Burlington School Committee Rates Superintendent Conti as Meeting Expectations in 2024 Evaluation

The School Committee at their June 24 meeting shared their annual evaluation of Superintendent, Dr. Eric Conti.

The supervision of the Superintendent of Schools is one of the chief responsibilities of the School Committee. Evaluation occurs on an annual cycle during which the superintendent performs a self-evaluation, sets goals and plans for their implementation, collects evidence throughout the year, reports out at mid-year public meeting, and then is evaluated by the School Committee at the end of the school year.

Burlington Buzz obtained a copy of each individual evaluation, as well as the combined evaluation that was shared at the meeting.

2024-25 Goals - Overall Evaluation: Met expectations

According to the evaluation tool, "Superintendents must identify at least one student learning goal, one professional practice goal, and two to four district improvement goals. Goals should be SMART [specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, & time-limited] and aligned to at least one focus Indicator from the Standards for Effective Administrative Leadership."

Dr. Conti's goals, as listed in the evaluation document, were:

• Student Learning: During the 2022-2025 post-pandemic years, I will lead the District as we recommit to our students’ learning and wellbeing by focusing on the District’s commitment to engaged, inclusive teaching and the opportunity for all students to learn and develop regardless of their ability, disability, age, gender identity, or cultural and linguistic background.
• Professional Practice: Over the next three years, I will lead and model respectful and kind discourse grounded in the BPS vision, equity statement, and core values with students, staff, families, and the community. In doing so, I expect the discourse to result in all our students demonstrating learning growth and experiencing a sense of belonging to our school community which will help them to flourish and thrive in whatever college or career pathway they may choose upon graduation.
• District Improvement Goal 1 - Learning: Empower all students through a rigorous, dynamic, and relevant curriculum designed to include the academic, social, emotional, and psychological supports to ensure student growth and achievement
• District Improvement Goal 2 Equity: Educate and allow all learners to be their authentic selves so they attain high academic standards and outcomes by creating challenging learning environments where they feel they truly belong because they see representations of themselves in their curricula and in their teachers and support staff
• District Improvement Goal 3 Thriving: Strengthen BPS culture through relationships between and amongst students, staff, families, and the Burlington community to ensure the health, safety, security, and happiness of all learners and adults
• District Improvement Goal 4 Facilities and Finance: Ensure fiscal responsibility, transparency, and the long-term stability of the district by utilizing resources effectively and providing facilities that are safe and well maintained to support the success and growth of all learners and adults

Each of these goals were rated by each School Committee member, and the overall rating was Met. However, this is an average; individual scores ranged widely from Some Progress (2, if the scale were 1-5) to Exceeded (5).

Members also rated Conti on the subdomains of Instructional Leadership, Management & Operations, Family & Community Engagement, and Professional Culture.

Globally the average ratings in these areas fell under Proficient, with a few standouts in the Exemplary category, including Scheduling and Management Information Systems, Communication, and Shared Vision.

2024-25 Key Achievements

Chair Melissa Massardo presented the key findings and the combined ratings of the five School Committee members, highlighting achievements of the district under Conti's leadership and areas of improvement:

• A new K-5 literacy curriculum was selected, its purchase was approved by Town Meeting in May, and a plan to begin implementation in the 2025-26 school year was created. Work has been ongoing with respect to the creation of new math pathways for students in middle and high school, as well, and students in 8th grade this year will have the opportunity to take Algebra 1 for the first time.
• The plans for a new Fox Hill are proceeding through the state reimbursement process.
• Contract negotiations with the teacher's union were successful, as was a side letter regarding monthly early release days in elementary schools for the 2025-26 school year.
• High school principal Mark Sullivan was awarded Principal of the Year by the Massachusetts School Administrators' Association.
• Memorial and Francis Wyman were both recognized – Memorial by the Department of Elementary and Secondary education, and Francis Wyman as an Apple Distinguished School.

The curriculum work and school building work (including the work to plan for a proposed new Burlington High School) have taken up a good deal of time and resources during recent school years.

2024-25 Areas for Improvement

Massardo also highlighted School Committee members' responses regarding areas for improvement, collated in the combined evaluation document:

• The district should refine its organizational and reporting structure, ensuring areas of need are covered and staff is used effectively and efficiently.
• The district could be giving more opportunities for leaders to grow in their roles and for staff to grow into leadership positions.
• Capital planning documents – financial plans for big expenditures like buildings and fields – need to be more detailed.
• The district should review internal administrative procedures.

Evaluations Highlight Disconnect

But while the overall combined evaluation suggests Conti's performance met expectations this year, individual evaluations tell a deeper story of dissonance among the School Committee.

The key areas for improvement on the combined evaluation came from the evaluations from Massardo and Jeremy Brooks, who were also the only School Committee members to give Conti any ratings below Met or Proficient.

Community members Jami Weber and Adam Senesi brought this mismatch up during public participation prior to the Committee's discussion of the evaluation when they referenced Conti's reviews from last year.

Weber said she found them biased and questioned why member Monaco had not included any indication that there was room for improvement. Monaco, Nawoichik, and Bond gave Conti largely exemplary ratings this year, as well.

Senesi added that an evaluation should be "an opportunity to show areas for growth. Historically," he said, "I think we've missed some opportunities." He went on to cite the absence of specific, measurable, and actionable feedback in some of the narratives.

One commonality among nearly all the reviews was the mention – either direct or indirect – of the controversy of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey earlier this year, which is still a sticking point among some members of the community. For some, like Weber, it represented the last straw in a long battle with the district regarding accountability and transparency in district leadership.

In response to the evaluation, Dr. Conti acknowledged that the district's accomplishments reflect the work of approximately 750 employees. Addressing the Youth Risk Behavior Survey issue mentioned during public comment, he stated, "These are ultimately responsibility of the leader of the system. That's me." He committed to implementing changes based on the review's recommendations and noted the challenges of balancing federal and state mandates with local policies and community values. Dr. Conti expressed pride in Burlington faculty and staff for making every child feel "welcome, seen and valued."

Editor's Note: The wording above has been adjusted to reflect that community members speaking during public participation were referencing 2023-24 reviews.