School Committee Self Evaluation (30 minutes)

Transcript (~6 min @ 2:32:12)

Speakers identified by voice; unnamed voices are numbered within this recording. Auto-caption text — verify against the video.

▶ 2:32:08 Speaker 4: opposed it carries unanimously item number two school committee self-evaluation per our discussion on the 14th committee members were asked to bring their completed self-evaluation forms to facilitate discussion tonight with the thinking that members would perhaps speak to one or two highlights I'm sure there are no lowlights and then folks will get the completed forms to miss Hogan quickly and if I could also ask if you could get me digital copies as well to facilitate the preparation of a summary that I would like to present on the 12th having said all that is there any member who'd like to talk briefly about their self-evaluation miss Casatelli so I think the chair

▶ 2:32:58 Christine Casatelli: encouraged us to take a couple of opportunities to share with the committee one one in particular is district governments governance engaging them what I think is working well is this idea about creating a comprehensive orientation program for the incoming members I think that's a fantastic idea we've we've tried to do that in fits and starts in the past but I think this is a much needed effort that's going to help new members get up to speed quickly on the responsibilities of their new role my suggestion for improvement is to add an additional midterm or year-end orientation update where where members

▶ 2:33:53 Christine Casatelli: can get you know it's useful for new members to follow up on ongoing on ideas that maybe weren't handled at the initial session so maybe just um every three months follow up on that and at the end to definitely survey new members about the effectiveness of orientations and get their feedback on how it could improve for the future my second comment is superintendent support and accounting i think that our superintendent has an open door policy responsive to questions and viewpoints of committee members um i know some people some members meet with the superintendent a lot some members not so much but again in light of our new i have all these suggestions for the incoming uh members um right now jen yeah um i think that each i know the superintendent's busy but i think each committee member could benefit from a standing 30-minute meeting with the superintendent each month to ask questions and get feedback about district policies I know that would be an hour and a half but I do think two hours two and a half well three three people right at least three people an hour and a half but I think that it would be 90 minutes well spent for the members to have one-on-one time with the superintendent and for her to get a sense of the new members on the committee and my my final statement many of you know I have I'm conflicted on the value of these self evaluations I think it's important to be self-reflective but I don't see the Board of Aldermen doing self evaluations and I think we have yet to see members of the US Congress doing self evaluations not that they couldn't benefit from those but I know a lot of

▶ 2:35:53 Christine Casatelli: time goes into this a lot of thoughtful comments and after this process I see them go into the minutes and that's the end of them so two suggestions either the chair could call the what actions might result in improvement from all the members and put them on a to-do list for the committee and decide what's useful and what's not to to help us in the process for the next year or my second

▶ 2:36:31 Christine Casatelli: suggestion is to eliminate them so those are my parting remarks in terms of so

▶ 2:36:34 Speaker 4: that's it for constructive criticism you just felt the self evaluations you have

▶ 2:36:41 Speaker 4: told December 31st to add more to that any other comments and all good points well said anyone else just briefly then leadership and governance superintendent support and accounting I talked a little bit about this and I won't belabor it I think we need to find ways to work with you to share some of the load because I think all too often despite the fact that you know we're the policymakers you're you're you're taking the lead on that and you shouldn't have to do that and I think we're abdicating our responsibility to a certain extent when that happens again and again when's the last time one of us put forward an idea

▶ 2:37:29 Speaker 4: like blizzard bags I think we need to start thinking like that if we're gonna carry out our mission appropriately so that's all i'll say in that just again members a reminder if you could get digital copies uh to miss hogan so they can be included in the minutes that's the point of that if you could also get them uh to me or i suppose i can get them from miss hogan uh so i can prepare that summary and and miss casatelli i will endeavor uh to frame it in a way that's that's useful uh looking forward uh please mr yeah i'm sorry i think the best way is if we

▶ 2:37:59 Margaret Raymond Driscoll: all give our digital copies and paper copies if we have them to miss Hogan and she forwards those directly to you I think that would be that would be a