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District 94 releases stay-interview findings; staff cite compensation and workload concerns
Summary
Human resources presented results from one-on-one stay interviews and an anonymous perception survey; staff praised relationships and community but raised compensation, workload and clarity from leadership as areas for improvement.
District 94 leaders presented findings from a stay-interview initiative intended to improve employee retention. The human resources director described a standardized one-on-one interview process conducted with 23 employees selected by employee associations, a follow-up anonymous perception survey and an AI-assisted analysis of the responses.
Why it matters: The review was aimed at identifying what the district does well and what drives employees to stay or consider leaving. The HR presentation stressed that findings will inform short- and long-term actions tied to the district’s strategic planning and retention efforts.
Findings highlighted strengths including strong relationships among staff, a sense of community, staff connection to students and a shared sense of purpose. Areas for growth most frequently cited were compensation and workload; employees also requested clearer communication of goals and expectations from leadership, more meaningful/tailored recognition and targeted professional development and mentorship opportunities.
Process: The HR director said participants were selected by the presidents of the district’s employee associations (to reduce selection bias), interviews were conducted in English and Spanish as preferred, and responses were recorded verbatim then aggregated. The HR director said artificial intelligence tools were used to analyze recurring themes and to reduce bias in summarizing open-ended feedback.
Next steps: Short-term actions include improving communications about goals and initiatives, reviewing staffing and resource allocations for 2025–26, and continuing mentorship programs; long-term steps include aligning stay-interview feedback with strategic planning and expanding the interview process to more employees. Board members praised the thoroughness of the process and urged longitudinal tracking of results.
