Board Meeting Summary for November 12, 2024
- November 21st, 2024
Study Session Reading of Strategic Plan Vision, Mission, Values, and Priorities:00:59 Board...
At the board meeting on Wednesday, February 22, representatives from Y2 Analytics presented to the school board. They shared the results of a scientific survey completed to inform the school board as they run the process of hiring a new superintendent. The presentation is included in this post for anyone interested to view.
Nearly half of residents say they “don’t know” enough to say whether the District is headed in the right or wrong direction, indicating opportunity for greater public outreach and communication. Among those who do express an opinion, the majority say the District is headed in the right direction. This is true for District staff as well. When asked about the most important issues facing the district, respondents cite lack of teachers, teacher training and pay, and quality of education.”
Among District staff, just over half (56%) say the district is doing good or better at achieving its vision. Residents are less likely to say the same, with 35% rating the district’s performance as good or excellent. A significant proportion (18%) of residents indicate that they do not know enough about the District to make an evaluation.
The majority of respondents (57%) select teacher and staff compensation as one of their top three concerns, followed by student preparation for future success. Compared to staff, residents are slightly less likely to select compensation as a top concern.
Of the district values posed to respondents, student growth and development, student academic achievement, and teacher support are ranked among the top three priorities by at least 2 in 3 of respondents each.
Respondents say the district is performing average or better on its values, with the highest marks given to student academic achievement (48% good or excellent). The value with the poorest performance rating is teacher support (31% good or excellent), followed by transparency, and parental involvement.
Residents are far more likely than district staff to say they “don’t know” how the District is performing on these values. Parental involvement, student growth and development, student academic achievement are rated lower by residents in Provo HS boundaries. Residents in Timpview HS boundaries are more likely to give below-average ratings for transparency.
When asked to select which qualities they think are important for the superintendent to have, the vast majority of respondents –both among residents and staff— select moral character. Leadership and communication skills and respecting different points of view are also selected as important qualities.
Residents in Provo HS boundaries are more likely to prioritize qualities such as moral character (27%), understanding the community (16%), and sharing their values (12%) as most important while those in Timpview HS boundaries are more likely to say that using evidence-based methods (16%) is most important.
Nearly all survey respondents consider it very important for the superintendent to stay informed about the issues facing teachers and staff and working with them to improve student success. Improving student success is selected as the most important quality by over 1 in 3 respondents.
When asked about the qualities they consider to be most important, both residents and staff select working with teachers to ensure student success as their top priority. As a secondary priority, staff are significantly more likely than residents to say that staying informed on teacher needs is most important to them and residents are more likely to prioritize student achievement.
Residents in Provo HS boundaries are more likely to identify working with teachers to improve student success as a top priority. (44%) Those in Timpview HS boundaries are more likely to prioritize accepting criticism and feedback (16%) and having equal consideration for all schools (12%).
When asked about qualities they would like to see in superintendent-staff relations, many staff request that the superintendent visibly and regularly interact with teachers. Along with a desire for more frequent interactions, staff mentioned a need for leadership, respect, empathy, collaboration, and communication.
Nearly all respondents say receiving updates on the hiring process is at least somewhat important, but staff are more likely to say it’s very important to them. Email is the most preferred source of information, both for staff and residents. In addition to email, staff express interest in receiving updates via the district website and newsletter.
When asked about qualities they would like to see in superintendent-community interactions, respondents cite transparency, honesty, as well as visibility and accessibility to the community. In addition, respondents cite the need for a superintendent who listens and makes decisions in the best interest of the students.
When asked about priorities for interacting with the community, respondents are most likely to select answers relating to transparency as being “very important.” In addition, transparency about the district’s decision-making process is selected as the most important quality by nearly 40% of respondents. Other common responses include transparency about district finances and regular communication form the district.
When asked about the qualities they consider to be most important, staff are significantly more likely than residents to say that transparency in the district’s decision-making process and regular updates from the district are most important to them. By comparison, residents are more likely to prioritize transparency about finances and collaboration with parents.
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