Superintendent shares district'wide culture and climate survey results; presentation was informational only

Dr. Sean Zuckerman, superintendent of Northern Burlington County Regional School District, presented results from a culture and climate survey during a short recess before the Board of Education achieved a quorum, noting the presentation was "unofficial" and "not part of the board meeting" at that time.

Zuckerman said the district administered similar questions to staff, families and students (the high school only; middle school students inadvertently completed the community survey) and then compared common themes. He reported aggregated agreement rates on several topics: 86% of families said their child feels a sense of belonging, 87% said staff care about their child, and 92% of families said their child is safe at school. He said 86% of students reported they feel safe and 68% said they would report a threat to an authority figure.

The presentation also covered staff views and discipline data. Zuckerman said staff responses showed lower agreement on fairness and student inclusion: 48% of staff agreed discipline is fair and 37% agreed school rules are applied equally. For students, 72% said discipline is fair and 65% said rules are applied equally. On academics, families reported 86% satisfaction with prompt responses to calls or emails and 93% agreed the school has quality programs for students' needs.

Zuckerman said one clear administrative takeaway was that the survey was too long and yielded fewer substantive open-ended responses; he said the district will shorten the survey next year to elicit more written feedback. He also said he asked each school to identify a single area of focus for the coming year: the middle school will focus on student input and safety, while the high school will focus on connectedness and giving students more opportunities to share their thoughts.

Because the remarks occurred before the meeting had a quorum, Zuckerman and the board noted the presentation would not be included in official meeting minutes as an action item. The superintendent said the district plans to reissue a similar survey at the end of the school year to measure change.

The presentation included several specific percentage figures used by school and central administrators to guide follow-up: targetable gaps on student reporting comfort (68% would report threats), staff perception of disciplinary equity (48% agreement), and opportunities for student involvement in decision-making (students: 61%; staff: 71%). The superintendent said administrators will use those figures to shape professional development and school-level plans.