CCSD gives update on culture, climate study

Consulting group conducts onsite visit

Work is underway on a study looking into the Clark County School District’s culture and climate, with a draft report on the findings expected in May.

Employees have raised concerns during School Board meetings about working conditions, including workload and school violence. Some have said educators don’t feel comfortable voicing their concerns due to a culture of retaliation in the district.

In late January, the board approved a $274,310 purchasing award to Public Consulting Group for the study. School Board President Evelyn Garcia Morales provided an information-only update Thursday.

“We knew that it was going to take several months because the interview process and the aggregation of data was going to take some time, but we wanted to be informed,” Garcia Morales said.

In February, the consulting group interviewed Superintendent Jesus Jara and 11 members of the executive cabinet, in addition to observing and conducting a focus group with a student advisory committee.

This week, the consulting group conducted an onsite visit that included about 13 individual interviews and 28 focus groups. It also observed Thursday’s School Board meeting.

It plans to conduct a follow-up interview with Jara and hold approximately 10 remaining focus groups between March 20-30 through video conferencing.

An all-staff online survey launched March 1 and remains open until March 24.

Garcia Morales said Thursday that the survey had a 12 percent response rate within 24 hours of it opening.

Trustee Lisa Guzmán praised the survey and said the questions were probing.

“I felt that they were asking for what truly was occurring and even asked me about my schools, which I thought was really great,” she said.

The consulting group will also review publicly available school district information such as demographics, the strategic plan and School Board meetings.

“Culture and climate begin with us as an organization, as a unit in leadership,” Garcia Morales said Thursday.

Rachel Aston Las Vegas Review-journal @rookie__rae Irene Bustamante Adams, school board trustee for District F, addresses attendees in January, the same month a study on working conditions was ordered. The board received an update on the study Thursday.