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ANNAPOLIS — Teachers in Maryland generally are pleased with their class sizes and the amount of time they have to map out instruction, but believe they have to complete too much paperwork, which cuts into their planning time, according to the results of a statewide teacher survey released Thursday.

Of the 43,400 teachers who responded to the survey, 48 percent — or 20,832 teachers — either "strongly disagreed" or "somewhat disagreed" that administrators were making an effort to minimize the amount of administrative paperwork they are required to fill out.

Conversely, 38 percent of teachers surveyed either "somewhat agreed" or "strongly agreed" that efforts are being made to reduce the amount of paperwork, according to the survey results.

The survey was part of a statewide effort to get teachers' opinions on their school environment and gather suggestions on ways to improve schools.

The survey unveiled Thursday was completed anonymously by the teachers in their schools last spring. The state shared the results with the schools in May so they could begin addressing the issues raised.

At the Eastern School of Technology in Baltimore County, for example, some of the teachers indicated on the survey that they didn't feel trusted to make decisions regarding their instruction, said Tom Evans, the school's principal.

"Teachers wanted more of a voice on various issues, especially the work they do on a daily basis," Evans said.

To fix the problem, Evans established a so-called "climate committee" to promote better communication between teachers and the administration.

"This is about improving public education," Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) said during a press conference to announce the results. "This is about every school making an improvement."

Some 56 percent of the teachers surveyed either "somewhat agreed" or "strongly agreed" that their class sizes were reasonable, while 40 percent indicated that their class sizes weren't manageable.

The survey results also showed that teachers don't feel involved in selecting the school's new teachers or deciding how the school budget should be spent.

The state plans to conduct another survey next year. Maryland also will apply for the federal "Race to the Top" funding, which the U.S. Department of Education will award states that agree to certain reforms.

Those changes include tying teacher and principal pay to test scores, developing a long-term student tracking system and providing incentive pay for high-quality teachers to move to struggling schools.

State Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick said Thursday that the state would use the survey results in its application for federal funding, even though it is not required. The "Race to the Top" application is due June 1.

Go to www.tellmaryland.org

for the complete survey results.