A climate survey conducted by a teachers’ union revealed that nearly 100% of teachers in Norwich feared retaliation if they spoke up about workplace issues.
Norwich teachers, backed by the Connecticut Education Association, are raising concerns about the school district's leadership.
The CEA shared results from a Norwich Teachers League climate survey that was conducted this year. The survey revealed several concerns among teachers, including about 96% of respondents who said they are fearful of retaliation if they speak up about workplace issues.
"What you have in there is a story about a district that has poor leadership, quite frankly. You have an administrator who doesn't communicate effectively. They have not built up their staff by respecting their expertise - that is reflected in this survey," said Kate Dias, president of the Connecticut Education Association. "The problem in this district is so significant that it is going to require a large-scale response."
Dias also raised concerns with teacher retention in Norwich, citing 160 teachers who left the district last year.
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"That is more than half of the population. That is extraordinary," Dias said. “It is people fleeing a district and should be really disturbing and alerting to the administration of the district, not just the people who are working in the district."
Dr. Kristen Stringfellow, Norwich's superintendent, said that several teachers who resigned previously have recently applied and have been rehired in Norwich.
In an email to NBC Connecticut, Stringfellow said that she was "wholly unaware" of the matter with the CEA.
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"I respect, trust and admire our teachers," Stringfellow wrote in the email. "If there is something that I am doing or that someone is perceiving that I am doing to make anyone feel uncomfortable, there is no way for me to rectify it without knowledge of what it is."
She laid out plans that she would like to implement in the fall including reinforcing and publicizing an open-door policy for teachers, organizing regular listening sessions to hear feedback from teachers and establishing a teacher climate advisory committee.
"I am open to any other ideas of feedback on how I can support our teachers and staff," Stringfellow said.
Dias said that the CEA would support those measures and encourage educators to cautiously participate, "but knowing that their first and foremost fear is retaliation and that they don't trust her to protect them, she is going to have more work than listening tours."
Last month, after reviewing the survey results from the Norwich Teachers League and receiving other complaints, the Norwich Board of Education voted to hire an outside climate and culture consultant for the school district.
NBC Connecticut requested information on the status of the board's search for an outside consultant but did not hear back at the time this article was published.
The school district declined our request to see the superintendent's most recent evaluation because they said it is a preliminary draft.
The CEA plans to host continued meetings with elected officials regarding their concerns. Dias said she supports the Norwich board's decision to hire an outside consultant.
"But I do think that we are expecting the district to not drag their heels on this," Dias said. "We are expecting this board of education to expedite this process and get to a point of resolution quickly."
