Almost two thirds of Springfield residents think things are the same or worse today than they were 10 years ago. They believe the community has experienced an increase in both violent and nonviolent crime. They believe a primary solution is more police protection. School safety has also become a significant concern to residents. 2 Education More than half of Springfield residents feel public education is the same or worse in Springfield than it was in 1990.
Concerns focus on both safety and on educational quality.
Some believe the quality of teaching has declined and that teachers don t care as much as they used to. The majority of Springfield residents are far less concerned about the economy than they were ten years ago, but they continue to rate it high on their list of important community values. When they do express concerns, they cite the cost of living as being too high, wages not keeping pace with prices, and not enough jobs. Many residents want to see developments targeted to Thurston, Glenwood, and Gateway, and revitalization effort targeted to Mohawk and downtown. Many want to see downtown revitalized and more neighborhood involvement as a means of reducing crime.