Results of the May 2009 employee opinion survey in the Moreland School District Presented by Tom DeLapp, President Communication Resources for Schools May 26, 2009

 Consulting firm used for the survey specializes in school communications; 35 years of experience  Expertise developed in conducting surveys and audits for dozens of school districts in California  District leaders reviewed questions in advance  Used outside vendor to assure confidentiality and independent analysis of results

 Used online approach because of cost, efficiency  Only six employees used paper questionnaires  180 out of 408 employees completed the survey  44% response is very good; especially during closing weeks of school  High number of comments on open-ended questions indicates employee interest  Employees were reminded to participate

 Morale is higher than in many other districts, but has slipped a little (from great to good)  Economy and budget cuts are stressing the system; uncertainty and apprehension about future and impact on cuts on workload  Moreland needs to provide evidence/indicators of success to newer employees so they can be key communicators  Service based departments need to communicate “process and priorities” to give staff the context  Advisory input systems need to be genuine and responsive  The communication strengths of the supervisor determine how connected employees feel

Fewer new employees responded

Response rates reflect employee placement on the salary schedule

Salary Schedule Survey Responses 22% 23% 23% 22% 19% 16% 16% 14% 12% 9% 6% 18% less than 1 yr 1-2 years 3-5 years 6-10 years 11-15 years more than 15 yrs

 Two thirds of Moreland’s employees live outside of the district boundaries  This is common among area school districts  In urban/suburban regions many employees commute to work Live Outside District

69%

Live in District

31%

 Most employees did not or do not have children in Moreland schools  This is consistent with residence figures except that a few more enroll their children where they work Child Not Enrolled in MSD 63% Child Enrolled in MSD 37%

 A majority of the teachers responded (54%); 2/3 of the respondents were teachers  31% of district support staff responded to the survey  85% of respondents were from school sites; 15% from district office Other Certificated 5% Classified 26% Classroom Teacher 63% Administrator/ Manager 6%

 Pretty evenly balanced among school sites  Response rate isn’t large enough to run cross tabs of attitudes by each site  Not slanted toward the district office views District Office 15% Moreland Middle 17% Payne 7% Easterbrook 15% Anderson Village 13% Baker 15% Country Lane 18%

 92% said education was good or excellent  42% said Moreland was better than its neighbors; 38% said comparable  17% said they couldn’t say  Either they are unconvinced or don’t have enough information to shape their opinions  District needs an awareness campaign with employees Average 6% Good 46% No Opinion 2% Excellent 46%

 A majority of employees agree that the district is headed in the right direction on student achievement  About one-third (37%) think education has improved since 2006  One third believe it’s stayed the same; 8% felt it had declined  One-fourth (23%) had no opinion on whether learning was improving  Either they didn’t know enough to say or weren’t convinced that improvements were occurring

Some what 37% Not much at all 7% Quite a bit 29% No Opinion 5% Yes, definitely 22%

 86% said they knew about the district plans, vision and goals  84% said they felt “quite a bit” of responsibility for student success  64% said the district was doing enough to engage them in that responsibility  14% felt disconnected from the district’s vision for the future Some 56% Very little 10% Not much at all 3% Nothing 1% Quite a bit 30%

 More than two-thirds have good to excellent morale (68%)  24% feel morale has improved; 40% say it’s stayed the same; but 32% believe it’s slipped this year. Two thirds wrote comments about morale  Budget, layoffs, workload impact was the #1 reason for slippage  New superintendent mentioned as a positive reason for improvement  Accountability, testing, construction, communication and engagement cited as concerns Average 22% Poor 2% No Opinion 1% Below Average 7% Excellent 31% Good 37%

 District needs to emphasize value and responsiveness when seeking employee input  41% feel the district does a good to excellent job of engaging employees in decision-making and the advising process  One-fourth feel the district does a below average to poor job  Those that feel disconnected tended to be more verbal about it in open ended comments

Average 27% Below Average 14% Poor 9% No Opinion 9% Good 33% Excellent 8%

 Staff are split on the effectiveness of advisory committees and employee influence. Most value the opportunity, but some aren’t convinced their voices are being heard or having an effect.

Effectively influence district policies & practices 12 36 17 19 16 Have appropriate membership 14 Keep employees informed about their tasks 12 Meet frequently enough 29 48 52 37 11 8 19 3 3 19 10 7 28

Strongly Agree Somewhat Agree Somewhat Disagree Disagree

Outcomes reflect employee viewpoints 13 41 26 11 9

No Opinion

Are effective for involving employees 0 24 53 12 7 4 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

 Employees appreciate good work site meetings as a vehicle for sharing and input. Concern that meetings inform rather than engage staff. Connectedness reflects communication skills of administrators.

Effectively influence policies & practices 6 I am able to participate 38 41 22 43 15 16 7 4 8 Keep employees informed about their tasks Meet frequently enough Outcomes reflect employee viewpoints 11 24 32 58 47 9 9 4 4 8 5 42 23 13 11 Are effective for involving employees 0 10 24 20 30 40 50 50 60 70 80 16 90 6 4 100

Strongly Agree Somewhat Agree Somewhat Disagree Disagree No Opinion

 By identical numbers, employees feel they have enough quantity and quality of information about their jobs and district policies  A majority (59%) think the district does a good to excellent job of keeping them informed on these issues  One in six, however, feel more “out of the loop”.

 80% are somewhat to very satisfied with the level of information they have from the district office  18% expressed dissatisfaction with the level of information they have Poor 3% No Opinion 1% Average

24%

Below Average 13% Excellent

17%

Good

42%

 Half the employees give the central office an A or B on overall communication  Only 16% give low grades  48% felt communication had improved this year  48% said it stayed the same  8% said it’s gotten worse  75% of employees give their site administrators/managers an A or B in communication

Majority of employees give high marks to district-level communication Average 34% Good 35%

Below Average 13%

Excellent 15%

Poor 3%

Facilities & Planning Food Services Transportation Maintenance Technology Payroll & Employee Benefits Business & Accounting Special Education Educational Services/Curriculum/Instruction Human Resources/Personnel Board of Education Superintendent's Office

Excellent

7 10 8 18 24 16 17 24 20 40 0% 10 36 10% 20%

Acceptable

30% 73 71 73 50 72 74 64 66 61 52 65 54 40% 50% 60% 70%

Needs to Improve

17 9 6 21 34 80% 25 18 12 9 8 25 10 90% 100%

 E-mail is the communication vehicle of choice for staff  96% of respondents had a district e-mail address, 69% had personal accounts  94% check e-mail at least once a day; half several times a day  Watch for the “digital divide” for employees who don’t have access to computers or mailboxes at work sites  Tend to be classified employees District newsletter 5%

E-mail 68%

Site/dept meetings 5% Verbally from supervisor 8% Memos & bulletins 14%

 A new sense of positive momentum amid economic turmoil is evident among employees due to new leadership at the district office level  Use a steady “drip” system of e-mail communication to enhance on-going employee connections and awareness  Bridge the “digital divide” to keep classified and part-time workers connected by using print as well as e-mail methods  Enhance site based communication and improve advisory input mechanisms through agenda management and training