Corporate Statement by
the NHC Board of Education Regarding the Evaluation of
Superintendent Dr. Alfred H. Lerch, Jr.
This Statement reflects the intent of
the Board not only to evaluate the Superintendent’s performance,
but to share our concerns and to make recommendations that will
help guide him during the upcoming school year.
(Overall rating score is based on a
scale 1 to 3 with 3 being the top score.)
THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT Overall
rating 2.4
The Board of Education is generally
pleased with the relationship between the Superintendent and the
Board. The Superintendent is open to suggestions and innovations
in the field of education. There is a desire that the
Superintendent directly and/or through his staff would be more
forthcoming with recommendations for improving the school
system. There is a sense that the Superintendent and/or his
staff are reluctant to openly make recommendations that lead to
change. Concerns remain about the recent changes in delivery of
our Special Education programs and we believe the Superintendent
must take a more active role in reviewing the current manner in
which Special Education is impacting students, parents and
classroom teachers. The Board looks to the Superintendent to
assure that this and all programs are implemented in a manner
consistent with the plan presented to the Board.
COMMUNITY Overall rating 2.6
The Board of Education is generally
pleased with the Superintendent’s relationship with the
community. He is described as an exceptional ambassador for the
school system and as one who shares the vision of the citizens
of New Hanover County for moving our school system forward. The
Superintendent is to be commended for his actions in improving
media relations and expansion of the role of the Communications
Officer to a prominent position on his senior staff. The Public
Relations Department has done numerous things to enhance the
visibility of our school system and to promote our activities
and events. There is a concern that the Superintendent has
failed to establish measurable goals for the system and to
publish objective accountability standards by which progress can
be clearly measured by the Board and the community. There is a
concern that the Superintendent should participate more actively
in the Board meetings or immediately correct erroneous
information.
STAFF AND PERSONNEL Overall rating 2.2
The Board of Education believes that
morale in the school system has and continues to improve. At the
same time, the Board believes that further work will be
required. It is recognized that with such a large number of
employees, there will be varying management styles and
unfortunately, some of those who choose to lead by intimidation
are still employed by our system. The Board believes the
Superintendent is working to modify the behavior of those who
engage in this type of management style. It is noted that the
Superintendent is described as one who will listen and who cares
about our staff. There is concern about his willingness to take
tough stands respecting those employees who are not performing
at an acceptable level or who do not seem to get the message of
improvement. There is a concern that the Superintendent has not
established adequate benchmarks for the system to use in
measuring the performance of our staff.
INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP Overall rating
2.2
The Board of Education agrees that the
Superintendent has raised the level of expectation within the
school system, but there is concern that it has not been raised
sufficiently. The Board looks to the Superintendent to set
measurable goals for student performance and that students,
teachers, and administrators should then be measured against
these goals. It is a concern that those goals do not appear to
exist. There is a concern that no procedure currently exists to
continually monitor the progress of our schools to determine if
they are on track to meet expected improvement. The Board would
like more information on programs that work as well as those
that do not work and what is being done to correct those
programs. The Board believes it is time for the Superintendent
to establish specific goals with specific timelines for
improvements in each of our schools.
BUSINESS AND FINANCE Overall rating 2.6
With respect to monetary issues, the
Board of Education is highly satisfied with the work of the
Finance Department. The Superintendent and the staff of the
Finance Department are to be praised for all their work not only
in keeping our records in good condition but also their work
this year in this tight budget to help us weather these times
with minimal discomfort. The Board is concerned about other
issues associated with the business of the school system. There
are concerns about the Title IX issue and the issue of
cleanliness of our schools. The Board feels that while much of
the Title IX issue developed under prior superintendents, that
the current Superintendent should have been more forthcoming
about the current state of our school system and the lack of
compliance. While the Board does not expect the Superintendent
to personally examine each of these issues, we do expect him to
provide clear direction to his senior staff to keep him and the
Board informed as to the conditions of our school system and
when required, to take such remedial actions as needed to
protect our financial credibility. The Board expects the
Superintendent to be a strong leader in managing the business of
education in New Hanover County.
PERSONAL QUALITIES Overall rating 2.4
As a person, the Superintendent exhibits
excellent personal qualities. The Superintendent is a gentleman
who represents the school system in a professional manner and is
well respected by the members of the community. The
Superintendent is not a dynamic speaker and the Board would
encourage him to work on becoming a stronger and more confident
speaker.
PLANNING Overall rating 2.4
The Board of Education is glad that the
Superintendent has begun a program for developing a strategic
plan for the school system. The Board believes that this will
help to develop a better vision for the delivery of a quality
education within the county. The Board believes the school
system is moving forward.
SUMMARY
The Board of Education is generally
pleased with the past year’s performance of Dr. Lerch as the
Superintendent, but at the same time believes there is still
room for further educational progress. New Hanover County is a
school system in improvement. We believe the Superintendent has
begun the process of improving the quality of education in New
Hanover County. We believe he is focused on raising the level of
education in our school system. We look forward to working with
the Superintendent in developing clearly defined goals and
benchmarks for the coming year. We compliment the Superintendent
and his staff in their work during this difficult budget period
and look forward to his continued dedication to our school
system.
