Board discusses retention, culture and outreach; members propose staff surveys and town‑hall style community meetings

Board members at the Central CUSD 301 meeting raised retention and culture concerns and proposed steps to diagnose and address them, including an independent employee satisfaction survey and community and staff listening opportunities.

During public comment a resident recommended the district develop summer reporting on staffing conditions and an independent annual employee satisfaction survey. The speaker suggested the board review union surveys and last year’s verbatims for actionable steps on retention. A board member later reiterated that turnover has been high: “I thought there was 1 person who was supposedly bringing bad culture into the district. Now that she's gone, it doesn't seem like culture has gotten much better and retention definitely hasn't gotten much better,” the member said.

Board members proposed a mix of approaches: targeted staff meetings or small “coffee‑talk” sessions with teachers and staff, rotating two‑person board outreach visits rather than full‑board sessions, and district‑run town halls for parents and community members. One board member said regular, scheduled community drop‑ins had precedent in municipalities and could be adapted for the district; another suggested the board start with staff and teachers before broader public sessions to understand whether perceptions match operational reality.

Members agreed that the board should define the culture it wants to foster and use structured feedback to inform superintendent and principal hires. Several trustees said the board would ask administrators to propose formats and a schedule for listening sessions before the next school year.

Why it matters: High turnover at the superintendent and building level was described as disruptive to stability and to long‑term plans, and board members framed diagnosis (surveys, town halls) as a prerequisite to recruitment and retention decisions.