Here’s what the superintendent’s life-time contract language says about the superintendent’s evaluation:
PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS: Each year before the first day of school, the Board and superintendent must establish performance expectations for the next year in writing based on his duties and responsibilities under the contract and any other criteria mutally agree upon.
MEASURABLE OUTCOMES: “To the extent possible, all performance expectations shall have measurable outcomes”.
JULY 30 DEADLINE: After setting performance expectations, the Board must meet with the superintendent to discuss his evaluation no later than July 30.
Two types of appraisals are required.
SPECIFIC RESULTS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS BASED ON PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS: The written performance expectations must include goals that reflect the superintendent’s priorities for the improvement programs, projects and activities to be undertaken. Prior to meeting with the Board for his evaluation, the superintendent must complete a self-evaluation that summarizes his progress on each goal.
PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES—PLANNING, ORGANIZING, LEADING, SUPERVISING AND JOB KNOWLEDGE: In each category the Board must indicate the type of evidence of performance and data sources that will be used to evaluate the superintendent’s performance.
SURVEYS OF OTHER ADMINISTRATORS: The Board must distribute surveys about the superintendent’s performance in the five categories to individuals who report directly to him and a random selection of other administrators.
Has the board met the contract requirements? No one knows.
Last year Ruth Robarts posted news of the evaluation.
On November 14, 2005, the Human Resources Committee adopted specific goals for the superintendent to pursue in the coming year (http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/boe/minutes/hr/2005-11-14.htm).
I cannot find any information in board minutes that the superintendent supplied the reports required by the goals nor can I find that the board monitored the superintendent’s responsiveness to the goals.
For instance, the committee voted for the superintendent to provide “a detailed plan describing how the district proposes to improve progress on our math goal.” I can find nothing to indicate that the superintendent provided the plan or that the board ever mentioned the plan again in any of its meetings.
What good are goals and the evaluation if no one pays attention?