Superintendent Gets High Marks From Andover School Committee

ANDOVER, MA — Members of the Andover School Committee gave Superintendent Sheldon Berman a mostly positive annual performance review, even as some residents started to display "No New Contract For Shelley" on their lawns. The written evaluations were posted on the school system's Website late Monday and will be discussed at this week's school committee meeting. Berman's overall performance was rated "proficient" and his impact on student learning was rated "high."

"Dr. Berman has worked tirelessly on behalf of the students in Andover and he continues to maintain an unfailing commitment to reaching all of Andover’s students with an engaging and rigorous curriculum," the overall performance review summary said. "Andover continues to benefit from Dr. Berman’s steady leadership, and important improvements this year add to a long track record of strategic accomplishments."

The summary also said Berman had benefited from the hiring a full-time communication director for the 2018-19 school year, saying the newly-created position allowed him "to focus his efforts on his primary responsibilities of operational management and instructional leadership. Dr. Berman should ensure the Communications Director is fully empowered to manage district communications, particularly in areas where there is the potential for controversy."

The documents released Monday also included Berman's report on his progress towards meeting goals and individual evaluations from each school committee member.

• Joel Blumstein gave Berman an overall rating of proficient: "The Superintendent’s educational leadership continues to be excellent...Unfortunately, distractions continued to occur that took time and attention away from the important work of the district. While some of these distractions were unavoidable and beyond the control of anyone in APS, others can be better managed through more careful planning and clearer communications."
• Susan K. McCready gave Berman an overall rating of proficient while noting his work in community and family engagement "needs improvement," adding "A discrete focus on basic but essential communications and communications planning will be a strong compliment to the great educational work happening in the district."
• "Shelley has been the right manager at the right time. While the court of public opinion will always have voices on both sides of a town leader, from my vantage point on the committee, Shelley has worked tirelessly on behalf of the students in Andover – and these are the ultimate beneficiaries of any school system," Paul Murphy wrote in his review of Berman.
• Shannon Scully noted Berman's profile as a "well-recognized" educational leader who helps bring prestige to the district. "In addition to work in the district, Dr. Berman has spent time involved in national, state and regional efforts...that have the potential to raise prestige and bring recognition to the good work being done in Andover Public Schools," she wrote.
• Tracey Spruce praised Berman for his appreciation for the link between student mental health and performance, but said work on the school start time study was behind where she is expected it to be. "Generally, however, Dr. Berman’s leadership and educational vision continue to benefit Andover’s students in a variety of important ways. He drives ongoing and new initiatives to improve student outcomes not just in terms of academic performance, but also with respect to social emotional learning and behavioral and mental health," she said.

All of the 2018-19 superintendent performance review documents are on the school system's Website. The school committee meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the School Administration Building at 36 Bartlet Street.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).