Do Wawasee Community School Corp. employees like their work and do they have intentions of staying employed by the school corporation? Those questions and more were dealt with in a staff survey known as the Well-Being at Work research report.

During Tuesday evening’s regular monthly meeting of the Wawasee School Board in Syracuse, the board heard a report from Dr. Mary Bales of the University of Notre Dame, herself a Wawasee High School graduate, about the staff survey. Bales said despite some news headlines projecting a not so positive outlook for teachers and staff, “we have some good news for you,” noting a high percentage of Wawasee staff members like their jobs and plan to continue working in public education.

Bales condensed what could have been at least a two hour report, if not longer, into about 15 or 20 minutes. She emphasized the positive and noted slightly less than 200 employees were surveyed. Input was lacking from staff at North Webster and Syracuse Elementary schools, making the results there not as accurate as they could be.

The survey was detailed and included questions dealing with life satisfaction, self-evaluation, social support, resilience and faith. Bales noted it appears faith matters in the school system as more than 93 percent of those surveyed said they believe there is a God.

She said 63 percent indicated they still plan to work in public education five years from now. The concept of community is important to Wawasee staff members, she added. Co-worker and administrative support, as well as a love for working in education were cited as common reasons why employees stay.

Common reasons cited by those who indicated they would not be working in public education much longer were policy changes that remove autonomy and self-efficacy.

Nearly 70 percent of those participating in the survey were females. WHS, Milford School and Wawasee Middle School had the highest participation rates.

According to a copy of the research report, common concerns cited by employees as impacting their well-being included a need for a safe environment to voice their concerns, the negative public opinion regarding the educational system, and a lack of consistency in curriculum decisions. Those who plan to leave education also cited retirement, the changing political environment, lack of control in the classroom and feeling “stuck” because they might be too expensive for another corporation.

In other business, the board heard a report from Brian Bohlander of Barton-Coe-Vilamaa on the status of the design phase for the new Syracuse Elementary. The design phase is only in the preliminary stages and many details still need to be worked out. A few different options were presented, but all have the concept of a central core with grade wings on each side of the building.

The school will be accessed off Kern Road. Exact parking locations, the playground, exact positioning of the building and where the buses will drop off and pick up students are among the details to be finalized. It is hoped a sidewalk will connect the school with the Eagles property next door. Dr. Tom Edington, Wawasee superintendent, noted discussions are being held with the Eagles about how each facility can allow the other to use parking spaces if needed.

More details about the design of the new school will be presented to the board in the next few months.