Early Childhood Assistance Program (ECAP) ECAP is a state funded program that
provides services for children from birth to age five in low-income families or foster
care. Ten percent of the children enrolled in ECAP are children with disabilities.

Itinerant Speech This early childhood special education program is for three and four
year old children with speech delays. Children are provided early childhood special
education and related services within their community in such settings as their homes,
preschools, child care centers and family day care homes.

Pre-K Programs CSD offers half-day Pre-K programs at East Elementary, Fairview
Elementary, and Hartly Elementary and a full-day program at Kent County Community
School (KCCS).

According to the spring 2015 IDEA Parent Engagement Survey, there is a consistent perception
that the special education procedures and practices in CSD are implemented appropriately.
Sixty-six parents of special education students responded to 18 questions related to special
education program procedures and practices in CSD. Of the 66 respondents,
94% strongly agreed that The school encourages and supports my involvement in my
childs education in order to improve services and results for my child.
96% strongly agreed that I am considered an equal partner with teachers and
paraprofessionals in planning my childs IEP.
There is a perception in CSD that there are great services for special education students at
KCCS, however, there is a need to strengthen and improve support for students identified
with special needs across the district. There is a belief that special education students are
falling between the cracks because they are in regular education classes and not getting the
individualized instruction they need and that IEPs and 504 accommodations are not being
implemented appropriately or, in some cases, at all. At the same time, individuals believe
the quality of education can improve for special education youngsters by providing more oneon-one support in classrooms, increasing the alignment of programs across the district and
providing additional training for staff on meeting individual needs of students with
disabilities.
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 Capital needs to improve special education. The teachers dont consider all of the
individual needs or meet all requirements in the IEP. These kids are capable of
learning but get written off and fall through the cracks. We need to learn how to
better educate these kids. This is a systematic problem, stated a parent of a special
education youngster.
The Early Childhood Programs are consistently viewed as positive. There is a strong desire to
increase access to these programs and to house them in one location in order to strengthen
the services provided to young children and their families.
One administrator stated, Ideally we would like to have all early childhood programs
in one facility to similar to the way services are provided in Appoquinimink, Cape
Henlopen and Christina. This would strengthen our programs and help build capacity
of the staff.

Gifted and Talented

CSD offers a variety of programs for students identified as gifted and talented beginning in
third grade through twelfth grade. The Gifted and Talented programs offered in CSD are as
follows:
Elementary Programs (Grades 3-4)
Accelerated Curriculum and Technology Program (ACT) - ACT provides eligible
students in grades 3 and 4 with enrichment to the basic curriculum delivered by the
Library/Media Specialist. Students are pulled from their regular classrooms for about 2
hours each week to work with other students in their same grade.
Alternative Learning Program for High Achievers Program (ALPHA) - ALPHA is a selfcontained class for eligible students in grades 3 and 4 across CSD. The program is
housed at Booker T. Washington Elementary School and provides a compacted
accelerated program covering the basic curriculum.
Middle School Program (Grades 5-8)
Gifted and Talented Environment Program (GATE) - GATE serves eligible students in
grades 5 through 8 by placing them on GATE teams.
Students are grouped
homogeneously based upon academic performance level. The curriculum is aligned
with state and Common Core standards and designed to challenge high-ability students
to reach their full academic potential.
High School Programs (Grades 9-12)
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 Honors & AP Courses Honors courses (accelerated courses) and Advanced Placement
(AP) courses are offered at Dover High School. Participation in these classes is based
on students academic strengths and interests.
While the Gifted and Talented Programs are considered strengths of the district, there is a
perception that these are exclusive programs at the elementary and middle school level and
not all students have access to them.
One parent commented, CSD has excellent programs at all grade levels for students
like the ACT, ALPHA, and Odyssey of the Mind (OM), Robotics.
Another parent stated, There needs to be consistency in identifying children for ACT
and GATE. More information needs to be made available to all parents so more
students have access to these programs.
At the secondary level, Dover High School
has worked to increase access to honors
and AP courses by permitting any student
interested in taking one of the classes to
enroll in the course. As a result of the
efforts to increase access and participation
in AP courses, there has been an increase
in the number of students taking AP courses
at the high school from 241 students in
2011 to 416 students in 2015. There were
819 exams that were taken by these 416
students enrolled in an AP courses.
Although enrollment has increased, the
percent of students passing the exams with
a score of 3 or higher has declined and
continues to be much lower than the state
and global averages.

