by Frank Schroth

There was a recent commentary on this site that took the School Committee to task for their public evaluation of Superintendent Gormley’s performance. Publicly discussing anyone’s job performance – never mind televising it – in our opinion is not conducive to the type of give and take, frank discussion around strengths, weaknesses, and how they map to goals and priorities that is constructive. However, this public process is not something the School Committee choses to do; but is imposed on them by the open meeting law.  I erred in suggesting they change the process.

This just may be another example of why Lenny Bruce said, “The only justice in the halls of justice is in the halls.”

The genesis of this process appears to be a court case filed against the Wayland School Committee by a local news organization. The School Committee failed to release their Superintendent’s evaluation. The case eventually made its way up to the SJC which ruled against the School Committee saying they were in violation of open meeting law.

Subsequent to that ruling the open Meeting was law was revised and according to a School Committee member I spoke with, the school committee is bound to conduct the entire process in open session.

So. . . as silly as it is, it is not for the School Committee to decide. And it was incorrect to ask them to consider altering the process. They are abiding by the law. While it is a law we need, and agree the final Superintendent’s evaluation should be public, we are still of the opinion that the discussion of the performance should be respectful, constructive, honest and forthright. It is difficult to see how that can happen in a public venue with cameras rolling.

They will be concluding the Superintendent’s evaluation at their at their next meeting on the 30th. The meeting was moved due to prent/tacher conferences.