About 90 percent of Cincinnati Public Schools parents responding to a recent survey say they are very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their children's education.

        The district's 2001 parent survey was released Mon day. The numbers — based on a random sampling of 930 parents in the Cincinnati Public Schools district interviewed by telephone May 15 to June 6 — are used to measure satisfaction with policies and services.

        CPS' Research and Evaluation Office designed and conducted the survey.

        There are 42,000 stu dents in the district.

        Susan Lusher of Westwood, who has three children in Cincinnati Public Schools, was one of the parents interviewed. Ms. Lusher said she's satisfied with her children's education, but she was surprised so many parents responded favorably.

        “In looking at the drop in enrollment (at Cincinnati Public Schools), I think it's pretty obvious that parents are not satisfied.” The district's enrollment has declined by about 5,000 students since 1999.

        According to the survey, 54.9 percent of parents said they were “very satisfied” with their children's education; 35.2 percent said they were “somewhat satisfied.”

        “It's encouraging that parents are satisfied and maybe they are believing in new initiatives that are helping to improve low-performing schools,” said Spencer Bouldin, vice president of Cincinnati Parents for Public Schools. “We still have a long way to go.”

        Sue Taylor, president of the CPS teachers union, said the results were gratifying.

        “At a time when the public perception seems to have a negative connotation for the city's public schools, (it's encouraging) that teachers continue to work as hard as they can and the fruits of their work are showing up in parent surveys,” she said.

        Among other findings:

        • The percentage of par ents who said their child's teacher maintained good discipline in the classroom fell. In 2000, 81.1 percent said yes, while in 2001, 78.2 percent said yes.

        • In 2000, 63.9 percent said the district was spending its resources very effectively or moderately effectively versus 72.2 percent in 2001.

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