It was a meeting of the Everett School Board that was most notable for what didn’t occur — no rancor, no accusations, and polite, low-key discussion.
The meeting, an addition to the board’s regular September meeting schedule, was held Tuesday afternoon. The topic was discussion of a draft of Superintendent Gary Cohn’s performance goals for the 2011-12 school year.
Most of the nearly two-hour meeting was spent simply going through each item in the six-page document where the five-member elected board spelled out what’s expected of the district’s top employee.
The document outlining Cohn’s goals for the current school year includes expectations from improving on-time and extended graduation rates to expanding challenge courses at a north Everett elementary school.
Now, students from across the district can take tests to be accepted into so-called highly capable or gifted programs.
But for those accepted into the program, it can mean being bused from neighborhood schools to more distant schools, said Mary Waggoner, school district spokeswoman.
Currently only Cedar Wood, Penny Creek, Mill Creek and View Ridge elementary schools offer the highly capable programs, she said.
The challenge program is targeted to be launched at Hawthorne Elementary by mid-October. Its goal is to offer challenging course work available to all the school’s third graders, not just kids who test out for advanced classes.
“The concept is setting high standards for all kids,” Waggoner said.
The challenge program is similar to curriculum already offered at North Middle School and Everett High School, she said.
Final approval of Cohn’s performance goals for this school year is expected to be discussed at the board’s Sept. 27 meeting.
Still left as an incomplete, however, is Cohn’s performance review for the 2010-11 school year. An argument over a draft of that document during an Aug. 23 executive session triggered a physical altercation among board members. Police were called to a report of an assault, statements were taken, and now city prosecutors are considering whether to press any charges.
School board member Jessica Olson wanted the parameters of how Cohn was evaluated to be discussed in public, and also sought to include her minority opinion of his performance in the evaluation written by board president Ed Petersen.
The pushing, shoving and scratching started when board member Kristie Dutton snatched a copy of the draft evaluation that was in front of Olson, which led to Dutton, Olson and Petersen grappling for control of another copy of the document Olson picked up from elsewhere on the table.
School board member Carol Andrews said Tuesday that Cohn’s review is on hold, pending an opinion on whether the board is legally required to include a minority opinion in the review, a request made by Olson.
The state attorney general turned aside the school board’s request to review the matter, saying the office provided legal advice to state, not local government agencies.
“We are still trying to figure out who can give us the opinion,” Andrews said.
The board’s policy on superintendent reviews makes no mention of minority opinions or how they must be handled.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
