Perhaps the most important role of a school committee is to evaluate the performance of the superintendent periodically, and identify areas that need improvement.
Part of the process involves setting goals for the superintendent and, after a period, evaluating how the superintendent achieved those goals.
During the February 11, 2014 meeting, Stoughton School Committee voted 4 to 1 on the goals superintendent Rizzi picked for herself.
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There are two serious flaws in Rizzi’s proposal. First, Rizzi selected her goals unilaterally, without input from the school committee. Second, she picked her goals from the tasks she already completed. This would be considered preposterous at any business or government office.
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School Committee members Deborah Sovinee, George Dolinsky, Carol Brown and Joyce Husseini vigorously defended goals Rizzi proposed. Mrs. Deborah Sovinee argued that her boss lets her pick her goals in her job. She explained that she can’t pick already completed tasks as her goals, but her tasks are ongoing. Mr. George Dolinsky stated that his boss was the person who set his goals when he was working, however he supported the superintendent’s proposal. I invite interested residents to watch the meeting video at www.stoughtontv.com and witness the full lively discussion.
I am offended by this vote because I believe there are a lot of areas Superintendent Rizzi must improve upon. For example, she must:
1) Reverse the recent demotion of Gibbons school to Level 3,
2) Improve the West School,
3) Improve special education,
4) Improve student achievement in all Stoughton schools,
5) Improve transparency of the administration and fiscal systems,
6) Eliminate unscrupulous hiring practices,
7) Answer the question of how many employees Rizzi hired from her hometown,
8) Improve her communication with parents,
9) Learn to avoid conflict when dealing with parents and employees.
I am deeply disappointed that Stoughton School Committee missed yet another important opportunity to improve our school district.
Behind “lollipops and rainbows” images our current superintendent and school committee representatives struggle to portray, there exists a sobering reality that we must drastically improve the education in our schools.
