BENTONVILLE -- School Board president Travis Riggs expects this year's evaluation of Superintendent Michael Poore to be a calmer process than what occurred last year.
"I do think that will go better this year," Riggs said.
Next Board Meeting
The Bentonville School Board’s last scheduled meeting was postponed because of weather. It has been rescheduled and combined with the board’s pre-agenda meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday.
Source: Staff Report
The board typically reviews the performance of its superintendent this time of year and decides whether to extend his contract by another year. The board will begin that process when it meets Monday and likely finish it by the board's next meeting on March 16, Riggs said.
Controversy erupted in the community last February amid rumors the board would not renew Poore's contract. Community members and district employees packed two School Board meetings in one week to express their support for Poore. During time allotted for public comment during those meetings, 16 people -- including Riggs, who was not a board member then -- spoke in favor of Poore. Nobody spoke against him.
The board spent several hours in an executive session on Feb. 20, 2014, before agreeing to negotiate a new three-year contract with Poore. Poore and the board took several months negotiating that contract. It outlines numerous goals the board would like to see Poore achieve. Those goals are broken down into four areas: academic achievement, financial stewardship, strategic leadership and community and public relations.
Poore's contract runs through June 30, 2017. Riggs predicted the board will vote to extend the contract by another year.
"Our results have been good this year, so I don't know why (the board) wouldn't extend," Riggs said.
Poore recently submitted his self-evaluation to the board. He said he feels good about how the past year has gone.
"We've had a really good year, and in a lot of different ways," he said.
The School District's finances are solid and the schools continue to shine in academics, athletics and the performing arts, he said.
One area in which he said he rated himself low on his evaluation was in his handling of the proposed rezoning of schools. Though Poore pushed for rezoning at all levels, the board opted against his recommendations in November. Many parents, especially those at the elementary level, protested the proposed changes to attendance boundaries.
"We didn't get done what I had hoped to do. Maybe I didn't give (board members) the right information or the right amount of information," Poore said.
Poore also pointed out he had to contend with the loss of three key members of the central office staff last summer, including his director of human resources, director of communications and director of student services. The district has managed to keep staffing low at the district office, he said.
"We're a lean machine, and that's because we have great people," Poore said.
Matt Burgess, board member, said he doesn't expect Poore's evaluation to generate the same kind of turmoil that accompanied it last year. He attributed that mainly to the goals set forth in Poore's contract.
"His contract sets out what our expectations were for him to be evaluated on," Burgess said.
Poore's self-evaluation included a color-coded list of his goals to show at a glance how much progress he's made on each. Poore reported he has completed seven of the 20 goals outlined for him and made substantial progress on 11 more.
"It's a nice document. He did a good job laying out what he feels he's done well," Burgess said.
The past year has been a solid one for the district, Burgess said. The biggest challenges ahead include preparing for the opening of West High School and dealing with growth, especially at the elementary level, he said.
Poore's contract gives the board the option of terminating him after July 1 if at least five of the seven members agree. In that case, Poore would agree to accept as severance pay an amount equal to one year's compensation. He is earning $209,203 this school year.
Dave Perozek can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWADaveP.
NW News on 02/24/2015