Consultant: District survey shows strong trust and satisfaction in Osseo Public School District

Peter Leman, a consultant with the Morris Leatherman Company, told the Osseo Public School District board on April 21 that a district-commissioned survey of 400 residents (with an additional parent sample) shows broadly positive public views of the district’s schools.

Leman said the telephone interviews were conducted Jan. 7–23, the average interview lasted about 14 minutes, the nonresponse rate was roughly 6.5 percent, and the 400-sample is projectable to plus-or-minus 5 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. "We spoke with 400 randomly selected residents across the community," he said, summarizing methodology.

The survey reported strong performance on multiple measures: 85 percent of community respondents rated overall educational quality favorably (93 percent among parents on some measures), 91 percent of the community said they trust the district to do what is right for children (94 percent among parents), and the district outperformed statewide norms on measures of communication, safety and program breadth. Leman also noted the district’s four-year graduation rate for 2025 (85.4 percent) exceeded the Minnesota statewide average (84.9 percent).

Leman highlighted program-level scores, saying athletics (93 percent), after-school activities (91 percent) and regular academics (89 percent) received particularly high favorable ratings. He flagged special education and world languages as areas with comparatively higher negative responses, consistent with typical response patterns.

Board members praised the findings. Director Sarah Mitchell said the results reflect lengthy work on curriculum, class-size questions and special education supports. "This is an exciting time to be a part of the district," Mitchell said, thanking the superintendent and cabinet for their leadership.

Leman closed by noting the district’s value proposition improved since 2023 and that residents prefer a mix of paper mailings and electronic communication; he offered to answer board questions. The presentation was followed by board discussion and the evening proceeded to public comment and other agenda items.

The board did not take formal action on the survey at the meeting; the presentation was informational and intended to inform future planning and community engagement.