The Office of Collaborative Implementation announced Tuesday that teachers will have a meaningful opportunity to shape the district’s new instructional plan through a survey released three weeks after the plan was finalized.
The plan has already been approved by the board, announced to families, added to the staff calendar, assigned an implementation team, and purchased under a nonrefundable three-year agreement. Leaders said those details should allow employees to provide feedback without the anxiety of wondering whether it could change anything.
“Teacher voice is essential,” Assistant Superintendent for Professional Listening Marla Bennett said. “We would never ask staff to support a decision without first asking how supported they feel.”
The survey will remain open through Friday at noon. Implementation began Monday.
Every voice will be collected
The 42-question Teacher Voice and Ownership Inventory asks employees to rate the clarity, excitement, alignment, readiness, optimism, and anticipated sustainability of the completed plan.
Teachers may select agree, strongly agree, or I would benefit from additional clarity. A comment box is available for staff who can describe their concern in 250 characters without proposing a different decision.
The district emphasized that the survey is anonymous. Responses will be grouped by building, department, grade level, years of service, role, training attendance, and whether the respondent has previously requested additional clarity.
Employees who do not complete the survey will receive three reminders thanking them for choosing not to participate in the district’s shared ownership process.
Input will shape the rollout
Leaders said the survey can still influence several important parts of implementation, including the order of the frequently asked questions, the color of the training folders, and whether the final slide thanks staff for their flexibility or their partnership.
Questions about the plan itself will be forwarded to the Future Considerations Committee, which is scheduled to meet after the second year of implementation to determine whether the original decision should be discussed before the next renewal.
Bennett said employees should not confuse a closed decision with a closed process. “The destination is settled,” she explained. “But teachers have a real voice in describing how it feels to arrive there.”
Principals have been asked to protect psychological safety by reminding staff that honest feedback is welcome as long as it does not reduce confidence in the launch.
Ownership begins after approval
When the survey closes, each school will receive a Teacher Ownership Score measuring how completely employees recognize the decision as something they helped create.
Buildings below the district benchmark will receive additional voice sessions. During each session, a trained facilitator will present the plan, invite reactions, clarify why the plan cannot change, and ask the group to identify which part now feels most collaborative.
Staff members may also volunteer for the Implementation Advisory Team. The team will advise leaders on barriers, communication, and morale while maintaining the fidelity required to ensure no advice alters the adopted program.
Participation on the team will be listed as evidence of leadership on annual evaluations. Disagreement will be listed as evidence that the employee had an opportunity to be heard.
Leaders promise to close the loop
The district will publish a summary after reviewing the results. The report will identify broad themes, celebrate high participation, and explain which concerns were already addressed by materials distributed before the survey opened.
Individual comments will not receive responses because leaders said doing so could create the impression that the decision remains available for individual discussion.
Mr. Yeser praised the district for separating voice from the unnecessary burden of influence. “Of course,” he said. “People are far more willing to speak honestly when they know nothing they say can create additional work for leadership.”
The survey ends with one required question: I understand that my participation confirms staff were included in the decision-making process.
