This is the third piece in a Q&A series running each week up to the election to give Bristol’s eight candidates for school committee a chance to answer a few pressing questions to help inform voters and provide insight into each candidate. Each was given a 125-word limit for answers.

Answers are direct quotes from candidates, printed in the order received, with edits only for spelling or grammar.

This week’s question focuses on school morale, and how it might be improved. Recent data from the state’s annual “Survey Works” questionnaire has shown a nearly universal, district-wide decrease in the opinions of students (particularly at the 6-12 grade levels) regarding their school environment. Teachers, too, have shown in the data a decrease in various areas surveyed related to their satisfaction with the schools, such as the amount of input they feel they have. Those data can be viewed in full on the RIDE website.

The question:
"Recent data from the state's Survey Works questionnaire has shown a sharp decrease in school morale among both students and teachers, which is universal among grade levels and among the various schools. What factors do you think have contributed to this, and what ways, if any, could the school committee contribute towards increasing morale within our schools?"

Brian Bradshaw
To increase morale, our schools must be places students and teachers want to be every day. We need to establish a culture and climate within the classrooms and within the buildings that is safe and respectful. Our curriculum needs to generate critical thinking, be exciting and engaging and we should embrace innovation in our physical spaces. We also need to negotiate in good faith with BWEA on their next teacher contract.

Niche.com compiled a listing of the best places to teach in Rhode Island and BWRSD ranked #27 behind Cranston and just ahead of Newport. Why? When teachers and students are excited in the classroom, morale and performance will improve. Our teachers and our students are exceptional, let’s give them the tools to succeed.

Carly Reich
This is a manifestation of instability in the district and instability of the world and culture at large. One of those factors we can change and are in the process of addressing, and that's district leadership. School Committee leadership contributed to poor morale by choosing to ignore the voices of those they were tasked with leading our staff and students. Their decisions are out of touch with the actual needs of our community, which are visibility and unflinching representation. From voting against contractors of color to the refusal to honor Rosh Hashanah, to rampant financial micromanagement, we need turnover of Chair and Vice Chair. This can be done if we elect SC members who actually listen to and honor what staff and students need, more fearless advocates who can hold multiple points of view.

Jessica Almeida
I reviewed some of the questions within the survey that were answered by 6th-12th graders in our district, the results were not shocking but confirmation that change is needed. Example, “How much respect do students in your school show each other?” 75% of the students who answered this question answered between “no respect at all” to “some respect”.

Negativity can spread like a virus in schools. I would suggest removing all types of distractions that’s not directly related to core academics during the school day, keep the door open for constructive discussions and respect ALL opinions. Educators should continue to be a model of optimism, professionalism, and openness. Clear expectations and discipline need to be enforced to guide the students back on track (mentally and academically).

William O’Dell
Unfortunately, low morale has become the air we breathe in a post-Covid world. The school district isn't alone. For example, 42% of those who attended church before Covid say they feel no necessity to return. Long standing institutions find themselves needing to reclaim a relevance they once assumed. The importance of GOING to school is being haunted by the ghost of distance learning. Appropriate subject matter is drowning in a whirlpool of controversy.

The district needs a reset. It needs to rediscover its educational mission, re-examine its goals, determine what it should and shouldn't be doing. Students and teachers should be jazzed about education. It should be worth the effort. Success is the greatest cure for the apathy that low morale produces.

Richard Ruggiero
The decrease in morale, I believe, was caused by the pandemic and schools being locked down for such a long duration. Virtual learning hurt every student, educationally and emotionally. For teachers and students to feel good about themselves, there has to be personal contact every day. It is imperative for schools to remain open. Students learn better interacting with teachers, and teachers thrive when students are present in classrooms.

Morale will improve now that students are in their classes with teachers, and the school committee must make good decisions when it comes to keeping schools open. The safety of everyone is important, but we must ensure decisions are based on science, and that we balance health risks with educational needs before we shut down schools.

Tony Morettini
We have, collectively, just come through some of the most upsetting, and disorienting, years most of us have ever experienced. This societal upset, of course, is reflected in our school community, causing morale to suffer. The key to raising it is, first, to listen to our kids and teachers. The whole classroom has been impacted. The process of lifting morale must start there. Creating a climate of trust and understanding, supported by robust mental health resources for the entire school community, is necessary. The start of a new year is always time for optimism, and we have a Strategic Plan that focuses on school climate and culture. We must create an approach to rebuild morale that begins with the classroom, ensuring we have the resources to succeed.

Adam McGovern
I think the affects of the recent global pandemic have put a significant strain on everyone. In addition to our teachers and students, our parents and administrators feel challenged as well. Improving morale across the district starts at the top, it starts with the school committee. Attendance at school committee meetings is minimal. When the meetings are well attended, typically everyone is angry and they are holding signs. I would like to explore ways that we can engage parents, students and the community in a positive way during our routine meetings. Celebrating student and teacher success more frequently can highlight positive aspects of our District. Simple proactive measures can emphasize the positives of our district and hopefully that can begin to resonate across our community.

Margaret Elise Richards
One thing I’d do is dig into SurveyWorks to identify indicators of low morale and use those to guide discussions with the school community.
Here’s one example: according to SurveyWorks, teachers feel an increasing lack of support from families and school leadership. Only 43% of teachers feel optimistic that conditions will improve, a 25% decline from the previous year.

This data is consistent with what I’ve heard from teachers across our district. I think Committee members can play a direct role in listening to teacher/staff concerns — in addition to collaborating with school leadership — and soliciting opinions on how to help. Acts of gratitude and public displays of support can go a long way; but addressing budgetary needs, professional development requests and parental engagement may support long-term improvements.