Survey shows strong staff morale on safety and care but professional growth lags; compensation review continues
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Summary
A staff "Power 10" survey reported high satisfaction with safety and a caring environment (overall staff satisfaction 5.33/6), but professional growth scored lowest. The division also presented a licensed-staff compensation review showing York County remains regionally competitive while facing rising insurance costs and retention challenges.
York County School Division staff presented survey and compensation reports March 9, showing strong staff perceptions on safety and caring environments but identifying professional growth as an area for improvement, while separate compensation data underscored budget pressures.
Dr. David Reitz, chief human resources officer, summarized the Power 10 staff survey: the division received about 1,170 responses (roughly 923 instructional staff and 247 support staff) and recorded an overall satisfaction score of 5.33 on a six-point scale. Reitz said staff rated "adults at this school care about students" and safety items highly; professional growth and non-school-based professional development were the lowest-scoring areas, prompting plans to target year 5 of the strategic plan to deepen professional growth supports and increase participation.
Reitz later reviewed licensed-staff compensation data, noting compensation plus benefits comprise about 81% of the operating budget. He said York County generally tracks competitively in regional salary lanes across bachelor's, master's and advanced-degree comparisons. Reitz reported 1,038 licensed employees and 683 employees with a master's or higher. He described retention strategies including monthly pulse surveys, new-hire focus groups, mentorships and tuition reimbursement.
Board members asked about professional development access for specialized or part-time positions and about recertification supports. Reitz and other staff outlined tuition reimbursement (up to $1,000 per year), expanded SharePoint resources listing free recertification offerings (including library-provided "universal class" opportunities), and free VDOE offerings shared via a teacher-facing SharePoint site.
Separately, Bowen warned that modeled health-insurance premium increases (roughly 19.4%) create pressure on compensation decisions and may require adjustments to benefits or use of one-time funds to match any bonus.
The board requested copies of survey questions and school-level data; staff said the division will increase participation outreach and bring further recommendations to the board.
