Elkhart schools publish staff-survey results as consolidation planning continues; staff list job-placement and workload among top concerns
Summary
The Elkhart Community Schools board heard results of a staff survey (516 responses) showing major concerns about staff assignments, potential reductions and uncertainty about future roles as the district pursues school consolidation to address a projected $5 million budget gap.
Elkhart Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Hough and district communications lead Wendy Wood presented staff-survey results to the school board on Dec. 9, saying 516 employees responded to an anonymous survey sent Nov. 25 and closed Dec. 3.
"Our staff survey, we sent to all staff on 11/25/2025. It closed on December 3," Wendy Wood said, summarizing the outreach and noting the survey combined multiple-choice and open-ended items. The administration consolidated the open responses and said it grouped them into 56 follow-up questions across 10 themes for public posting.
Why it matters: the district is evaluating consolidation as one lever to rebalance finances. Dr. Hough told the board the district is currently projected to be about $5,000,000 over expenses this year and said consolidation is part of efforts to end the next fiscal year balanced.
What the survey found: staff answers varied on understanding district finances, but the top concerns about consolidation were staff assignment/job roles (306 respondents), potential reduction or redistribution of positions (361), uncertainty about future placement or responsibilities (329), increased workload or expanded responsibilities (289) and adjustments to schedules and procedures (158). The administration reported 199 additional open-ended questions that were grouped into the 56 published items.
Administration response: Dr. Hough and Wood said the district will publish the 56 consolidated questions and their answers on the consolidation web page and will hold school- and employee-group meetings in January to walk staff through details. Dr. Hough emphasized transparency and repeated that the consolidation effort is not only about buildings but also about aligning practices, programming and resources across schools.
Staff concerns and next steps: presenters acknowledged staff anxiety about class sizes, boundaries, transportation logistics and how post-consolidation roles will be assigned. The administration committed to meetings with building leaders, the teachers association and employee groups to answer questions, and to post the consolidated Q&A and follow-up materials online. Dr. Hough said the timeline includes school visits and additional communications beginning in January.
The board did not make any consolidation policy decisions at the Dec. 9 meeting; presenters described this as an information and engagement step in a multi-month process.
