One of the main jobs of the School Committee is to evaluate the superintendent.
Richard RegeCHICOPEE – The School Committee is reviewing the way it grades the superintendent, hoping to make the evaluation more effective and user-friendly.
At the same time, it also hopes to upgrade the goals set for the school system on which the superintendent is largely judged, saying they have become outdated.
One of the main jobs of the committee is to evaluate the job of Richard W. Rege Jr. His evaluation is also usually tied to any salary increases.
Over the past few years, Rege’s scores have averaged 4 out of a possible 5.
“We are looking at the instrument to see how we can make it more productive,” School Committee member Donald J. Lamothe said.
The evaluation tool now has at least 35 questions that each committee member answers. They range from asking about Rege’s relationship with the School Committee and his overall ability to communicate to initiatives he started and his work on curriculum.
Lamothe, who has been in charge of compiling several evaluations in the past, said committee members often bring up concerns about questions they find difficult to answer on the evaluation form.
“I do think we need a change. I think there are too many repetitive questions ... and there was a lot of confusion on the questions,” he said.
Any changes made will have to be approved by Rege, since his contract calls for the School Committee and him to agree on his evaluation tool, Lamothe said.
Committee Vice Chairwoman Marjorie A. Wojcik agreed it is time to modify the tool.
“Someone always has questions about how to answer different parts. We may change some questions around,” she said.
Committee member John F. Mruk said he would also like to update the superintendent’s and district’s goals, especially since part of the annual evaluation focuses in part on how Rege is making progress on the goals.
“I think the goals should focus on local concepts or issues, and they should be realistic and attainable,” Mruk said.
One goal, for example, mirrors the No Child Left Behind law that calls for all children to be proficient in English and math by 2014.
Mruk said he believes Rege should have goals that are separate from the school district goals.