Most district staffers are content with work environments and
bosses
Gilroy – The results of a district-wide survey revealed that most employees are content with their work environment and immediate supervisors but when it comes to salaries, benefits and communication the satisfaction level drops drastically.
For the most part, the 445 employees who completed Gilroy Unified School District’s December survey answered the majority of the questions with “satisfied or very satisfied.” A total of 88 percent said they were happy with the learning environment and said their school sites were safe places to work. A total of 77 percent said their school sites were well-kept and clean.
But when asked if their benefit coverage was fair, only 47 percent of all district employees were satisfied. When asked if their pay was fair compared to those in other school districts that number dropped to 31 percent.
Percentages were higher when employees were asked about the effectiveness of Superintendent Edwin Diaz. A total of 80 percent said they were satisfied with Diaz’s leadership.
After the results were released at last week’s school board meeting, Trustee Rhoda Bress said she was particularly concerned to see that only 60 percent of respondents said the GUSD board is leading the district effectively.
Because a large percentage of those respondents checked the “don’t know” box, Bress said its evident the board needs to improve their communication with the community.
During the two-week period allotted for the survey, employees were able to access it online or pick up a written copy. Computer labs were open at two sites for staffers who needed assistance completing the questionnaire.
Although every school site was represented, with more than 80 percent participation South Valley Middle School definitely tipped the scale. Eliot Elementary came in at a close second with 70 percent participation while Rucker Elementary School brought up the rear with only 20 percent participation.
Also, the majority or 58 percent of the responses were filled out by teachers and other certificated staff while the remaining 36 percent came from the classified department, which includes non-certificated employees such as janitors and school bus drivers.
Staffers answered a variety of questions ranging from cleanliness and safety of school sites to salary and benefit fairness. The survey was the district’s first all-staff questionnaire.
