CHICOPEE — During the School Committee meeting on Aug. 14, Ward 5 School Committee member Grace Schofield read the ratings and comments that the School Committee provided for Superintendent Marcus Ware.
At the June 26 School Committee meeting, Ware discussed a proposal for the superintendent evaluation for the 2023-24 school year.
How the superintendent evaluation usually runs is Ware would sit down or establish schools in conjunction with the School Committee and then vote on common goals to measure Ware on throughout the year.
Since Ware started July 1 of last year, he and the School Committee did not have an opportunity to do that so he had an alternative proposal.
Ware presented the School Committee with four different standards to rank him on that fall under the superintendent evaluation based on the superintendent rubric from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The four domains in which a superintendent is evaluated is instructional leadership, management and operations, family and community engagement and professional culture. Each category had an indicator that Ware decided he wanted to be evaluated on.
The rating scale was four points for exemplary, three points for proficient, two points for needs improvement and unsatisfactory was one point.
Evidence Ware provided to the School Committee to showcase these areas of evaluation included quarterly meetings with principals, grant update sheets, budget meetings, the 2024-2025 budget book, community forum meetings sheet, town hall meetings with staff, classroom visits with students and committee communication updates via Facebook and website.
Schofield said a lot of work went into this process and the School Committee members were presented with a rubric from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
She shared the results and remarks of the School Committee members responses during the meeting on Aug. 14.
Ware received a rating of exemplary for instructional leadership. Five members rated him proficient and six members said exemplary.
Schofield read comments for each category.
She read, “Dr. Ware has shown a thoughtful approach to the superintendent position. Early on, he shared his review of the School Committee by reviewing past televised meetings. He met with various schools and personnel throughout walkthroughs as well as one on one meetings with principal. In addition, he had community meetings in wards of Chicopee to hear from residents, parents and any elected officials. Dr. Ware’s early days as superintendent sought to gain information about where the district was regarding our education process.”
Ware received a proficient rating in the management and operations standard with two members scoring this category as needs improvement, seven scored it proficient and two rated Ware as exemplary.
Schofield read, “He promotes the learning and growth of all students and the success of all staff by ensuring a safe, efficient and effective learning environment using resources to implement appropriate curriculum, staffing and scheduling. The evidence to support this proficient rating is Dr. Ware’s approach to the 2024-2025 budget was particularly noteworthy as it was developed through a needs-based process involving thorough consultations with each school and district leadership. This collaborative and focused effort worked to ensure resources were allocated appropriately.”
Ware received an exemplary rating in the family and community engagement standard. One School Committee member scored the category as needs improvement, four members rated Ware as proficient and six members rated him as exemplary.
Schofield read, “Recognizing that the district strength lies in unity, the superintendent has been proactive in holding internal town meetings with staff and community forums open to all to quickly understand and address concerns. Dr. Ware’s community meetings were numerous opportunities for collaboration and engagement were evident of exemplary family and community engagement.
Town hall meetings for staff provided a chance to express thoughts on any topic that was important to them. Sometimes the public offered critical comments, yet Dr. Ware maintained a professional respect and attitude towards individuals.”
The evidence also showed that Ware answered each question from the public and followed up with them if he didn’t have the answer right away.
In the final standard, Ware received an exemplary rating in professional culture. Six School Committee members rated proficient and five rated exemplary.
Schofield read, “Dr. Ware’s presentations are insights into our system. He is critically assessing what programs and series Chicopee has in place. He’s working to show their connectiveness to the successful education of students. He demonstrates the ability to pull everything together so that we can see this interconnection with programs. The superintendent played a pivotal role in transitioning the district to a new communication platform which streamlined communication by providing enhanced tools for parents, teachers, students and leadership.”
In her own words, Schofield concluded, “It’s been a very eventful year, [Ware] worked hard and your efforts and your team have been recognized. We are lucky to have you. We are not where we need to be as we all know, but I think we’re headed in the right direction.
