On Jan. 27, the school board met for the second time to evaluate Superintendent Ken Gutman’s performance and had only positive things to say.
Board members reviewed three areas of performance: progress within the district, the superintendent’s relationship with the board and his personal qualities.
Words like leadership, excellence and poise cropped up throughout the board’s evaluation statement, which they crafted collaboratively.
‘Collaborative effort is key,? said Board of Education President Bill Walters. ‘We’re very proud of the process we use.?
They used the cooperative evaluation method in place of individually rating the superintendent.
Walters explained that this particular process is important because it assesses the progress of the district as well as Gutman’s role in it.
During Gutman’s first evaluation in October, he outlined his goals for the district in curriculum alignment, data analysis, school improvement, early childhood education and instructional technology.
The board determined the superintendent is ‘making reasonable progress? in those areas. And they recognized his efforts for continued improvement in his three-year plan.
They noted that Gutman’s relationship with the board is ‘excellent? and that the level of mutual trust is continuously improving.
‘In his first half year as superintendent, Mr. Gutman has exhibited exemplary leadership and poise in a variety of challenging situations,? said the board in their evaluation statement.
They also praised his relationship with the community, the district’s financial status and Gutman’s educational plan.
‘The board believes Mr. Gutman represents the epitome of educational leadership,? their statement said.
As for his relationship with district staff, the board’s human resources committee is currently developing an assessment method.
‘This job takes someone with dynamic energy,? Waters said. ‘And Ken has it.?