District shares upbeat survey results showing strong participation, identifies pay and career pathways as top concerns
March 15, 2025 | Richland 02, School Districts, South Carolina
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Richland School District 2 officials presented the results of an UpBeat employee engagement survey at the March 11 board meeting, reporting high participation and data the district hopes to use to improve teacher retention.
“Teachers had 1,644 completions, which was an 86% completion rate,” said Andrew Saturna, UpBeat program manager, describing district participation that exceeded UpBeat averages. UpBeat’s leadership team highlighted district strengths — including equal opportunity (94% positive), instructional leadership (92%) and belonging and well‑being (87%) — while flagging career and compensation (49% positive) as a relative area of concern compared with statewide partners.
Kylie Shapiro Davis, UpBeat’s chief operating officer, said UpBeat couples research‑based survey reporting with coaching for principals and district leaders. Luke Mano Durakman, head of leadership at UpBeat, said nearly every Richland 2 principal had a one‑on‑one consult with an UpBeat coach to review school‑level data and develop specific action steps. “Our main focus of the survey…was to have a greater than or equal to 70% teacher participation,” Saturna said. UpBeat’s data showed the district exceeded that target.
UpBeat compared Richland 2 responses to its larger South Carolina cluster, noting the district’s career and compensation score was roughly 7 percentage points lower than the South Carolina cluster and that professional development perception was 6 points lower than the state cluster. UpBeat representatives named other South Carolina districts in the cluster, including Greenville and Beaufort counties, and said comparative data can help shape local action.
Human resources officials said the district has used the data at the school level: after principals met with UpBeat coaches, they were expected to share reports and work with faculty to translate results into action plans that address local priorities such as work‑life balance, professional development and career pathways.
Board members praised the participation rate and said the one‑on‑one principal consults and school‑level working committees are the intended next steps. Richland 2 officials said they will continue using UpBeat results alongside other workforce data as the district seeks to improve teacher working conditions and retention.
“Teachers had 1,644 completions, which was an 86% completion rate,” said Andrew Saturna, UpBeat program manager, describing district participation that exceeded UpBeat averages. UpBeat’s leadership team highlighted district strengths — including equal opportunity (94% positive), instructional leadership (92%) and belonging and well‑being (87%) — while flagging career and compensation (49% positive) as a relative area of concern compared with statewide partners.
Kylie Shapiro Davis, UpBeat’s chief operating officer, said UpBeat couples research‑based survey reporting with coaching for principals and district leaders. Luke Mano Durakman, head of leadership at UpBeat, said nearly every Richland 2 principal had a one‑on‑one consult with an UpBeat coach to review school‑level data and develop specific action steps. “Our main focus of the survey…was to have a greater than or equal to 70% teacher participation,” Saturna said. UpBeat’s data showed the district exceeded that target.
UpBeat compared Richland 2 responses to its larger South Carolina cluster, noting the district’s career and compensation score was roughly 7 percentage points lower than the South Carolina cluster and that professional development perception was 6 points lower than the state cluster. UpBeat representatives named other South Carolina districts in the cluster, including Greenville and Beaufort counties, and said comparative data can help shape local action.
Human resources officials said the district has used the data at the school level: after principals met with UpBeat coaches, they were expected to share reports and work with faculty to translate results into action plans that address local priorities such as work‑life balance, professional development and career pathways.
Board members praised the participation rate and said the one‑on‑one principal consults and school‑level working committees are the intended next steps. Richland 2 officials said they will continue using UpBeat results alongside other workforce data as the district seeks to improve teacher working conditions and retention.
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