York leaders report mostly positive school climate and new monthly "pulse" surveys to monitor staff and student conditions

York County School Division officials on June 2 presented survey results showing generally positive school climate and working conditions while identifying areas for improvement and next steps for the coming year.

Dr. Reitz, presenting the staff results, said the division uses three tools to measure climate and working conditions—the Virginia School Survey of Climate and Working Conditions (VDOE), the division’s Power 10 survey and a new monthly pulse survey—and that the pulse survey was designed “to enhance our workplace and better respond to the needs of our staff.”

Dr. Reitz summarized staff survey highlights: safety and respect scored high (for example, respondents agreed “I feel safe at my school” and “My professional role is respected”); lower-rated areas included shared decision-making, professional growth and family engagement. Reitz said results are shared with schools and can be filtered as schools develop next steps.

Reitz showed trends across several years and said overall satisfaction increased from 2023–24 for licensed staff and for the broader staff group; non-school-based staff (instructional support, IT, maintenance) also showed improvement over earlier years but were slightly below the previous year. Reitz said the pulse survey attracts roughly 300 responses per month and is anonymous; it includes a free-response field that supervisors can use to respond quickly when themes recur.

Dr. Butler presented student climate data. He reported that 8,040 students completed the student surveys across levels. By level: elementary (fourth and fifth graders) showed high marks for caring adults and a sense of belonging; middle schools saw positive safety ratings and an upward trend after principals used town-hall meetings and refreshers on expectations; high school overall satisfaction was lower than elementary and middle (4.37 on a 6-point scale) with student discipline and student behavior among lower-scoring items.

Butler said the division will focus next year on student advisory groups, monthly MTSS review of discipline data, reteaching expectations for issues such as vaping, and ensuring student connection coaches continue outreach to keep students engaged. Systemwide actions will include aligned professional development and Leadership Academy work so principals can respond to their school-level data and incorporate corrections into school improvement plans (SIPs).

During Q&A board members requested response-rate context; Reitz agreed to report respondent counts as a share of the eligible population on future reports. Board members also asked whether surveys were anonymous; Reitz said the VDOE student climate survey allows parents to opt out and the division’s pulse survey is anonymous for staff, while the division can use nonanonymous instrument options for targeted groups when necessary.

Officials said pulse survey results are shared monthly so schools can address issues sooner in the year rather than letting them linger; they gave an example of a Bethel Manor school dip in December that rebounded by May after local interventions. The presentation concluded with a commitment to use data-driven professional development and targeted leadership work to address lower-rated areas such as shared decision-making and family engagement.