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District 99 Board reviews survey showing 95.9% student response, shifts focus from attendance to engagement
Summary
Board members heard detailed survey results showing a 95.9% student response rate and improvements in staff perceptions tied to new attendance and cell-phone policies; trustees were presented a draft statement of work to move next year's emphasis from enforcement toward student ownership, PD and engagement strategies.
The Community High School District 99 Board of Education on May 11 received a comprehensive presentation of the district's spring surveys and a proposed statement of work that would build on this year's attendance-and-accountability efforts by shifting next year's focus toward student ownership and classroom engagement.
Jill, the district staff member who led the state-required Comprehensive School Climate Inventory (CSCI) presentation, told the board the district achieved a 95.9% student response rate on the instrument, exceeding the goal of 95%. "We achieved 95.9%," she said, noting that the district prioritized captive access times and raffle incentives to reach students. The combined median scores across CSCI domains reached the 3.6 threshold that the district treats as a positive result.
District staff and board members emphasized that the high student response rate produced a robust dataset, but they flagged lower participation among staff (47.8%, down from 68% last year) and far smaller family participation (roughly 11%–17%). Board members pressed staff for disaggregated cross-tabs and raw-question data; Jill agreed to provide a breakdown of teacher versus support-staff responses.
Ryan (surveys lead) presented disaggregated results showing notable staff gains on questions tied to rules, norms and leadership efficacy. He and other presenters tied at least some of the improvement to this year's new cell-phone and attendance policies: staff reported an 86% favorable impact from the cell-phone policy on students' collaborative behavior, while roughly one-third of students indicated the policy had a positive academic effect. Board members and staff noted this gap in perceptions and emphasized the need to monitor classroom effects over time.
The draft statement of work for 2026'27 presented to the board keeps attendance and accountability as the foundational focus but proposes that next year the district's visible emphasis shift to "student ownership and engagement." The plan lists metrics including attendance trends, grades, climate-survey results and progress on tiered interventions. It also calls for targeted professional development on instructional design, student motivation and belonging.
Responding to multiple staff requests captured in the surveys, board and staff discussed expanding differentiated, peer-led PD such as the district's "spark" sessions and classroom share-outs. Presenters warned there is not yet a field-tested district-wide tool that reliably detects AI-authored student work, so PD will emphasize practical classroom strategies and careful tool selection rather than a single technical fix.
Board members were told that, if the board approves the statement of work at its May 18 meeting, staff will convert the statement into a four-to-six-week action plan with measurable metrics and an implementation timeline that includes how first-period interventions will be emphasized to address morning tardiness.
The meeting closed this portion with several requests from trustees: provide raw-question datasets and teacher/support-staff breakdowns for the survey, clarify how attendance notes (doctor's notes vs. parent call-ins) are recorded, and return with a concrete PD timeline supporting the engagement pivot.
The board will vote on the district's statement of work at the May 18 meeting; staff said they will finalize the action plan and associated metrics if the board approves the draft.
