Bonny Eagle climate survey shows districtwide gains but nonwhite students report less-positive experiences

At a recent Bonny Eagle School Board meeting, Assistant Superintendent Laurie presented the district’s 2025 climate survey, reporting statistically significant improvements across several staff and student measures while noting that nonwhite students continued to report less-favorable experiences than the district average.

The survey was administered via ThoughtExchange and included 501 parent responses, about 340 instructional staff responses and increased participation from non-instructional staff. Laurie said instructional staff reported “statistically significant growth” in several areas, including cultural competence and feelings of support from supervisors. She also told the board the district saw gains in parents’ confidence in emergency preparedness following outreach tied to new drills and communications.

Why it matters: School climate data inform training, discipline practices and safety planning and identify equity gaps that the district intends to address in the coming year. Laurie framed the results as evidence that multi-year professional development and changes to curriculum and safety work are producing measurable change.

Key results and details - Participation: 501 parent responses; roughly 340 instructional staff responses; student participation declined in some cohorts (for example, high school responses fell from about 500 to 438). - Parents: About 80% of responding parents reported strong connections with teachers; roughly 35% still said their child does not feel a sense of belonging. - Instructional staff: 63% said they feel more prepared to handle culturally sensitive issues. Agreement that the district addresses bias rose from 69% to 78%. Staff reporting that bullying incidents are dealt with promptly rose from 34% to 47%, though staff responses were mixed on whether colleagues “always stop bullying when they see it.” - Non-instructional staff: Agreement that the district promotes respect for different cultures rose from 75% to 82%. Reported incidents of staff being teased about protected characteristics fell from about 10% to 3% among respondents. - Students: Middle school and high school respondents showed increases on many measures; middle school students who reported feeling emotionally supported rose from 56% to 67%. High school responses showed statistically significant improvement on 19 questions overall. Open-ended comments repeatedly raised concerns about bathroom and hallway safety and fairness of discipline. - Equity gap: For the third consecutive year, nonwhite students responded less favorably than white students on most items (typical gaps of about 5–6 percentage points), a disparity Laurie said the district will monitor and address.

Programs and next steps Laurie said the district will expand safety training this fall, including implementing ALICE drills (active shooter response protocol) and additional classroom- and school-level education addressing hate language and microaggressions, especially in grades 6–12. The presentation also noted curriculum work to integrate Wabanaki and Indigenous content in social studies and other subjects, and the district’s continued focus on staff professional development around inclusion, multilingual learners and trauma-informed instruction.

Other items mentioned in the meeting Laurie and the superintendent highlighted the Maine Construction Academy pilot at Bonny Eagle (15 students earned 140 apprenticeship hours and OSHA-10 certification), the “Kids Eat Free” summer meal program and recognition of staff (a district mechanic featured in School Transportation News). The board also conducted routine votes; see “Votes at a glance.”

Votes at a glance - Accept agenda: motion carried, 7–0. - Approve minutes (July 14): motion carried, 7–0. - Employment matter discussed in executive session: motion carried, 7–0 (no additional public action specified beyond later agenda items). - Appointment: Sherry Goranidis (appointed director of Bonny Eagle Adult Education) — motion carried, unanimous (7–0). - Election: District MSBA delegate (nomination of Ellen Dakotas in absentia) — motion carried, unanimous (7–0). - Approval: District 2025–26 All-Hazards Plan (required by the state) — motion carried, unanimous (7–0).

What board members asked and cautions Board members pressed for clarity on student participation levels and the anonymity limits of ThoughtExchange (Laurie explained respondents could complete the survey per school and the vendor’s anonymous design prevents matching multiple responses to a single parent). Director Kreutz cautioned that ALICE drills can be traumatic for some students and asked for age-appropriate implementation; Laurie said the district will proceed carefully and offer later updates on training outcomes. Directors also asked about Wabanaki and Indigenous curriculum requirements; Laurie said state learning expectations include Indigenous content and the district offered teacher training on incorporating Wabanaki history during the March workshop day.

Ending Laurie said the district will continue to use the survey as a year-over-year metric and will share building-level filterable results with administrators so each school can plan targeted actions. The board scheduled its next regular meeting for Aug. 18 and discussed committee meeting times before adjourning.