Rochester School Board reviews self-evaluation data
Feb. 24—Members of the Rochester School Board took a proverbial look in the mirror Tuesday, reflecting on whether they've been effective in a number of areas.
The School Board discussed the results of a self-evaluation form they completed earlier this year. In addition to the current year, the report included data from evaluations completed in 2020 and 2017. The evaluation covers five categories: conduct and ethics, vision, structure, accountability, and advocacy and communication.
This year's evaluation reflects a time when the board has come under increased scrutiny from the public, largely because of the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the world of education.
"You have a lot of weight on your shoulders and a lot of things I never ever thought a board member would have to deal with," said Gail Gilman from the Minnesota School Boards Association. Gilman helped walk board members through the evaluation.
Within the five broader categories, the evaluation touched on subjects such as the board's relationship with the superintendent and the budgeting process.
In addition to the seven board members, Superintendent Michael Muñoz also filled out the evaluation. The report did not show each person's response to any given question. However, it did provide the number of people who selected a given answer. At times, those answers showed opposing perspectives on the same question.
For example, one of the questions asked: "to what extent does our board advocate at the local, state and federal level on behalf of students and the district?" To that question, one person responded "never" and another person responded "always." Four people responded "some of the time," and one person responded "most of the time."
On questions relating to the budget, there was a mostly strong consensus. One question asked "to what extent does our board frequently monitor the budget and fiscal status of the district?" Seven people responded "always." The eighth person responded "most of the time."
Another question asked "to what extent does our board work with the superintendent to achieve mutual trust and commitment?" Seven people responded "some of the time." One person responded "don't know." In the 2017 results to that question, all eight respondents answered "most of the time."
Several questions touched on the board's efforts to helping students succeed.
One of them asked: "To what extent does our board foster a culture of collaboration around the shared purpose of improving student achievement?" One person responded "always," three people responded "most of the time" and four people responded "some of the time."
Another student-focused question read: "To what extent does our board together with the superintendent agree that high expectations for all students is the highest priority?" One person responded "always," five people responded "most of the time," one person responded "some of the time" and one person responded "don't know."
Board Chairman Jean Marvin said students need to be a top focus when the board is making its decisions.
"At every board meeting I think we need to make that the foundation of what we're discussing: How will this decision affect our kids," Marvin said.
Rochester School Board Self Evaluation by inforumdocs on Scribd
