AASB survey: Tuscaloosa residents praise staff and growth mindset; hiring and retention top priorities

Janice Stockman of the Alabama Association of School Boards told the Tuscaloosa City Schools Board of Education that a community survey of 406 respondents will help shape the district's superintendent search. "The number 1 strength was your people," Stockman said, noting respondents frequently called out staff and specific teachers by name.

The survey, administered through SurveyMonkey, included five Likert-scale items, four multiple-choice questions and three short-answer prompts. Stockman reported an 87% completion rate and an average completion time of 8 minutes, 35 seconds, which she said indicated thoughtful responses. "We sent out a survey through SurveyMonkey," she said, and added brochures summarizing results were provided to board members.

Why it matters: The survey is intended to inform the board's choice of a superintendent by reflecting community priorities. Stockman said the top items respondents want in the next superintendent were the ability to recruit and retain quality staff, a proven track record in current roles, effective team leadership and collaboration.

Survey details and findings: Stockman said the three strongest themes in open responses were staff dedication, a districtwide growth mindset and strong community partnerships. On specific skills, "recruiting and retaining a quality staff" rated highest; other attributes scoring highly included performance in current roles, creating positive work environments and listening to others. Regarding education credentials, roughly half of respondents preferred a candidate with a doctorate, with others split between a master’s degree and an educational specialist degree.

Stockman said respondents were mixed on whether the superintendent should be chosen from inside the system or from outside, with almost half indicating no preference and many comments emphasizing the importance of a good fit rather than origin. The most-cited challenges for an incoming superintendent were maintaining high academic performance, assisting students still affected by COVID-era learning loss, improving employee morale and meeting specialized student needs.

Next steps: Stockman outlined the superintendent-selection process the board will follow: accept applications, screen candidates, conduct interviews and proceed to a final selection. She encouraged trustees to use the survey results as one piece of evidence in the hiring process and made printed summaries available.

The board thanked AASB for facilitating the survey and allowed a brief question-and-answer period before moving on to other agenda items.