CLSD Leadership Survey

Survey of 85 current CEA MembersMay 2015

Objectives/Goals

• To give a voice to the many CEA members who have a vested interest in Coventry Local Schools.

• To identify current views and perceptions that impact district attitudes.

• To initiate dialogue and involve stakeholders in building a strong and successful school district.

• To help to build a positive relationship with administrative leaders of CLSD.

Conducting the Survey

• A survey link was emailed directly to CEA membership through personal email accounts.

• Members responded to the questions from May 13 through May 19.

• They were assured that the survey was completely anonymous and encouraged to respond honestly.

• Several email reminders were sent out over this time to encourage participation.

• 85 CEA members responded to the survey.

Location of participating members

Our district leaders have a clear vision for the district. They work with the board of education to set the vision, goals and objectives for the district, and

then see to it that the goals are achieved.

Our district leaders are instructional leaders. They know that the most important job of the school district is to make sure students are learning and achieving at high levels. They are knowledgeable of the best practices for maximizing student achievement and

are supportive of teachers in the district.

Our district leaders are effective communicators. They make a concerted effort to communicate the needs and accomplishments of the district in a variety of formats:

through written reports, communication with the media, public meetings and attendance at school events.

Our district leaders are not afraid to take risks or make a commitment. Average leaders might set goals that are either vague or easily achieved but our leaders would not be afraid to boldly set goals, such as "The majority of third graders will be able to read by the end of the school year,"

and then put the programs and resources in place to achieve those goals.

I feel that our current district leaders can lead this district into the future and help us to become the school that our community needs us to be.

Our leaders are flexible. They manage the politics of the job - adapt to new board members, changes in state funding and changes in the school community while not sacrificing the district's

vision. They take a collaborative rather than a confrontational approach.

Our district leaders are good managers. They direct the administrators to accomplish the goals of the district, monitor

their progress and evaluate their performance.

The district leaders are acting responsibly with the assets and resources given to the school district and make good decisions

when allocating funds and managing the district budget.

I feel as though the current leadership in this district is fair while dealing with all staff working within and for the district.

I feel that our current leaders are truthful while dealing with all stakeholders in the Coventry Local School District.

They are good listeners. They listen and take into account differing viewpoints of various constituencies,

and then make the best decision.

Comments and Concerns

The following slides are anonymous comments by current CEA members. Their views, although important and part of our body of members, do not necessarily represent the views of all, or of the governing body.

Happy with dedication to district but don't feel supported with student & parent issues. Too many kids & things are getting forgotten. I feel information may not get relayed or is confusing. I wish leadership could be seen more in the buildings w/o it dealing with OTES. Being seen goes a long way in my opinion.

I feel that our leaders SAY it's all for the children, but do not put their (our) money where their mouths are. When it comes to crunching numbers, they have little regard for class size and how that affects the effective education of our children. We have too many administrative positions (asst. super, director of operations, etc.) which do not have the same direct impact on our students as teachers do. Additionally, almost none of our administrators have spent any time in an elementary classroom and therefore have no idea what impact class size, schedule, facility changes, etc. means when they impose them.

Eliminating teachers after the levy passed should be a last resort. This possibility should have also been discussed with the community who voted for the levy. Misrepresentation to say the least. Eliminating teachers is not in the best interest of the students. Cut the budget somewhere else.

Our district leadership tries to do what is best for the district by putting the students academic achievements first, but sacrifices our teachers in the process. We teach with a bare bones staff and our constantly asked to do more with less resources. I understand why we are losing the trust of the community when we say we will make cuts if the levy doesn't pass, it passes, and the very next day we RIF teachers. We were never told that could be an option! Every year, we wait on pins and needles to see if we are teaching the same thing or moving to a different grade or subject. Can't we be told before the last day of school what our assignment will be for the next year? I love teaching in this district and hope that we can continue to be successful without hurting the teachers in the process.

Jon Hibian should not be an employee while we are cutting educators. He has no academic impact.

I'm concerned at the lack of trust that teachers and some community members have in the district leadership . This was shown in our last levy campaign.

