The current success and acceptability of the Design for School Excellence (DSE) in the Cincinnati (Ohio) Public Schools is due largely to the seriousness in which the Board of Education and the Superintendent communicated with school employees and the entire community in planning the final outcome of this program. From the original suggestion of a merit pay plan, the Board and administrative team went on to gather information regarding school excellence, school productivity, and merit school characteristics. Reviews of the literature and existing models of school excellence and improvement were considered in depth. A proposal for outside funding was written, but not funded. With input from the entire administrative team of the school system, outcomes regarding achievement, attendance, and attitudes were ranked in order of importance and considered for the DSE. An external review panel of educators accepted these output variables and recommended a broader survey be taken. Some 28,000 parents, students, teachers, and community members were surveyed in March, 1985. Results reported broad support for the DSE. The survey indicated that the types of rewards to be given to merit schools were public recognition, additional funds, some kind of student rewards, and less support for cash bonuses for merit school staffs. (The Community Survey is included.) (KSA)