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Fayette County Schools reports multi-year gains in climate and culture surveys; students flag bathrooms, lunch and testing
Summary
District staff told the board that multi-year survey trends moved the district from a negative Net Promoter Score in 2021–22 to positive territory in 2023–24 and 2024–25, and outlined next steps after student verbatims raised concerns about bathroom atmosphere, lunch quality and over-testing.
District staff presented a multi-year climate-and-culture report to the board, saying the district’s Net Promoter Score moved from negative in 2021–22 to positive in 2023–24 and improved further in 2024–25, exceeding the district’s goal. A staff presenter emphasized that the trend — not a single-year figure — is the most important signal and that spring survey results drove much of the recent gains.
The presentation separated two headline survey questions: whether the district is a good "place to work" and whether it is a good "place to educate." Staff said the district’s target average rating is an 8 on a 1–10 Likert scale and reported year-over-year incremental progress; the place-to-educate full-year result cited in the presentation was about 18.74 (staff described this as a percentage-style outcome from the NPS calculation and average-score comparisons).
Survey responses on safety were largely positive: staff reported that just over 90% of respondents indicate feeling "safe most of the time" or "very safe." At the same time, presenters noted recurring verbatim feedback suggesting concerns about safety "inside the schools" (for example, interpersonal issues or climate within school buildings) and identified that as a targeted area for action.
Student survey participation rose after the district moved administration to February to include seniors: staff reported 306 respondents in the first year and 804 respondents in the next cycle. Staff said the student average rating hovered around 6.5. Verbatim student comments flagged several recurring themes: bathroom atmosphere, lunch quality, perceptions of limited teacher engagement, an overemphasis on standardized testing, and requests for more hands-on, career- and college-preparatory learning.
To respond, staff outlined operational next steps: continue a short video series of "hot topics" (planned episodes include empowerment collaborative, third-grade aides and testing concerns); ensure local-school ambassadors lead school-level climate work (not just administer the survey); expand the student-advisory representation across more grade levels; and use a formalized ambassador feedback or "triage" process so schools can surface issues between annual surveys. The presenter also said the district will try to raise participation toward a 60% target for both staff and students and increase viewership of explanatory videos.
On staff engagement, presenters pointed to a persistent gap between professional staff scores and service-personnel scores (service staff — bus drivers, cafeteria staff, custodians, aides — scored lower on measures of feeling valued). The district said it will prioritize outreach and development for service personnel as part of the climate plan.
The presentation concluded with a request that principals and ambassadors review school-level verbatims and bring specific issues back to local climate-and-culture teams so action steps can be developed. Staff invited board feedback and scheduled follow-up work within the district’s action plan.
