Shining a Light on Survey Results
By Theresa Kelly GegenJournal | July/August 2024
Every other year since 2018, the Illinois Association of School Boards has conducted a member survey, with the aim of gathering information to support its members. The most recent survey was presented from February to April 2024.
And then, in the summer, IASB shines some light on the responses and shares insights into IASB membership that we gained from the survey. School board members, district superintendents, and administrative professionals were invited to assess their satisfaction and to prioritize what public education or school leadership topics are most important.
Prior to 2008, the IASB Member Survey occurred every five years and was a pen-and-paper model, with over a hundred questions. The survey transitioned to digital in 2018, and this year we again offered an online version, and each year the survey gets a little shorter and more user-friendly.
For 2024, there were 1,086 unique survey responses. Of those, 711 were school board members, 199 were administrative professionals, and 176 were superintendents. Our respondents came from each of IASB’s 21 divisions; from districts under 500 students and over 10,000 students and everything in between; from elementary, unit, and high school districts; and from urban, suburban, town, and rural communities.
Interestingly, our school board member respondents reflected a small change in years of service from 2022 to 2024. In 2022, 37% of respondents had served under five years and 31% were in years 5-10. In 2024, 47% had served under five years and 22% were in years 5-10. In both 2022 and 2025, the percentage of respondents serving over 10 years was 31%.
How does IASB use the survey results? The Association remains committed to continuous improvement in programs and services offered to local boards of education.
We like to know what topics interest you, so that we can include coverage of those topics in the Illinois School Board Journal, webinars, news items, sessions at the Joint Annual Conference, and other offerings. We use the responses to the survey to assess existing offerings and consider new ideas for programming. For example, in the last survey, we asked questions about participation in Division Events, and some of the changes you may have noticed to those stem from those responses. In the 2024 survey, was asked a few questions about social media, and you’ll see some direct action on social engagement and outreach in the near future. We also take all the information from the member surveys past and present and use it to develop information for school board candidates, boards of education recruiting future school board members, and next year’s new board members.
Satisfaction
The mission of IASB includes offering “premier training experiences; networking opportunities for mutual support; valuable benefits, pooled services, information, and expertise; advocacy on behalf of public education; and a platform for a strong collective voice on common interests and concerns,” all with the vision of “excellence in local school board governance supporting quality public education.”
In the survey IASB asked, “How would you rate the customer service IASB provides to you or your district?” Of all respondents, 36% said Exceptional, 42% Very Good, and 35% Good. Of School board members, 20% said Exceptional, 40% said Very Good, and 32% said Good. IASB offers a programs and services to meet that mission, and the survey asked how about meeting members’ expectations. We learned
- 84% of all survey-takers, and 82% of school board members, agree or strongly agree that their board benefits from its membership.
- 81% of all survey-takers, and 77% of school board members, feel supported through the programs and services available through IASB.
- 71% of all survey-takers, and 68% of school board member respondents, feel “connected and engaged with IASB.
- 91% of school board members agree or strongly agree that they are regularly informed about IASB programs and services.
- 71% of school board members agree or strongly agree that their competence and confidence to be an effective school board member have improved because of IASB support.
With IASB’s advocacy efforts booming, the survey asked all respondents their thoughts about it. IASB received its highest marks from respondents considering the Association’s state legislative advocacy and lobbying to be important benefits of membership with IASB, and for respondents having a clear understanding of IASB’s position on its legislative priorities.
The two categories where IASB scored the lowest in advocacy were respondents having “a clear understanding of how IASB’s legislative positions are derived” and “IASB’s legislative advocacy and lobbying efforts have resulted in laws that positively impact my school district and our students.” Still over 60% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed about understanding and impact, those insights offer IASB something to work for.
Urgency
IASB asked all respondents some questions about issues facing their school districts. The most urgent, was Academic performance and student growth, followed by Teaching (teacher shortage, quality of teaching).
The latest survey asked some questions only to school board members. IASB asked its members to rank topics in order of importance in their work. The top answers at the operational level were Budgeting/School Funding and Finance; and Accountability. The top answers in terms of students were Academic Performance and Student Growth; and Curriculum. This was almost identical to those in the 2022 survey.
As h
as been standard, we also asked school board members a question about their motivation to serve on the board of education. The top answer, by far, has been that they “Value public education.” In 2022 “Value” scored 4.83 (out of 6) and in 2024 scored 4.64. Interestingly, the runner-up in both years “To make a specific improvement in the schools,” is closing the gap. “Specific” scored 3.80 (out of 6) in 2022 and 4.05.Engagement
This year, we discovered that survey respondents are increasingly taking advantage of the opportunities IASB offers its members. Our top engagement metric this year was attendance at the 2023 Joint Annual Conference – 76% of respondents attended, compared to 67% in the prior survey. This bumped reading the Illinois School Board Journal from the top spot among engagement opportunities: 69% of respondents in the 2024 survey read the Journal, compared to 67% in 2022. We thank you for reading it now!
In 2024, 55% of respondents used the IASB website, and 52% reviewed IASB sample policy and procedures material at PRESS Online. These engagement activities were checked by 40-50% of respondents: Viewing a live or pre-recorded webinar (49%); Reaching out to IASB staff members for assistance (46%); and Attending a Division Event (45%).
If you’re one of the 2% of respondents who feels disengaged, uninformed, or unsupported, we encourage you to share how we can improve as we aim to reach and serve all members. Take advantage of educational leadership and governance offerings, many of which are no-cost, and share your opinions of IASB’s efforts to help you serve your public schools.
Theresa Kelly Gegen is Editor of the Illinois School Board Journal.