UPDATED: Framingham High Staff Cite Morale Issues and Lack of Administrative Vision in Survey

Framingham High School staff cited morale issues and lack of administrative vision in an end-of-the year survey.

School staff also said better communication and more transparency is needed at Framingham High.

In fairness, only 86 out of 200 staff members participated in the survey, which was given to staff by Principal Elyse Torbert in June.

Results were distributed to staff.

Anonymous copies of the results, along with answers to open-ended questions, were mailed to Framingham Patch.

Staff was asked do you feel the Framingham High administrative team functions as an effective, cohesive unit?

• 50.7% said yes
• 29.3% said not sure
• 20% said no

When asked do you feel the administrative team has a larger vision for the direction of the high school? The results were:

• 39.5% said yes
• 24.4% said no
• 36% said not sure

But the more telling answers on how staff feel came from the open response answers questions, including what makes being a teacher difficult for you at Framingham High?

Responses included:

• “Quite honestly, for the first time since I have worked here, the environment feels toxic.”
• “Distrust of administrative team”
• “Lack of transparency”
• “Something needs to be done to change the toxic atmosphere where teachers feel everyone is out to get them, and that they constantly need to what their backs. It is not an atmosphere where teachers are inspired to do their best.”
  
• “Feedback is minimal, lack of communication about things going on around the building (such as police presence, etc)“
• Great disparity in professional expectations within the school. A lack of opportunity to grow ...”
• Central office hamstrings the effectiveness of the best school in the district by placing uninformed initiatives and mandates on our laps without proper support.”
  
• “Lack of consistency among the vice principals”
• Some VPs have become too comfortable in their positions. They should re-apply for their jobs like department heads.”
• “I would like to see more consistency between departments. I know FHS is a big school, but sometimes when I talk to teachers of other departments I feel like we teacher in totally different schools with completely different sets of priorities. Different departments also seem to have incredible different cultures and climates. I am happy to be a part of a department with a positive culture, but I would definitely like to see the culture improve in other departments where I have experienced negativity, anger, frustrations, etc.”
  
• “Lack of transparency and follow through from administration outside of FHS”
• “The admin team has ruined the culture and reputation of this school.”
• “I do not find the staff environment to be very welcoming as there is a lot of rumor spreading and the environment tends to be very cliquey.”
• “Inconsistent, poor leadership from central office.”
• “Inconsistent department leadership.”
• “I feel unsafe, lied to and unprotected.”
• “I would like to see my department head treat everyone in the department equally. It seems to me that my department head treats different types of teachers differently based on his/her relationship with a teacher on a personal level.”
  
• “More transparency in decision-making would build more trust between administration and faculty.”
  
• “I wish the teacher’s union wasn’t such a whiny, negative force in the school.”
• “Faculty meetings are usually lectures.”
• “Expectations are inconsistent between levels, teachers, and departments.”
• “Some departments are cliques.”
  
• “Lack of support of building and central administration. Also ‘foot-dragging’ on issues and initiatives for change.”
• “Communications between teachers, DH, guidance and administration. This work environment lacks the growth mind set model.”
  
• “New administration. Some VPs have become too comfortable in their positions. They should re-apply for their jobs like Department heads.”
• “Poor communication”
• “Different classroom and hallway expectations and consequences for students with different administrators.”
  
• “Morale. There were many staff who were afraid to speak up because they don’t feel supported and think that there is too much favoritism.”
• “I feel very little trust for the administration team. As people, I like all of them. However after seeing the way Goldberg was treated this year and subsequently how all of the members of the administration treated each other and others, I have very little trust in them as leaders to allow people to make mistakes in an effort to learn and grow.”

After a decade with Framingham High Principal Michael Welch leading the school, a new principal was named for the 2014-15 school year, when Welch left to become the Superintendent of Schools in Dedham.

Superintendent of Schools Stacy Scott selected Adam Goldberg as principal after a search and he started in July 2014. He had surgery in the fall, took a leave of absence in winter, and resigned as principal in March 2015.

The second finalist for the principal post then Framingham High Vice Principal Elyse Torbert was named Associate Principal in the summer of 2014 and appointed by Scott interim principal in January 2015. Scott later named her principal for the 2015-16 school year.

The survey was administered to staff after Goldberg resigned, and while Torbert was interim principal.

Teachers and staff also mentioned educational issues, beyond administrative issues, that could be improved at the high school, in the open-response section of the survey.

Responses included:

• “Lack of access to technology (printer, ipads, etc)”
• “Constant focus on evaluation and standardization, less on student learning and teacher development.”
• “Heavy workload”
• “Frozen budgets impacting supplies for student use.”
  
• “More collaboration between departments”
• “Unreliable Internet”
• “Chrome books additions are great but technology does not often work in the afternoon due to wi-fi issues.”
• “I would love to see more interaction and collaboration interdepartmentally as well as with the middle schools.”
• “Not having supplies needed for labs in time”
• “Not enough planning time”
• “Unreliable Internet, unreliable copiers, unreliable projector bulb, lack of available printers”
• “There is a huge gap in expectations between middle school and high school.”
• “Technology here is embarrassing.”
• “At times the focus of my attention is one clerical or administrative requirements and not on lesson planning.”
  

Staff, via the survey, also identified issues with several programs at the high school including Phoenix, Resiliency for Life, ADC, ESL and special education.

• “ADC needs to be looked at and reorganized”
• “The idea of ADC is an excellent one, but it needs to be restructured.”
• “I would like more accountability of Phoenix students in and out of the classroom.”
• “Phoenix program needs work and the expectations need to be higher.”
• “There needs to be more support in place for the ESL students so that they feel a part of the community and have access to the same opportunities for other students.”
• “The Phoenix program needs to be overhauled. It is currently an inconsistent program that enables students to underachieve rather than providing them with structure and consistent high expectations.”
• “Special education teachers are overwhelmed and not treated respectfully.”
• As a teacher of special education, I feel like a second cousin, people know I am around but nobody cares.”

The staff survey also asked questions specifically about Principal Torbert, the school’s four vice principals, and the athletic department, but the results of those answers were not shared with staff.

Questions included:

Does the vice principal employ a non-confrontational approach for responding respectfully and appropriately with faculty and staff? (Editor’s note: The same questions were asked of all four vice principals by name.)

Does the principal provide useful feedback?

Has the principal walked through your classroom?

Has the principal led school-wide initiatives to improve best practices?

Does the vice principal work hard to address school issues?

Does the vice principal address academic issues by communicating with teachers, counselors and families?

Do you feel coaches are appropriately selected and trained?

Do you feel the athletic administration values academics over athletics?

***

UPDATED: Originally publish on July 16. Updated for the Friday 6 a.m. newsletter. Updated graph on Goldberg’s employment with Framingham High on July 17.