Henrico schools present progress on employee engagement, promise contract addendum and policy reviews

Henrico County Public Schools staff on March 13 provided the School Board an update on actions taken in response to employee feedback gathered in 2024, including a planned contract addendum, proposed policy revisions and budget priorities aimed at addressing compensation, working conditions and retention.

The presentation, given by Holly Coy and staff and introduced by Superintendent Dr. Cashwell, said the division had used three feedback sources—the 2024 HCPS annual survey, a summer 2024 engagement survey and summer 2024 focus groups—to identify priorities. Coy told the board that compensation, benefits and leave topped concerns among respondents who selected “contract” as their highest priority and that staff had drafted a plain-language contract addendum to attach to continuing and probationary teacher contracts issued in May.

The update also tied employee input to the recommended financial plan the board approved last month. That recommended plan prioritizes raises for all staff, targeted market adjustments for some groups (example groups listed included instructional assistants and custodial/maintenance staff), investments in planning time and professional learning, additional school-level funds for recognition, and capital investments in roofing, mechanical and transportation needs. The presentation said the Opportunity School model will be expanded and that targeted staff increases—English learner teachers, counselors and school security officers—are included in the superintendent’s budget recommendations.

Board members asked for particulars and for how the district will monitor success. Vice Chair Irving asked how much weight staff were giving to the summer engagement survey after noting a lower response rate; Coy said the division triangulated across the three instruments and additional formal and informal conversations, and that the annual HCPS survey had a substantially higher response rate. Board member Kinsella praised the planned plain-language contract addendum and said, “Every employee wants to be seen, heard, and valued.” Coy also read a focus-group comment that staff provided: “They're always trying to grow something and make it better.”

On implementation details, Coy said staff had drafted proposed revisions to 14 corresponding policies related to contracts, planning time, professional learning and duties; those policy revisions were scheduled for first review on March 27. She said discussions on leave-policy changes are ongoing and that a new working group and expanded teacher advisory committee (TAC) membership have been used to shape the addendum and related communications. The presentation described a redesigned TAC with a new steering committee of teacher-of-the-year finalists from each magisterial district and publicly available meeting summaries intended to improve two-way communication.

The update also covered technology and administration items: staff forecast that a staff-ID pilot running through the end of the school year may offer an integration point for automated timekeeping, but the district has not yet selected an automated timekeeping add-on. Coy said the pilot will be evaluated at the school-year end to determine whether it can be combined with timekeeping, or whether staff should pursue other options.

Board members pressed on several operational details: whether planning-time protections would be enforced uniformly across buildings, how lost planning time would be compensated, whether leave could be taken in hour increments, and how the district would ensure advisory representatives convey two-way feedback. Coy said some secondary-level guidance on planning-time compensation exists and that staff will return with proposed policy language in the spring.

The board expressed support for ongoing engagement. Members asked staff to (a) continue iterative communication about the contract addendum, (b) ensure mechanisms allow employees to provide feedback without fear of retaliation, and (c) provide monitoring data so the board and employees can see follow-up on employee priorities. Coy and Dr. Cashwell committed to continuing advisory work and to returning policy proposals and pilot findings for board review.