Goodrich-After just six months on the job, Michelle Imbrunone, district superintendent, has received a 2.43 score of a possible 3.0 following an evaluation by the school board released earlier this month.
David Cramer, school board president, said the yearly evaluation was distributed to board members in December. The comprehensive 53 question evaluation asked respondents to rate the superintendent either highly effective, minimally effective or ineffective with regard to her work.
Overall board members said Imbrunone was highly effective or effective with regard to the first six months in the district.
The evaluations were completed by trustees Chip Schultz and Niki Wiederman who voted to hire Imbrunone who are no longer on the school board as of January 2015. Schultz lost his reelection bid in November and Wiederman opted not to seek another term.
Imbrunone was hired in June 2014 as district superintendent following the retirement of Scott Bogner after just two years. Imbrunone had been assistant principal at Avondale High School since 2009, prior to being named high school principal in 2012.
‘I requested the evaluation after just six months and welcome the opportunity to meet with the board regarding my work,? she said. ‘This opportunity was very collaborative and a great way to check in with the board. Typically the superintendent evaluation was done in April; however, I asked for it early to provide an opportunity to make adjustments if necessary prior to the end of the school year this June.?
In addition, Imbrunone distributed about 60 evaluation surveys to individuals including staff and other school personnel that had interaction with her over the past six months.
‘I sent out a reverse evaluation to anyone I had come in contact with since I started here at Goodrich,? she said. ‘It’s a way for me to help build trust and establish a collaborative environment. The school board does not require this, but I really need to know what others that I work with are thinking and their concerns.?
Imbrunone said the results, which were also provided to the school board, were very supportive and looked for the superintendent to be part of the community along with continued focus on students and their needs.
‘Michelle sent those surveys out on her own and gave them back to the school board for our review,? said Cramer. ‘We are happy with Michelle and she has settled into the district very well after just six months. Like any job there are areas to improve’it you don’t move forward then we all are left behind. The school board and others here in the district were given a chance to be honest and let us know what we thought about Michelle and the results were positive.?
Cramer said a big challenge for Imbrunone and the school board will be enrollment in 2015.
‘Right now we are projecting about 185 high school seniors graduation this June,? he said. ‘Consider we’ll have only 120 students in kindergarten right now. That makes the Schools of Choice a key element at Goodrich to keep the enrollment up. Thus we need to be competing for students with other districts’we need to market ourself.?