By Carline Saintilus, candidate for Lee County School Board, District 5 | Special to EastLeeNews.com
Over the past several months on the campaign trail, I have had the privilege of speaking with hundreds of employees throughout the School District of Lee County, including teachers, bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers, administrative staff, maintenance personnel, security officers, principals and support professionals. Many of those conversations have happened quietly in hallways, parking lots, restaurants, churches, community events and even grocery stores.
What has struck me most is not simply what people have shared. It is what happens when I ask one simple question: “Would you be willing to say that publicly?” More often than not, the answer is the same: “No. I’m afraid.”
Some fear losing opportunities. Some fear being labeled as difficult. Others worry about becoming professionally isolated or facing consequences they cannot afford while supporting their families.
That fear is not just anecdotal. It also appears in the numbers. Gallup’s current workplace data found that only about one in four U.S. employees strongly agree that their opinions count at work. Whether silence comes from personal experience, stories employees have heard or the culture they perceive, the result is the same: People remain reluctant to speak openly.
That should concern every member of our community because Lee County’s own numbers show the challenge the district faces in retaining teachers. The district reported a teacher-retention rate of 84.4 percent for the 2023-2024 period. At a May 2025 School Board meeting, district officials also reported that 197 teachers had been hired since Aug. 28, 2024, while 253 had separated from the district during that period.
Human Resources Executive Director Dr. Shanna Johnston acknowledged that improving retention by 1 percent per year “is not going to cut it.” School Board member William Ribble likewise warned that moving the needle at that pace would not fix the district’s teacher-retention problem.
This is not only a hiring problem. It is also a culture problem. Recent Gallup research found that 44 percent of K-12 teachers report feeling burned out “always” or “very often” and that teachers work an average of approximately 50 hours per week. Burnout and silence feed each other. When people do not feel safe identifying a problem, the problem does not get fixed, and the exhaustion created by continually working around it only grows.
Public education works best when educators and employees feel safe sharing ideas, raising concerns, identifying problems, and offering solutions. A healthy organization welcomes constructive feedback because it understands that those closest to the work often have the clearest view of what needs improvement. Silence may preserve comfort, but it rarely produces excellence. When employees believe that speaking honestly could come at a personal cost, leaders lose something invaluable: the truth.
The people working in our schools every day possess knowledge that no report can fully capture. They know where resources are falling short. They understand the challenges students face. They recognize inefficiencies, safety concerns, staffing issues and opportunities for improvement long before those matters appear on an agenda or in a budget document. If those voices remain unheard, everyone loses, especially our students.
Creating a culture in which employees feel respected and psychologically safe is not just a management issue. It is a governance issue. Lee County has taken a step in the right direction by establishing an Organizational Development and Retention Department focused on retention initiatives, mentorship, professional growth, and career stability.
That is a start, but formal programs and employee surveys only work when people trust that answering honestly will not result in retaliation. Building that trust is a board-level responsibility, not just an administrative initiative.
School Board members should foster an environment in which transparency is encouraged, differing opinions are respected, and employees know that raising concerns will be viewed as a contribution rather than a liability.
As a candidate for the Lee County School Board, I want our district to become a place where people feel empowered to speak honestly because they know their voices matter. Leadership is not measured by how quiet an organization becomes. It is measured by how willing people are to tell the truth.
Our educators and support professionals deserve to work in an environment built on trust, respect, and open communication. When they thrive, our classrooms thrive. When our classrooms thrive, our students have the opportunity to do the same.
The strongest school districts are not those without criticism. They are the ones courageous enough to listen.
Sources: Gallup, U.S. Employee Engagement Indicators; Gallup and Walton Family Foundation, Teaching for Tomorrow; School District of Lee County public records and presentations; Cape Coral Breeze reporting on the May 2025 Lee County School Board discussion regarding teacher hiring and retention.
The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author.
Political advertisement paid for and approved by Carline Saintilus, candidate for Lee County School Board, District 5.
