Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Student morale and satisfaction have improved significantly across Suffolk Public Schools this year, but parental confidence has dipped, according to new climate survey results presented to the School Board on June 12.

Every group surveyed, except for parents, had significant increases compared to last year’s results. Almost every area identified last year as needing improvement increased this year, including morale, respect, discipline, and safety.

Student respect for each other and teachers is one of the main areas to continue improving. Board members called on parents and guardians to help in that area.

They also encouraged parents to become more involved in the schools, and to talk to their children about what they’re experiencing, because the student and parent responses don’t match. 

Parent results

Although parent responses were the only ones that had more decreases than increases this year, the overall percentage of positive feelings is about 82%. Out of 31 statements, six increased, 17 decreased, and seven remained flat since last year. Of those decreases, six decreased by at least 2%.

The largest decrease was in schools sharing information about school improvement initiatives, which dropped 5% from 2024. Superintendent Dr. John B. Gordon III highlighted this as an area needing improvement for next year.

During the work session presentation, Gordon said this has been a focus for Anthonette Dickens, SPS communication and community engagement officer.

“You’re going to see a change in that, especially as our new website gets underway,” he said.

Gordon also highlighted schools providing extra academic help as another area for improvement. This dropped from 84% agreement in 2024 to 81% in 2025. 

“It’s not bad,” Gordon said, “but it is a 3% decrease. And I want you all to understand that extra academic help is not Saturday academy, it’s not tutoring. Sometimes it’s being able to provide something that’s a little different for the kid’s curiosity. Sometimes it’s taking a little bit longer for our kids to be able to understand some things and supports. So we have to do a better job explaining to the parents the process.”

All areas that improved since last year went up 1%, except for the statement, “My child feels safe at school.” This area has seen a steady increase over the past few years, going from 83% in 2024 to 85% this year. Gordon said they will continue to focus on this area to sustain the yearly increase.

Other areas of growth Gordon highlighted were transportation, cafeteria improvements, and making sure students are making adequate progress throughout the year.

Parental satisfaction with bus transportation has remained flat at 66% since 2023, which Gordon said “is not good enough.” He added the biggest concern from parents on the climate survey is buses being late. 

“One of the things that we’re trying to look at is making sure that we are more vocal when it comes to what the expectations are, but also making sure that people can see the action at work,” Gordon said.

Gordon mentioned there are current recruitment bonuses for bus drivers, but they are looking for more ways to incentivize them. 

71% of parent responses agreed the cafeteria meets their expectations, a decrease from 73% last year. 

Gordon said changes are being made in the Food and Nutritional Services organizational structure to help improve this. He stressed it isn’t just about how the food tastes, but also about how it looks, so some changes to presentation are being made as well.

82% of parent responses agreed that the school helps their child make adequate progress over the course of the year. This is a decrease from 85% last year. In elementary school specifically, Gordon highlighted a decrease of 5% since 2024. 

After speaking to a parent who is also a staff member, Gordon said, “it’s about the kids that are struggling.”

“We have great options when it comes to before and after school tutoring … but what about the daily supports that are happening in the classroom?” he said.

With parent responses having the most decreases out of all surveyed groups, School Board Chair Heather Howell said she welcomes parent feedback, but recommends parents start by becoming volunteers, attend PTA meetings, and join citizen advisory committees.

Board member Kimberly Slingluff encouraged parents to talk with their kids and find out how school is going.

“Some of the responses from the parents don’t collaborate with responses from the kids,” she said. “So I wonder if the parents are talking to their kids to actually hear what’s happening or if they’re just assuming something.”    

Student results

Compared to last year, student perceptions have increased. Out of 44 areas, nine remained the same, two decreased, and 33 increased. Of those increases, 23 areas improved by at least 2%.

“Our kids have grown tremendously when it comes to this climate survey,” Gordon said during the presentation.

90% of students agreed they are provided with the things needed to learn.

“That is where we can prove that the money is going where it’s supposed to go,” Gordon said. “Because our kids have what they need to learn.”

Gordon highlighted some areas that have improved since last year, but will remain a focus: teachers and students caring about each other, students treating teachers with respect, students treating each other with respect, and students feeling they can provide input about school-related activities.

The biggest areas of improvement are those regarding students’ respect for each other and teachers, which have increased 5% since last year. 66% of students agree teachers and students care about each other. 51% agree students treat teachers with respect. 42% agree students treat each other with respect.

“We’re really trying to reinforce this culture of love here in Suffolk Public Schools,” Gordon said. “What we’re trying to get our kids to understand is to develop empathy at a much earlier age.”

Howell urged parents to help raise that level of respect, stating, “that’s an at-home beginning issue.” 

“When we see low numbers regarding how children respect each other and their teachers, we are desperate for your partnership with that,” she said. “My parents taught me how to treat other people. I didn’t learn that starting in kindergarten, my parents taught that to me.”

68% of students agree their school allows students to provide input about school-related issues. This is a 4% increase from last year. Gordon highlighted this area specifically in regards to middle schoolers providing input about school activities, which is at 71%, an increase of 10%.

Other notable student increases highlighted as improvement areas last year are students feeling safe at school (66% this year, up 3% from last year), students feeling the school is attractive and kept clean (both increased 2% from last year), and satisfaction with the cafeteria (up 2% from last year).

The two areas that decreased are teachers expecting all students to work hard and do their best (down to 88% from 89%), and that students know what behavior is expected of them (down to 94% from 95%). 

Instructional staff results

Instructional staff have an overall average agreement of 80%. All areas increased except for one. All increases, except for two, were by at least 2%.

The only area that decreased was, “Beyond regularly scheduled parent conferences and report cards, teachers communicate with parents about their child’s progress.” It decreased from 95% to 94%.

The largest increase was about morale. 60% of instructional staff said it’s improved, which is a 12% increase since last year. 

Other notable increases include school spirit and pride being promoted (an increase to 84% from 76%), and feeling that the administration holds themselves accountable for learning (an increase to 79% from 72%) — which Gordon said he’s the most proud of.

“I think it eliminates some of the negative perceptions that we talked about,” he said. “The administration holds themselves accountable for learning, eight out of 10, 7% increase.”

All staff results

The all staff results are the highest, with about an 83% average agreement. All 19 areas improved by at least 2%, except for one that remained flat.

The largest increase from 2024 to this year was 6%, and occurred in two areas: “At my school/work site, staff collaborate and consider different approaches for resolving issues” increased from 79% to 85%, and  “At my school/work site, concerns are resolved in a timely manner” increased from 69% to 75%. 

Out of over 2,000 SPS employees, Gordon said less than 50 were not eligible to resign their contracts, which he said is “outstanding.”  

The area that remained flat is about the school division having high expectations for all staff. This remained at 86% for 2024 and 2025. 

93% of all staff responses say individual differences such as gender, race, and educational background are respected, which is the highest among all the areas. 

Plan of action

At the end of the presentation, Gordon provided the School Board with a list of 10 tips to keep improving the climate survey results across all groups.

Some of the tips include: revising the professional learning plan for those who want to develop leadership skills, resolving concerns more efficiently, determining how to resolve transportation issues including the use of artificial intelligence, re-visit cafeteria menu options and presentation, emphasise communication about the discipline process, review staff activities to increase morale, continued review of how to protect instructional time, strategic use of instructional supports to further assist students, and a continued audit of division-wide safety protocols and procedures for fidelity.