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Board hears staff‑culture, communication and partnership progress; parents report gap in receiving timely feedback
Summary
Presenters described high staff retention, new recruitment strategies and Studer‑guided rounding; the family survey showed a red indicator for parents receiving regular feedback pending rollout of new communication tools.
Molalla River SD 35 board members heard presentations about staff culture, recruitment, communication tools and community partnerships during a work session that emphasized staff rounding and measured progress with a district survey.
The reporting matters because staff recruitment, retention and parent communication affect classroom continuity and family engagement.
Director Ellis (staff pillar lead) said the district’s reported staff retention rate is 96% and the fill rate is 96% for open positions, though she cautioned those figures may appear inflated mid‑year because many employees commit to the school year and true attrition is clearer at year‑end. Ellis described new recruitment messaging that emphasizes the district’s pillars and invited applicants to “come be part of our team” rather than only advertising job descriptions.
Several principals described changes on the ground. Principal Dalton (Speaker 8) and Principal Womack (Speaker 1) noted that Studer‑informed practices such as rounding (regular one‑to‑one check‑ins), sharing survey data back to staff, and follow‑up action items have improved school culture and made staff feel heard. "Rounding with staff… I get feedback from them. I follow‑up with it. I track it. I send out thank you cards," a principal said, describing concrete steps taken.
The family/caregiver survey question “I regularly receive feedback about how my child is learning” was rated red by staff presenters because the district’s intended communication tools were behind schedule. Director Watson (communications lead) explained the high school is implementing a secure platform (referred to as “Rooms” in the presentation) that records communications and includes automatic translation. Watson said the district is piloting the tool at one school before a broader rollout and cautioned about timing: implementing a website or messaging tool at the end of a school year can limit staff capacity to adopt it.
On partnerships, staff acknowledged some long‑standing community relationships (for example, a local organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education) and described a new commitment from RSG Products to supply lumber annually to the district’s construction program. The district marked the partnership pillar yellow because the board and staff have not yet defined a consistent measure for what constitutes a “formalized partnership.”
Ending: Board members asked for trend reporting and for the district to consider publishing the stoplight material; staff will return with July trend data and a plan for sharing results publicly.
