April 5,2012
opinion 3
Empioyee climate survey determines
that most GCS employees are happy
BY LINDSEY STADLER
Reporter
Guilford County Schools has
designed a Strategic Plan for
2012 that includes several ob
jectives and strategies the dis
trict plans on meeting in order
to create a more welcoming en
vironment for all of its employ
ees: students, teachers, parents,
volunteers, business partners,
and other employees within the
schools. To ensure everyone
feels valued in his workplace, all
GCS employees were encour
aged to participate in the first
district-wide employee climate
survey back in November. The
survey was anonymous and
will be conducted annually.
Created so the districts di
verse group of employees
would provide their indi
vidual responses, the survey
included data based upon a set
of carefully constructed ques
tions. A committee of GCS em
ployees, along with K-12 in
sight survey researchers,
wrote the 25 questions, which
included 22 close-ended ques
tions, two open-ended ques
tions, and one multiple-part
demographic question.
Through email, 10,351 full
and part-time GCS employees
were to complete the question
naire between November 1-
December 2. Printed copies of
the survey were also avail
able at each central office lo
cation for employees without
access to a computer at
work. A total of only 3,328
out of the 10,351 given the
survey completed it, for a
31% participation rate.
The majority of the racial
demographics of the survey
participants came from Cau
casians at 66.32%, followed by
African Americans at 22.72%,
and individuals who did not
indicate a race at 5.89%; other
racial groups participating in
this survey included Asians,
Hispanics or" Latinos, Ameri
can Indians, o Alaskan Na
tives, Native Hawaiians, or
other Pacific Islanders, and
multi-racial. Gender demo
graphics were 80.11% female
and 16.02% male, and 3.88%
did not indicate a gender. Job
roles of survey participants
were mostly elementary-li
censed and high school-li
censed employees.
When asked to share what
they believed needs to be im
proved in the GCS system in
25 words, most answers gen
erally included the following:
increased pay, better profes
sional development opportu
nities, better school adminis
tration, and more technology
for instructional use. While
those were the general re
sponses, they differed within
the individual employee
groups. Central Office adminis
trators mostly wanted more
staff development opportuni
ties, an increase in communica
tion between departments, in
creased pay, and improved pay
between classified and licensed
positions. Central Office Em
ployees wanted increased pay/
pay raises, increased profes
sional development, and pro
motion opportunities for clas
sified employees.
Many of the Central Office
employees also expressed dis-
sahsfaction with senior leader
ship because of too many senior
level positions, problems caused
by site-based management, and
the increased need for account
ability. This department also de
sired increased communication
and collaboration between de
partments as well as between
parents and schools, and greater
input from the staff in the deci
sion-making process.
According to the survey re
sults, elementary-based,
licensed employees have is
sues with the excessive paper
work and mandatory meet
ings because they take energy
away from their teaching-.
Another major issue is the pay
being too low for the time and
effort that good teaching re
quires, as well as the lack of
time provided for lesson
preparations. Middle school-
based, licensed employees also
have concerns with the lack
of students' accountability for
their disrespectful/disruptive
behavior. The high school-
based, licensed employees are
mostly disenchanted with the
size of their classes and the
need for more teachers.
Thank you Mr. Courts for hosting the first ever
GLAM V. Man Up Quiz Bowl! Congratulations
to the GLAM women for winning Round One.
GLAM VIPS ^
Keisha Whitney
Rashaunda Stimpson
Man Up VIP
Kassra Homaifer
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