Germantown School Board grades Manuel
Superintendent rated ‘above expectations’
The Germantown Municipal School Board last Friday gave Supt. Jason Manuel an overall grade of “above expectations” in his first year as superintendent, while identifying areas for improvement and setting next year’s performance goals.
Manuel achieved his single established goal — to open the doors to the district’s schools last August — and the board also praised his community involvement and financial management.
Board members identif ied communication with the board and overall vision as areas for improvement.
The superintendent averaged about a 4.2 overall score, in the range of “above expectations,” on a scale of 1 to 5.
Later in the work session, when the board revisited the is- sue of changing bell times, member Linda Fisher called the body “dysfunctional.”
“We made a decision and we decided we weren’t going to spend that money this year,” Fisher said.
Board member Ken Hoover presented the board with a list of what he called “budget-neutral” ways to move away from a 7 a.m. bell time, though each still had costs attached.
Fisher said the board should trust the superintendent it hired to make decisions while board members should focus on improving student achievement.
“We have a very dysfunctional board,” she said. “We have lack of trust, we have lack of (debate).”
Member Natalie Williams backed up Fisher by saying good leaders stick with decisions they’ve made. Board chairwoman Lisa Parker said after the meeting she was proud of Fisher for speaking out.
The board passed a budget last week that did not include enough money to fund a change in start times, which would require extra buses. It would also include a penalty to Collierville Schools because the two districts share buses at a reduced cost.
Manuel said facilities should be a top priority next year.
Manuel scored lowest on his board evaluation in developing a vision, but board members acknowledged they hadn’t given him any objectives other than to make the district operational.
Member Mark Dely sa id communication was an area the board could improve as well.