The Mount Vernon City School District is turning to the community for answers about the current status of the district.

"I've sort of been brought up to speed of what's going on," says Dr. Demario Strickland, the district's incoming superintendent.

They're conducting a culture and climate survey to understand school climate needs and strengths from the perspectives of students, families and staff, especially for the beginning of incoming Superintendent Dr. Demario Strickland’s administration. "Transparency is definitely a key," says Nicole Brown, a Mount Vernon resident.

"Better communication amongst staff and the parents," says Nadia Powell, a lunch monitor at Mount Vernon Honor Academy and parent. "They are our future so I want what's best for them." Strickland is the current interim superintendent at the Rochester City School District. He told News 12 at least 750 responses have already been sent in. "This information that we gather will help me sort of shape my plan that I need to put forth," says Strickland. He says he's ready to get to work. "One of the things that I noticed right away is that there was no strategic plan, and strategic plan is sort of the blueprint," he says. Parents say the focus should be on communication, transparency, the closure of three schools and the district's financial challenges. "My grandson has less than 20 people in the classroom and the fact that they're moving all these kids to a couple of different schools, I'm imagining the class size is going to be really, really big," says Brown. Parents News 12 spoke with say they enjoy the field trips, interactive activities and meal programs for kids. The deadline to fill out the survey is June 23.