Part 2

Understanding Administrator Contracts & Contract Renewal: Evaluations

Administrator Contracts Evaluation Education Lawyer

Welcome back to our four-part series covering Kirk’s presentation on administrator contracts and contract renewal, which was presented this past January at the WASDA New Superintendents Academy. This is a topic Kirk speaks on every year to help new superintendents get up to speed on the subject, and to share any updates to the process.

In Part 1, we covered the importance of administrator contracts, the case for distinct superintendent contracts, and many more contract-centric topics.

Let’s dive into Part 2 …

Evaluations

ISSUES TO ADDRESS

  1. Responsiveness to the superintendent.

    An administrator can reasonably be expected to be responsive to the superintendent’s leadership and direction, including:

    1. Supporting the superintendent’s agenda
    2. Carrying out expected duties
    3. Refraining from backbiting or undermining

    A superintendent can reasonably be expected to evaluate and place administrators on notice about this expectation. Evaluations should account for and, in some instances, even include provisions for assessment that are based on contributions to the superintendent’s goals and objectives.

  2. Disclaimers.
    1. Evaluation is ongoing and continuous
    2. Scoring or cumulative evaluation is not a composite, arithmetic average; We use systems such as EE and other multiple choice evaluation instruments as part of evaluation; But we do not use averaging processes that make, e.g., compliance with dress code and effective classroom management equivalent in value
    3. Any one criterion can be sufficiently important to make the difference between renewal and nonrenewal

TECHNIQUES TO STRENGTHEN EVALUATIONS & THEIR UTILITY

  1. The written word is more powerful than the forms we use. Every evaluation that seeks nonrenewal should be accompanied by written commentary.
  2. Use facts to inform your statements. A conclusory evaluation tells the reader very little. It also tells a reviewing judge very little.
  3. Before and after documentation: We told you that we would review this, and we did review it. Here is what we considered to review it. Here is what we decided.
  4. Identify and develop weaknesses (much like reviewing with a witness).

This brings us to the end of Part 2 or our series on administrator contracts and contract renewal. In Part 3, we’ll turn our attention to contract nonrenewal, including contract deadlines, preliminary notice, and final notice.

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