MSAD 51 presents stakeholder survey: high satisfaction on safety and staff morale, areas to monitor

MSAD 51 district staff presented results from the most recent stakeholder survey, reporting responses from roughly 2,425 participants (students in grades 3–12, staff, parents and guardians) and an overall pattern of improvement in many areas compared with the prior year. The presentation highlighted results that met the district’s 80% satisfaction threshold, areas that dipped below that threshold and items flagged for monitoring and action at school levels.

Key figures cited by the presenter: 2,425 survey responses (about 45% of stakeholders in the surveyed grades/categories); in grades 3–5, several items rose above the 80% threshold (for example, students reporting they feel safe at school rose to 90%); staff responses increased markedly on some measures (e.g., staff pride in working for MSAD 51 rose to about 95%, and confidence in meeting advanced students’ needs rose to 89%). Areas below the 80% goal included student perceptions that teachers give feedback on how they are doing and student choice about learning; among parents and guardians, bus safety and after-school opportunities were identified as lower-scoring items.

District staff said the survey is intended to inform site-improvement planning and was used to identify strategic priorities such as staff recruitment and retention, student belonging and bus safety. The presenter noted the full district-level results will be posted on the district website and that staff at each school will use school-level survey data to guide local improvements.

The board took questions about how questions were numbered and whether parents could provide more qualitative comment fields; staff indicated a link and newsletter post would provide access to full district results and suggested exploring additional ways for parents and students to engage with and discuss survey findings at the school level.