Click HERE to view the original Document – Exit Interview #3
_________ was asked a series of questions from why she Is leaving the district to the adequacy of training to finally any improvements we could make. __________ has been with the district since September 28, 1998 and requested the opportunity to share some thoughts with me.
__________ primary reason for leaving the district is the pursuit of a new career. She will be assisting her fiance with running their business, Although she was leaving the district to pursue other interests, she did also comment that she does not like some of the things going on in the district. These things Included the amount of time teachers are out of their classrooms participating in curriculum, safety, development, etc. She commented that the amount of time out of the classroom realty hurts the students. She also commented that for what the special education aides are expected to do, they are under-compensated. She also was not happy about the recent notice regarding WGSD pulling out of the consortium.
When asked if she had shared these comments with anyone in the school district prior to leaving, she shocked me with a “Are you kidding!” I asked her if she could explain that comment because It caught me off guard, “You can’t share because the environment here Is [one that] if you don’t agree with the people above, your job is on the line.” She followed that up with several instances where she felt the administration does not really value Its employees. However, she did comment that she felt Chris Multhauf had been supportive. She thought that receiving acknowledgement of her birthday was just something little that made a difference to her.
__________ most satisfying aspect of the job was working with the students, The least satisfying was getting burnedout with that specific group of students because she knows “she can’t fix them”. Again she felt unappreciated by the administration and board (citing not recognizing days she had banked when she could have used them over the years and being looked at as less Important than teachers even though par of her job was to reteach concepts to the students). She really wished the board could walk in her shoes for a day before they made decisions or comments. __________ also felt that with the caseload at Evergreen, they were a bit understaffed. If she needed help, others were always busy with other students and therefore no one would be able to assist should help be needed.
In regards to changes that she thought could be made to her position, she said other training would be helpful, The training she alluded to was an understanding of specific types of diagnoses. For example, spending some inservice time talking to the aides about the different diagnoses they will encounter so they have a better understanding of the students they are working with. She also expressed that training during inservice is important but it has to be quality training. She also felt that discussing the students and their new plans would be ideal for the aides to understand what the students needed.
To create a better workplace, _________ focused on the morale in the district. She noted that the morale Is low from the teaching staff and the support staff. She stated that simple things that used to be fun and educational are now pulled leaving the students with nothing to look forward to and enjoy. In the question about feedback for the district, __________ noted that when she moved to Waterford it was on a recommendation from a teacher in the district. This teacher stated that this Is the best district with the best administration looking out for the best interest of the students. Now she feels it is no longer about the students. Now It is about testing and other things like pulling out of the consortium only hurt the students. Additionally she feels that those feelings of the district have spread to other communities. She stated she has friends in other communities and whenever she says she works at WGSD, they comment “You work for them?”
While __________ expressed some recent concerns from her standpoint, it was clear that she has enjoyed working with the staff and students at WGSD In general over her 15 years of service to the district.