As all the area school districts have completed their superintendent’s yearly evaluations, The People-Sentinel would like to remind residents why these are important to you.
Obviously, these evaluations are a good way for residents to know exactly what kind of job the superintendent is doing based on the school district board’s view.
These boards works hand in hand with the superintendents to make sure students, teachers and faculty are doing the best job they possibly can with the funds available.
In the three county public school districts, how the board comes to the final decision on the superintendent’s job performance is quite different.
Which way is better?
The Williston District 29 School Board recently evaluated then-superintendent Alexia Clamp. Her evaluation consisted of an interview with the board members in a closed session during a board meeting. The results of that interview were then compiled by the district attorneys and sent back in a written form to the district. The People-Sentinel requested and was granted a copy of the results. Those results included board members comments and concerns with Clamp’s performance as superintendent.
When the Barnwell District 45 School Board evaluated their Superintendent, Roy Sapough, the format for the evaluation was very different. The board apparently held their evaluation of Sapough during phone call interviews at some time in the recent past.
During a closed session, they did reportedly discuss the results of the evaluation with Sapough and only produced a short statement to the public concerning his evaluation after emerging from the session. That statement is the only written form the district or their attorneys have provided to date and they have indicated that is the way it has been done in the past.
The Blackville School board (Barnwell District 19) held evaluations of Dr. Teresa Pope Monday night. Board members were given forms to evaluate Pope’s performance in five areas. The written forms were compiled and an actual score was given. Pope earned a 98. Although the final compilation of the board members forms was not available at the meeting, the board did provide a copy of the evaluation form.
With three school districts in the county and three ways of evaluating the superintendents who run those districts, there seems to be no set standards. It seems there should be a standard way to evaluate superintendents provided by the state department of education or by the school board association. It should be simple for a resident, a parent or anyone else to receive an actual copy of an evaluation, read through it and be able to see where the superintendent shines and where improvement should be made through the coming year.
The evaluations should be completed based on the job description the superintendent was hired to do.
While there is no uniform tool for evaluating superintendents, it seems to be moving in the direction of being more closed to the public with only a summary statement being issued by the board collectively.
Elections are a good time for residents to remind boards, commissions and councils that they are in place to do a public job for the people of the area but anytime is the right time for residents to get involved in the processes of government.
Under the Freedom of Information Act, each and every resident has the right to request and receive public documents. The People-Sentinel continues to follow the recent evaluations and will always push for them to be open to the public.
It is the people’s business. Public dollars go into the districts to allow superintendents and teachers to be paid. Do you want to know how board members evaluated the superintendents?
We do, too.