Philly school principals were asked about their jobs. Here’s what they had to say.

Most Philadelphia principals believe the city’s district and charter schools are moving in the right direction, though they are also frustrated with punishing workloads and inadequate access to resources.

And while the majority of principals are satisfied with their leadership roles, Philadelphia School District school leaders are less likely to feel positive about their levels of support and autonomy. Only about half of district principals reported feeling backed by central administration, and about the same number said felt they had the authority to make decisions about school policies and practices.

Two-thirds of principals citywide have considered leaving their jobs, with most contemplating K-12 jobs outside Philadelphia or in the education sector but not in a school or district.

The results come via a new survey commissioned by the Philadelphia Citywide Talent Coalition, a group asked by the Philadelphia Mayor’s Office of Education to design and implement strategies to hire and retain more effective teachers and teachers of color.

Elevate 215, a Philadelphia-based education nonprofit, commissioned the study on the talent coalition’s behalf, surveying 135 district and charter school principals this spring.

Here are some takeaways from the recently released report:

Most principals have spent more than a decade in Philadelphia schools, district or charter.

Both charter and district principals said they think Philadelphia schools are going in the right direction — 64% of charter principals and 55% of district principals. (In all, 36% and 45%, respectively, believe the sectors are going in the wrong direction.)

While charter and district principals report similar levels of satisfaction in areas like relationships with students (95% for district principals and 96% for charter principals), there were areas of disparity.

More than three-quarters, 80%, of charter principals felt they had access to adequate funding, supplies, and support staff. Just 23% of district principals were satisfied with their level of resources.

Facilities satisfaction was a key area of difference, too — 83% of charter principals said they were satisfied with their access to adequate facilities, while 34% of district principals did.

Only 32% of district principals said they were satisfied with their workload; 54% of charter principals reported workload satisfaction.

In all, 51% of district principals said they felt supported by their central office administrators, while 88% of charter principals did. The same percentage of district principals said they felt they had autonomy to make decisions regarding school policies and practices; 81% of charter principals did.

Principals across sectors reported that staff shortages, workload, inadequately prepared teachers, and expectations around student achievement are top challenges.

Asked what policymakers should know, the principals — who were not identified in the report by name or school — had much to say.

“One piece of advice I would give policymakers is to listen directly to school leaders who are doing the work every day,” one principal wrote. “Retention will improve when leaders are not expected to carry the weight of academics, culture, staffing, family engagement, safety, and community concerns without adequate support.”

Another principal was succinct, writing: “do not micromanage!”

“People need to be paid more, especially teachers. We also need to be able to enforce truancy policies. It’s frustrating for all involved,” another principal said.

“Attract, support, and help retain high-quality educators,” wrote another principal. “We can’t [hire large numbers of teachers without permanent certification] and expect miracles. Hold parents more accountable for school attendance — other states do.”

Another principal focused on a lack of experienced educators: “Offer veteran teachers a higher salary to commit to working at schools such as mine in Kensington where the only applicants are just out of college with no experience. The children continue to fall further behind even with [academic coaches] in our building.”

“Schools in hard to fill locations require veteran teachers with heart who understand their skills are needed desperately,” the principal said.