SCS board gives Hopson his last evaluation

Outgoing Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dorsey Hopson earned his final grade from his board Tuesday night.

Hopson earned a 3.63 out of 5 on his evaluation for the 2017-18 school year, an average score across several metrics that equates to “at or above expectations.”

The results are a small uptick from the board’s assessment of Hopson the previous year, when he earned a score of 3.56. The year prior, they scored him at a 3.51.

“I think that the board was in a good agreement that the superintendent has improved in a lot of areas,” board vice chairwoman Stephanie Love said. “He still struggled in certain areas, but he knew and he understands what those challenges were.”

Hopson announced last week he will leave the district in January after six years at the helm of SCS. He accepted a job based in Memphis with insurance company Cigna.

As a result, the 2017-18 year will be the last for which the board evaluates him.

“I’ve just enjoyed working with our school board for the last six years, whether it was 23 people or seven people or nine people,” Hopson said, harkening back to the days of the massive 23-person school board after SCS merged with Memphis City Schools.

“I think every evaluation I’ve had has been fair,” he said. “I think I’ve gotten a lot of great feedback in all those evaluations.”

Breaking down Hopson’s evaluation

Hopson scored highest in the category of facilities and finances with a score of 4.43. He scored lowest, with a tally of 3.4, in a category measuring his vision for the district.

Hopson said he tried to use the feedback from board members each year to make improvements. The biggest piece of feedback he received last year, he said, was concerns he wasn’t communicating well enough with the board.

“I worked really hard to keep the board informed and communicate with the board in a better way, and I think the scores reflected that,” he said.

His board communication score this year was a 4.07, ranking him above expectations.

Love said board members have not been shy about voicing opinions to Hopson.

“We’re in constant communication with him as it relates to things we may not be happy with,” she said.

Board members plan to name an interim superintendent before the winter break, prior to embarking on a national search for Hopson’s replacement.