The way all aspects of our district are handled are wrong. I don't believe they have the students best interests in mind in any decision they make. Especially when it comes to moving teachers into different positions every single year. How can teachers be effective when they are never in the same position two years in a row?

I feel that it is unfair to clump all district leaders into the same questions. I feel that it depends on the department and the individual leader as to the effectiveness of the survey. My responses were based on an average of district leaders and no reflective on one person to do that would be unfair to other district leaders who would rate higher.

My concern is that there is a lack of trust between the school leadership and the teachers. Also, it's apparent that there are some trust issues in the community, based on the number of nonsupporters in our last levy. In order for the district to move foreward collaboration among teachers, support staff, board members, administration, and community members must take place.

I did not think it was fair that the "cut list" for possible RIFs was not released before the levy. If my job were to be cut, I would be at a severe disadvantage against my competition searching for teaching jobs in this area, only starting the job search May 6th. I know that tough decisions needed to be made, but the administrators knew these decisions were coming back in January. It was not fair to keep us all guessing; holding our breath waiting for the letters that never came.

I wish our leadership appreciated the staff more and were more truthful when dealing with staff and the community.

I think we need to focus on the same discipline for every student from the first day of school until the last day. When a student is in trouble at the high school it is on their record. Let's teach lessons now instead of moving problems along.

Our building has too many students for one administrator to effectively discipline.

I feel that there are many roadblocks in the lines of communication between the educators and the administrators and board members. I also feel that we are providing a disservice to our students when teachers are constantly shuffled around, never being able to master the content needing to be taught.

I feel that it may be difficult to become an Accompolished teacher when you are moved from grade to grade and from teacher to teacher every year.

I feel that the district leaders do have a vision for the district, however their priorities are skewed. The priorities of our leadership include PUBLIC IMAGE, MONEY, and AWARDS. It is a wonderful thing that we receive grants and awards for certain aspects of our schools and curriculum, but focusing on those areas takes needed attention away from basic necessities that are severely lacking in our district. First and foremost, our teachers are NOT supported. Decisions that are made never take teachers or their opinions into account. We are treated as pawns for this greater "vision" that someone has for the district and are not respected as human beings with jobs, families, and a livelihood to keep. Why do we never have a say in decisions that are made by people in an office about the jobs WE perform in the classroom EVERY DAY? We would be able to provide valuable input about what it takes to do our jobs, yet we are never represented in meetings where these things are decided upon by someone who is not experiencing the situation every single day. We are constantly in a reactionary state where we "hear" about some new change through the grapevine because it wasn't communicated professionally through the right channels. I feel that if someone would finally realize this and make the appropriate changes, our morale would increase so much, which would only benefit our district! Whenever we get an email expressing gratitude from the district leaders, it almost seems superficial- where is this kindness when we are waiting to hear about cuts that we know have been decided upon but no one is communicating with us? Where is this "appreciation" for us when we are in uncomfortable physical conditions in our schools but are treated like whiny students and our needs are brushed to the side? Where is this attitude when we have suggestions and comments on how to IMPROVE our schools (because we do care!) but we are NEVER asked to provide our opinion? We feel lied to and are treated like children. We are professionals who take pride in our work and don't appreciate being chastised or as if we are immature adolescents who need forewarned about their actions. Also, we come into this position because we are licensed professionals that were hired for specific reasons, and we are held accountable for the jobs we perform every year, but we are constantly shuffled around with no respect and no say whatsoever every single year. How can we improve on what we have done or continue to grow in the area of expertise that YOU hired us for? Especially knowing that district and community members ask questions and we are targeted for giving these answers, wouldn't it make sense to be honest with us and help us understand why decisions are made? If the spokesperson of your "business" isn't treated fairly, what kind of image gets spread around? The teachers genuinely want to support or schools and improve our district and would love the opportunity to do so! With a community that isn't completely supportive, at least we would love to be appreciated, recognized, and supported at our jobs. Unfortunately, when these problems are consistent, it creates negativity and sadness year after year. I know that we are professionals and still carry out our responsiblities to the best of our abilities, and even go above and beyond with a smile on our faces because that's what we love to do! I hope that the staff comments provide some insight and we can continue to grow in the right direction.