NORTHFIELD — A survey distributed to Pioneer Valley Regional School’s faculty shows most feel disrespected by administrators, that communication is lacking and that they have little involvement in affecting changes.
With approval from Pioneer Principal Jean Bacon, Athletic Director Gina Johnson asked faculty to share their concerns, distributing the anonymous survey via email on March 12 to all 88 staff members at Pioneer. She received 41 responses, primarily from the 45 classroom teachers.
The goal, Johnson said, was to make sure “that we’re heard as faculty and staff, and (that) the administration is heard.”
“It had to be done,” Johnson said. “I felt like we were losing who we are.”
To Johnson, Pioneer is about everyone working together to support each and every student. She said the perception of the staff is that that concept has been dismantled by administrators, creating an “us against them” mentality.
The survey included nine questions concerning whether faculty felt supported or respected by administrators, supported by their coworkers, and informed of changes and the process behind them. Other questions considered changes that are benefiting or not benefiting students, and how administration could be improved.
A lack of communication was one of the large themes, with faculty commenting on a “lack of transparency” and the feeling of being “left in the dark to play catch-up.”
“Decisions (are) made for (the) entire faculty with little or no discussion,” one faculty member commented.
“Teachers need to feel they have a real say,” said another.
Multiple respondents felt they didn’t have the opportunity to get to know Bacon or Assistant Principal Jennifer Albert Perry, and that the two were inaccessible.
Though Johnson said faculty communicated to her having one-on-one conversations with Bacon, it wasn’t an effective method to ensure the same messages were communicated schoolwide.
“For the bigger group, it didn’t work well,” Johnson said.
Furthermore, Johnson said department heads were once the go-between, relaying information from administrators to faculty and vice versa. However, Bacon said she’s “working with the teachers’ union to develop an alternative teacher leadership structure that makes more sense, given the downsizing” of staff.
“We don’t need as many head teachers as we currently have,” she said. According to Bacon, Pioneer has 10 head teachers.
Through the survey, faculty advised administrators to communicate big or small changes in advance, leaving time for questions, clarification and comments.
Five faculty members felt respected by administrators. Others said they felt “disposable,” as if their opinions were “easily dismissed.”
“(The) human condition at Pioneer is so sad,” one faculty member said.
“I go home every day and wake up every morning dreading coming to a place I used to love,” said another.
Morale, respondents said, is “at its lowest ebb,” feeling that administrators have “no desire to recognize when things (have) gone well.”
The survey illustrates the pain felt by many staff members.
“This is a rough place to work right now,” Johnson said. “Teachers are trying to be positive and do what’s right for kids … There’s a lot of hurt and a lot of pain.”
In response, Bacon said she is “very saddened and concerned that some people are feeling that (administrators’) respect or support for teachers has been lacking.”
“That is certainly not what is in our hearts or intentions,” she said. “We have a very talented staff who have built tremendous relationships with our students and with each other.”
While some faculty recognized staff cuts as “a necessary evil,” others said the proposed staff reductions are not in the best interest of students. In particular, many said losing Dean of Students Cathy Hawkins-Harrison would be to the school’s detriment.
Increasing class sizes, transitioning to online learning and offering more advanced placement (AP) classes were also lamented, believing AP classes undermine heterogeneity. However, others believed online learning could have its value at Pioneer, and appreciated an emphasis on college and career readiness.
Faculty hoped to “be told ahead of time what positions might be cut” and that administrators would “work with staff being cut to find new jobs.”
Still, the majority of respondents said they felt supported by their coworkers, building “amazing relationships” and “finding strength in one another.”
“It’s because of my colleagues I have been able to get through the most challenging year of my career,” one faculty member said.
Having reviewed the responses, Johnson said she feels faculty “felt like they got to be heard.”
“Some even commented it was very therapeutic for them,” she said. “I think we can all learn something from it, and we will.”
In particular, by working with Albert Perry, Johnson and three other faculty members, Bacon has developed four strategies in hopes of improving the school atmosphere.
Bacon said she and Albert Perry plan to: conduct short, informal visits to classes to get to know the teachers better; be more proactive and timely about sharing information via emails and faculty’s Panther Gram newsletter; develop alternative methods for gathering faculty input such as discussion boards and surveys; and continue to hold collaborative faculty working groups.
You can reach Shelby Ashline at: sashline@recorder.com
413-772-0261, ext. 257