PALMER — Superintendent Matthew Francis reviewed the superintendent evaluation process and its timeline with School Committee members during the May 15 meeting.
Based on the discussed timeline, School Committee members will submit their individual evaluations for June 3.
The evaluations will then be consolidated by School Committee Clerk Amy Sacco and will be voted on during the committee’s June 12 regular meeting.
Within the evaluation process, Francis will be rated across four sections, he explained. These are instructional leadership, management and operations, family and community engagement, and professional culture.
Each section questions whether Francis’ efforts have successfully worked toward the School Department’s goals and met the department’s standards across multiple determined indicators as well as provide a final rating, Francis said.
Ratings are divided between did not meet, some progress, significant progress, met and exceeded for each indicator and section, he stated.
The School Committee previously approved three goals for this process at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year, Francis said. The first goal worked toward establishing a model to identify and address needs in the department, in addition to assessing the effectiveness of the approach.
The second goal focused on maintaining progress in the department despite the change in leadership while the third goal addressed the need for a new superintendent program to develop strategies for the position, according to Francis’ presentation.
In addition to the ratings, evidence must also be presented during the process, Francis said. Types of evidence vary for each section and include examples such as district assessment reports, staff feedback, current policies, community surveys and meeting agendas, as presented by Francis.
Francis delivered a binder with resources on the process as well as evidence he consolidated to each member of the School Committee during the meeting. He ended his presentation by thanking Palmer Public Schools staff, the School Committee and the community for their work together for the Department.
At the end of the May 15 meeting, School Committee Chair Bonny Rathbone also announced that the committee will host a public hearing on the fiscal year 2025 budget during a special meeting on June 5.
The hearing will take place at 5:30 p.m. with the committee voting on the budget at 6 p.m., she said.
