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Teachers and support staff press board on morale amid survey release; board debate follows superintendent contract extension motion
Summary
Union and special‑education staff presented survey results alleging widespread declines in morale and growing workloads; the board discussed those findings while debating a one‑year extension of the superintendent's contract, which produced a 4‑4 split on a roll‑call voice vote recorded in the minutes.
Representatives from the Greenwich Education Association (GA), special education support staff and other staff groups used the board’s public‑comment period and a formal presentation to highlight findings from recent staff surveys and to urge the board to consider those data before major personnel or policy actions.
GA President Margaret Jackens told the board that more than 600 educators responded to a GA survey and that 90.8% of respondents reported a decline in morale, with district‑level leadership identified as a primary contributing factor. Other speakers representing special‑education support staff (SCSS) described growing caseloads, longer work hours, a sense of being "unheard" and concerns about retaliation for speaking up.
The board placed staff satisfaction high on its 2026‑27 goals, and board members debated whether improvements to the superintendent evaluation and reporting process were needed. A motion to extend Superintendent Dr. Jones’s contract by one year drew lengthy discussion about the timing and structure of superintendent evaluation metrics and board governance. The recorded roll‑call voice tally at the meeting produced a four‑yes, four‑no split on the contract extension motion; the transcript records the tie without a subsequent resolution recorded in the minutes.
Superintendent Dr. Jones and board members emphasized that the district will prioritize staff satisfaction in the coming year and listed several steps the board has already taken or plans to pursue, including follow‑up on survey results, commitments to monitor staff workloads and to include staff‑satisfaction metrics in board goals. The board amended its 2026‑27 goals to include monitoring student supports and staff satisfaction and to track the newly directed phone regulation at GHS.
Next steps: administration and the board will engage with GA and staff groups on survey findings, continue to refine superintendent evaluation processes and report progress under the board’s updated 2026‑27 goals.
