Salem-Keizer families have until Friday, Oct. 2, to shape the district's long-range education plan through a new online survey.

Salem-Keizer Public Schools posted the "What's Your Vision for 2035?" survey on Sept. 18, calling it a chance for parents, caregivers, staff, students and community members to share their hopes for public education over the next decade. The questions mirror those the district asked during in-person "micro-gatherings" held over the summer in small-group sessions.

The district described itself as entering a significant period of change and said it wanted the community to look past immediate challenges and focus on aspirations for students. The survey is available in multiple languages, with more translations expected before the deadline.

The announcement includes a direct caveat: the survey is not about school closures. The district said it will hold separate community meetings in October 2026 to address that topic.

The district is simultaneously moving through a separate school-closure process. The Salem-Keizer School Board approved 11 criteria for evaluating potential elementary school closures at its Sept. 8 meeting, as Salem Reporter covered.

Superintendent Andrea Castañeda is scheduled to present a proposed list of up to eight elementary schools for closure on Oct. 13. The board is set to make final closure decisions Dec. 8, with any approved closures taking effect in the 2027-28 school year.

The closure process is driven by declining enrollment. The district once served more than 40,000 students across 65 school sites and is now heading toward 35,000, according to a district community update. The largest drops have come at the elementary level, where the district operates 42 schools.

"No proposal list is going to be perfect. There are always going to be trade-offs," Castañeda said at the Sept. 8 board meeting when the closure criteria were approved, as KATU reported.

The Vision 2035 survey, by contrast, asks broader questions about what public education should look like years from now. The district asked residents to provide what it called their "boldest, most honest responses" about the future.

Residents can access the survey through the Salem-Keizer Public Schools website. The October community meetings on school closures have not yet been scheduled publicly.