Board reviews internal administrator survey; 24 of 49 responded and communication is a recurring concern

At the June 8 retreat, the board reviewed results from an internal administrative survey given to principals and assistant principals. Mr. Smith said 24 of an eligible 49 administrators responded (roughly a 50% response rate) and cautioned that mid‑February timing coincided with leadership transitions, which may have affected perceptions.

"Data is data, but it's important that we put data in context," Mr. Smith said, noting the survey window fell when a new superintendent and CFO were taking office. He said raw per‑question respondent counts were included in the materials so the board could see the lower N for some items.

Survey content and use: The instrument repeated three core items for each office—overall performance, communication, and whether respondents felt supported and challenged—and included additional compliance/responsiveness items for special education. Mr. Smith said special education responses had shown dark‑red concerns two to three years ago that prompted a subsequent audit and leadership changes; more recent responses show measurable improvement.

Board response and concerns: Trustees said communication was a recurring theme across divisions and urged the district to increase response rates and clarify how the survey informs personnel or strategic decisions. One trustee said better framing and clearer messages about how the board will use the data might increase participation.

Next steps: The district will consider distribution options (paper at principal meetings, alternative channels) to improve response and provide disaggregated views (principals only vs. principals + assistant principals) where useful. Mr. Smith said open‑ended survey comments are available to leadership and have been handled to protect privacy when names appear.