Getting a good review is usually something to celebrate. But at the Roaring Fork School District’s Oct. 21 Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Dr. Anna Cole’s positive evaluation came with one big concern: Only about half as many people filled out the community survey as last year.
Cole received an overall rating of “effective,” and board members had plenty of good things to say about her work. Still, several were disappointed by the low participation.
Just 214 people responded to this year’s survey, compared with 426 last year. Of the 214 people who responded, 56.1% were parents and 24.8% were certified employees, including teachers. Students made up only a small part of the responses.
For a district with more than 5,600 students, the drop in responses stood out. Board Member Jasmin Ramirez wanted to make sure the drop wasn’t ignored.
“I want to make sure someone notes … the drop in feedback we received this year,” Ramirez said during the meeting, adding that the board should talk more about how to get feedback from different people across the community.
Board Member Kathryn Kuhlenberg called the drop disappointing and suggested changing when the district sends out the survey to encourage more people to respond.
The survey, which ran from Sept. 18 through Oct. 4, showed that 80.4% of respondents agreed Cole supports the district’s goals for student learning. Another 78.5% agreed that she works to make students feel safe, welcome and included at school.
During the meeting, one board member pointed out how much blue was on the survey’s pie charts, representing positive responses, and said they appreciated the progress the district was making.
Board Member Lindsay Defrates also talked about the positive feedback, saying that many community members seemed to appreciate Cole’s work.
And the discussion went beyond just the survey. Kuhlenberg brought up something else: how many people actually understand what a superintendent does?
Most students could probably name their principal without even thinking about it. They see their teachers every day and know who to go to when something happens at school. But the superintendent? That’s someone students might have heard of without really knowing what they do.
While principals are in charge of individual schools, Cole oversees the whole district. Her job includes decisions about staffing, school programs and the district’s priorities.
Kuhlenberg suggested the district could do more to help people understand that role and how it affects students.
Though Cole received a positive evaluation, the board still had things it wanted her to work on, including improving student achievement, strengthening classroom instruction and communicating better with the community.
The board also recognized Cole’s work supporting school leaders, hiring staff and making district finances more transparent.
Toward the end of the discussion, the focus shifted from Cole’s performance to the evaluation process itself.
Kuhlenberg suggested looking at the timing of the survey, while Ramirez emphasized making sure more community members have a chance to share their opinions.
One board member suggested the evaluation have more regular check-ins throughout the year instead of just once a year, and said the process was “due for an evolution.”