Survey creates more questions

By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer

A survey of Carbon County School District 1 teachers turned up as many questions as it did answers at the district’s School Board meeting last week.

The district’s second survey of instructors asked questions that allowed Duane DeWald to gauge teachers’ perceptions of the quality of their life, but requires further research to better determine its accuracy.

When DeWald pointed out that 80 percent of teachers believe they have adequate communication with student’s parents, Associate Superintendent Neil Terhune asked, “Is it possible that they think they do and they don’t?”

The issue of perception versus reality was evident in questions about feeling overworked, underpaid and well trained. According to DeWald’s presentation, the majority of the district’s teachers felt less overworked than the national average, but felt underpaid and less equipped through training than the rest of the nation.

Some results were clear. District teachers felt that support from and communication with their colleagues was lacking.

However, teachers overwhelmingly said communication with parents and principals was good and that the principals provide adequate direction, are accessible, ask for suggestions and treat the teachers with respect.

“Our goal is to see the whole picture,” DeWald said as he flipped through his Power Point presentation. It showed pictures within pictures, illustrating his goal to expand the data collection. “The data these teachers gave us should help our students be more successful each and every day,” he said.