English as a Second Language

The English as a Second Language Program (ESL) in Capital School District is provided to help
students, whose dominant language is other than English, become fully English proficient and
meet or exceed the academic standards set by the State of Delaware. Capitals ESL program,
provided by four ESL teachers, is a pull-out program at the elementary and middle school
level and a scheduled course at the high school level. Over the past several years, there has
been a steady growth in the ESL population in CSD with 212 ESL students in 2012 to 298 in the
2016 school year.
Currently in the 2016 school year, there are a total of 298 students
enrolled in the ESL program with 31 native languages spoken.
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Other Academic Information

Indicators for high school academic performance are typically different than other grades. A
few examples for Dover High School (DHS) are:
In school year 2012-14, 91% of seniors took the SAT. CSD students scored below the
state average in all areas (mathematics reading, writing). CSD overall average
total score was 1210 while the state average score was 1303.
CSD offers several options for students to earn college credit while still in high
school. These include courses offered through Delaware Technical and Community
College, Wilmington University, Delaware State University and Wesley College.
Currently, 75 CSD students are enrolled in Dual Enrollment courses.
The overall graduation rate in CSD has increased for all students from 75.6% in
2013 to 83.4% in 2015 which is just slightly lower than the state graduation rate in
2015 (84.3%).

Student Services and School Climate

Several recurring themes were voiced in the community forums and interviews, namely:
Relationships between teachers and students
Discipline & Safety
Mental Health Services

Relationships between Teachers and Students

Overall, the relationships and caring of the teachers for the students were noted as strengths.
There is a perception that some students, in particular at the middle school, do not show
respect for their teachers. One action to improve relationships between teachers and
students involves providing specific training for staff on managing difficult behavior. Students
expressed a desire for teachers to utilize more hands-on activities within their lessons to
increase student engagement, eliminate misbehavior and improve relationships between
students and teachers.
A student shared, I know from personal experience that there is a drastic difference
between the level of teaching from some of my teachers, especially those who are so
involved in the students work and care so much about how we do and our test
scores.
One parent stated, We need to create a place where every child knows that they are
cared for deeply and believe they can do great things.

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Discipline & Safety

Parents, students, and staff all voiced concerned about discipline, especially at the middle
and high school levels.
One parent stated, When disruptive behaviors interrupt learning, we need to do
more to address the behavior and not just send the misbehaving child back into the
classroom to repeat the same behavior. There are too many warnings and no action
to refocus students.
The Delaware School Survey for 2014 for CSD reported that of the students in the district that
participated in the survey, 74% of 5th grade students, 75% of 8th grade students and 68% of
11th grade students reported that fighting is a problem at their school all higher than the
state average. When asked if the students at their school obey the teachers, only 38% of 5 th
grades students, 22% of 8th grade students and 15% of 11th grade students responded
affirmatively.
CSDs discipline data demonstrates that there was a decline in the number of referrals at all
levels from 2012 through 2014. In 2014-15, there were a total of 4,163 discipline referrals. Of
these referrals, the majority were male students (65%); African American students had the
highest representation of the total referrals (76%); middle and high school students (grades 512) accounted for majority of the incidents (74%); and over a quarter of the offenders were
special education students (28%)
There is a perception that the newly revised Student Success Guide is not being implemented
consistently which is contributing to the discipline issues. It was expressed repeatedly, that
there is a need for clarity in discipline policies and procedures and alternative methods of
discipline need to be explored. Many voiced the need to provide continuous training and
support for teachers in practices and techniques for managing complex behaviors.
The Student Success Guide is a good beginning but implementing it with fidelity
requires training teachers in restorative practice. Also, behavior data is skewed
because some incidents regarding the same students are bundled and appear as one
infraction. Keeping honest data while helping students learn self-regulation is a
challenge, expressed one teacher.
A stakeholder commented, I would like to see a more thoughtful and reflective
approach to discipline where the consequences and reward for behavior eventually
become intrinsic rather than extrinsic.

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Mental Health Services

The Capital School District provides a range of mental health services to students and
families. Services include individual and small group sessions by school counselors; behavioral
interventionists; school psychologists and/or Behavioral Health Consultants on loan from the
Office of Prevention and Behavioral Health Services. Therapists from community-based
agencies (with parent consent) provide services to students at school, paid for by parents
and/or insurance. CSD has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Center for Child
Development to provide mental health services a minimum of one time per month at the
parents expense and/or insurance. Case management services are available in the following
schools by Family Crisis Therapist (FCT) from Office of Preventative Behavioral Health
Services (OPBHS): North Elementary, East Elementary, Booker T. Washington Elementary,
Fairview Elementary and Town Point Elementary.
There is a consistent perception that CSD has a changing student population with more varied
needs than ever before. As a result, students and families are perceived as needing
additional support services in order for children to be successful in school. While there is a
consistent concern regarding the lack of mental health resources, there is a persistent desire
by the faculty and staff to work collaboratively with other agencies and organizations to
better serve the students and families in CSD.
One teacher noted, Kids bring so much stuff into the classroom. Some kids come
from terrible situations that spill over into the school and sometimes teachers dont
know what these situations are about. We need more mental health resources to
help kids and families.
We need more proactive interventions and supports for our students from
academics, discipline, self-esteem and morale. Teachers need support and training in
dealing with these type of situations with children and families, said one parent.
From a staff member, We lost our family crisis therapist (FCT) and really need more
of these type resources not less.

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Facilities
The Capital School District completed its Building and Facility Plan in 2015 with construction
of the new Dover High School and the renovations at Booker T. Washington Elementary
School. Several buildings in the District have not been updated in many years (see table
below). In addition, a recent assessment of furniture in schools identified a lack of
consistency available and a need for updates to align with current methods of teaching and
learning.

