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Board President Welt says district is addressing Central Middle School safety concerns after family survey
Summary
At the June 25 meeting, Board President Welt outlined family and staff survey results showing strong elementary engagement but safety concerns at Central Middle School; the board has pursued hiring a Dean and said 13 staff departures occurred with five hires made so far.
Hartford J1 School District Board President Welt told the board on June 25 that the district is responding to family and staff survey feedback that praised elementary engagement but raised safety and staffing concerns at Central Middle School. "We have lost 13 people ... I wanna be clear, it's 13," Welt said, adding that five new hires are already in place.
Welt summarized results of a family engagement survey and a Gallup employee engagement survey administered this year, saying response rates from families were low but the feedback the district received was useful. At the elementary level, most respondents "strongly agreed" the district met board goals for student-centered decisions, fiscal responsibility, and safety; middle-school responses were generally positive on student-centered decisions and finances but included questions about student safety.
To respond to concerns raised in the surveys, administrators and the board have prioritized adding a Dean position at Central Middle School. Welt said the district has interviewed candidates for the role, describing it as "a third member of the administrative team at Central Middle School" intended to support staff and students.
District leaders also described work undertaken last summer by assistant principals to create a bullying response matrix and said administrative outreach has included follow-up phone calls to families who left contact information on the survey. Welt urged residents with continuing concerns to contact administrators directly and noted that board members are limited in what they can discuss about individual personnel matters.
The board did not take additional action on staffing at the meeting; members said they are monitoring hiring efforts and emphasized the need to find candidates who meet the district's standards for working with students. The district said it will report back in the fall on updated AGR goals and other strategies tied to student supports and staffing.
