SEA: School Committee's Evaluation of Superintendent is 'Professional Embarrassment'

Following the by members of the school committee, the Seekonk Educators’ Association has released its own evaluation, which takes issue with both the superintendent and the school committee’s report.

The SEA has not previously done its own evaluations of superintendents, but said it felt there was a need this year because of the issues the union has with the school committee evaluations. In a press release, the SEA called this year’s school committee evaluation “a professional embarrassment for the both the school committee and the district."

According to the SEA, the school committee’s evaluation relied heavily on information provided by the superintendent and the district administration rather than independent research. The association was also concerned that they were not consulted by members of the school committee.

In their own evaluations, SEA members criticized Superintendent Meyer for being unwilling to listen to faculty feedback and criticism. The union also criticized Meyer’s focus on increasing the technology available in schools versus increasing the number of staff.

“We censure her lack of commitment to adequately and appropriately staffing the district,” the SEA said in its report.

The SEA also criticized the school committee for giving Meyer credit for things that it says she was not necessarily responsible for. Specifically, the SEA says credit was unfairly given to her for the implementation of standards-based report cards, which were approved under the previous superintendent. The school committee also gave Meyer credit for developing the current teacher evalution tool, which the SEA says was put in place prior to her tenure.

The SEA also took issue with the school committee’s comment that Meyer “strives to maintain positive employee relations across the schools.”

“A strong leader not only recognizes their failings, but more importantly, gives credit to others where it is due," said the SEA evaluation. "During the Superintendent’s second year of tenure, these trends were not generally in evidence in her relations with employees."