Date of Original
Construction

Last Renovation

Quality of Original
Construction
1-Excellent
to
4 - Low Cost

1923 (1958)

2015

93

East Dover

1956

2004

60

Fairview Elementary

1957

2004

59

Hartly Elementary

1924

2004

92

North Dover

1996

20

South Dover

2009

Towne Point

1967

2003

49

William Henry Middle School

1953

2004

63

Central Middle School

1923

2004 Auditorium
&
Field House 2008

93

Dover High School

2014

Kent County Community

School

1976

40

Name of Bldg.

Booker T. Washington

Kent County Secondary ILC

Administrative Office

2015

Age

# of
Portables

Leased Space
2012

There is a perception that the facilities in CSD have improved greatly over the past several
years yet there still exists a need to continue to update some buildings. Stakeholders spoke
proudly of the newly built Dover High School but at the same time expressed concern that the
middle schools need renovations and upgrades.
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 One parent stated at the community forum, The middle school is old and crowded.
We need to build a new middle school to match the high school.
Not only were material conditions of the schools noted, the grade configuration in the
buildings is perceived as problematic. Currently there are 7 elementary schools (K-4) with
relatively small student enrollment. In 4th grade, all students transition into one middle
school for two years. In 7th grade, there is another transition for two years into a different
middle school followed by a fourth transition in 9 th grade into the high school.
There was
considerable discussion in the community forums and phone interviews regarding the need to
examine the grade configuration across the schools and address transitions from one school to
another.
One parent suggested, Presently, CMS has too many students. Capital School District
needs another middle school. I would like WHS to become an elementary and keep 5th
graders in elementary. We should align grades with the Department of Education
standards (K-5, 6-8, 9-12). A second middle school could be built on the older Dover
High property.

Finance
The financial position of the Capital School District is perceived as a challenge by
stakeholders. Stakeholders voiced concern regarding the future of the district and the
importance of adequate long-range planning to ensure the district continues to be financially
sound. There is a strong desire to ensure for equitable resource allocation across academic,
enrichment and athletic programs and the view that competing priorities could create
problems if District priorities are not clearly established. There is a consistent perception
that technology resources (hardware, software, training) are essential to the education
provided for students, however concern regarding the costs associated with these expenses.
A community member stated, Capital needs a comprehensive long-term strategic
financial plan. How are we going to maintain the changes that are needed to make
CSD a success?

Faculty & Staff

CSD currently employs over 554 certificated and highly-qualified teachers. Over 397 of the
teachers hold a Masters Degree or a Masters Equivalency Certificate. The average age of CSD
teachers is 42. In addition to the teaching staff, in CSD employs a workforce of over 548
support staff employees including instructional aides, administrative assistants, cafeteria
workers, custodians, and maintenance workers.
CSD employs 38 administrators across the
District. Many employees reside in the community and have children currently attending (or
have attended) CSD schools.

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In the community forums, staff voiced a strong desire to work hard but at the same time
voiced that they needed more support from administrators and parents and there needs to be
a greater understanding of the workload of a classroom teacher. One teacher shared that
sometimes teachers feel overwhelmed with all that is expected of them.
One teacher commented, We provide an excellent education for our children here
and it comes with a lot of blood, sweat and tears from our staff. We get wonderful
programs. We have great professional development. And to do a good job takes time.
I think sometimes we feel overwhelmed. You know, it is like Ive got this and that and
then there are 18 deadlines. It is really tough.

Community & Communication

There is a strong perception in Capital that many positive things are happening across the
District. At the same time, many believe that the District has a poor reputation that in most
cases is unfounded. All parties expressed a desire to get the good news out about CSD.
More events need to be written about in the newspapers, on the website and other media
formats to inform and increase community pride in CSD.
As stated by one stakeholder, I hope the District can find a way to bring people
together and change the perception of the District not being as good as surrounding
districts. I am a graduate of Capital School District and chose to raise my children in
this District. It saddens me that the community believes this District is not as good as
it truly is. Public perception needs to be changed.
There is a consistent desire to improve both internal and external communications and public
relations. Many believe that parent involvement and community engagement need to be
improved. Stakeholders voiced a desire to redefine parent involvement and to build
partnerships with businesses, outside agencies and post-secondary institutes in an effort to
improve relations across the District. Better communication and relationships can set the
stage for an improved level of belief, trust, support, and involvement in the district.

Conclusion
Although this report focused on many areas where people believe CSD could be better, CSD
has many things for which it is rightly proud. There is also room for improvement. There is a
wellspring of expressed desire across all stakeholder groups for CSD to strategically tackle the
issues with the highest leverage and move CSD towards a premier level of performance.
As stated by one stakeholder, We are a good district. But we can be great! Every
person, every school, every district employee should be aspiring to be better. We
have to be willing to listen to new ideas, try new things, omit programs that arent
working and work through the rough spots to achieve greatness!
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