Only one family stopped by the Natrona County Public Library last week to offer their insights on Natrona County School District's new elementary school.

"Really, what's telling about that is that people aren't used to us asking what they want or desire," said Kelly Eastes, the school district's community relations manager.

Eastes and his team hosted a World Cafe on Wednesday, which offered the community a chance to discuss specific questions and write down their ideas. But turnout for the hour-long session was dismal.

The district has struggled to receive feedback from the community about the proposed new school. A mere 38 of 1,800 survey cards mailed out to families were returned to the school district. It took 20 days for a telephone survey company to gather 400 responses, after the company estimated it would take only 10 days.

Lack of community response isn't stopping this district from pushing to hear from the community about the project. More opportunities for parents, teachers and students to offer their opinions are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. An additional meeting is set for the evening of Oct. 21.

"I think it's the right way to go about it," Eastes said. "Our hope is that it'll start a dialogue that'll go on, no matter what the subject is."

The district is not looking to replicate a specific school, but rather it wants to know what makes that school appealing, Eastes said. Just suggesting to build another Fort Caspar, Park or Woods isn't enough.

"That doesn't tell us anything," Eastes said. "We wanted to find out what they liked about the schools, why they chose the schools they did."

Parent Kim Holloway said providing input about a new school is important for her family. The new school should provide a balance of strong academics, the latest technology and a good learning environment, she said.

"Schools are really important to me and my husband because we have four children," Holloway said. "It just needs to be a place kids look forward to going to."

Reach education reporter Jasa Santos at (307) 266-0593 or at Jasa.Santos@trib.com