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Vernonia school leaders outline staff culture plan after districtwide meetings
Summary
Superintendent Jim Helmen described a three-step approach to rebuilding staff culture: staff sentiment gathering, administrator training to develop culture pillars, and staff-to-staff workshops that produced five pillars and group commitments. Principals were asked to hold staff accountable for professionalism.
Superintendent Jim Helmen told the board the district began rebuilding staff culture with a three-step process: soliciting staff input on feelings and impact, training administrators on developing culture pillars, and holding mixed-building staff sessions to choose pillars and related adjectives. The sessions produced five culture pillars; staff groups then selected four they were willing to commit to and developed descriptive adjectives under each pillar.
According to Helmen, the work is still being operationalized: staff asked that school principals hold staff accountable for professionalism and the district is determining how to keep the pillars visible over time. Board member Amy Cieloha had requested this update; Helmen said the administrative team reviewed meeting data and categorized responses to form a framework intended to shape daily practice across buildings.
