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ISD 196 employee survey: 70% participation, high engagement but gaps on communication and equity
Summary
The district—s April 2025 employee survey had about a 70% participation rate (~3,000 responses) with strong engagement scores (93% proud to work in ISD 196) and identified areas for growth including internal communications, appreciation, and lower equity ratings among staff of color.
District 196 officials on Sept. 15 presented the results of an April 2025 comprehensive employee experience survey that drew roughly 3,000 responses and a participation rate the presenters described as about 70%.
Janet Swachakowski, presenting the findings, said the survey included all employee groups and used Qualtrics, with protections to preserve anonymity. "We were pleased that we had about a 70% participation rate with almost about 3,000 survey responses representing all employee groups in the district," she said.
Survey highlights included high marks for local workplace sentiment: 93% of respondents said they were proud to work in District 196, 91% would recommend the district to families, and 90% reported they find joy in their jobs. By core values, items like being student-centered and achievement scored in the high 80s; workplace well-being and communication items were lower.
Areas for growth noted in the presentation included employee appreciation (73% agreement), opportunities for input and feedback (74%), and only 63% of employees feeling well informed about district decisions. When responses were disaggregated, Janet said the overall rating that "our organization values equity and inclusion" was 88% but dropped to 77% among staff of color.
Board members asked about follow-up and deeper analysis of open-ended comments; Janet said the survey included more than 4,000 open-ended responses and the district plans to disaggregate those comments and run a repeat survey in April 2026 as a baseline comparison.
No board action was required; staff said site reports have been distributed to supervisors and work at district level will prioritize internal communications and employee appreciation.
