School Committee grades Superintendent’s performance with exemplary marks

By Neil Zolot

The Everett School Committee rated School Superintendent William Hart as exemplary in its evaluation of his performance in the 2024-25 school year, in a report released at the School Committee meeting on Monday, October 6. Seven members rated his overall performance as exemplary. Three rated his performance as proficient. Later in the meeting he outlined his goals and strategic priority areas for this school year.

“The Superintendent is paying attention to important central operating issues, such as capital needs for school buildings and ensuring the district’s technical infrastructure is secure,” Mayor and School Committee member Carlo DeMaria wrote in the evaluation. “These are examples of how his prior executive management and operations experience are proving to be an asset to the Everett Public Schools,” a reference to Hart’s experience as a teacher at Bunker Hill Community College and being head of the state Association of Community Colleges.

“In my years as a School Committee member, I have never been more excited about the future of the Everett Public Schools,” member at-Large Joseph LaMonica wrote. “Mr. Hart keeps us focused on our students!”

“The Superintendent holds himself to a higher standard and expects his staff to follow suit,” Ward 1 member Margaret Cornelio wrote. “These standards put students and their families first!”

School Committee member at-Large and Chair Samantha Hurley praised Hart’s role in successful negotiations with employee bargaining units, one of his goals for 2024-25.

Ward 3 member and School Committee Vice Chair Jeanne Cristiano praised Hart’s “immediate focus on learning in general” and his hiring of an Assistant for Teaching, Learning and Student Success, another one of his goals. She called him a visionary leader and a team player in remarks at the meeting. “I want to thank Mr. Hart for doing what we hired him to do,” she said.

“We’re glad to have you as Superintendent,” Student Representative Emma Perry told Hart. “I want to thank you for your hard work.”

Eight members evaluated Hart as exceeding goals — hiring an Assistant for Teaching, Learning and Student Success and successful negotiations with employee bargaining units. Two rated him as meeting the goals. Seven members rated Hart’s performance as exemplary in meeting state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) standards for instructional leadership, management and operations and fostering a professional culture. Three rated him as proficient. Eight members rated Hart’s performance in family and community engagement as exemplary, while two rated his performance as proficient.

“I am extremely grateful to have received an exemplary rating from the School Committee in the evaluation,” he said after the meeting. “I share this recognition with everyone in the school system, from my team in central administration to the talented and dedicated educators who work in our schools and classrooms every day. I look forward to continuing our forward movement as we move through the 2025-26 school year and beyond.”

During the meeting Hart plunged right into a briefing on his goals for this year as proceedings continued. As he has at previous meetings, he stressed the importance of safe and well-maintained schools and access to high-quality instructional materials and technology as prerequisites for effective teaching and comprehensive, effective learning. The themes of his goals: Infrastructure related to overcrowding, technology, safety and emergency planning and staffing; Academic and Student Success related to social and emotional wellness, academic achievement and literacy, technical education, and enrichment; and Career Pathways and Partnerships related to student internships and early college credit.

District Improvement Goals include “creating a culture of lifelong learning for students and staff focused on a growth mindset, resilience and critical thinking skills,” with objectives to “create pathway models for students that include, but are not limited to, job shadowing, internships, early college exploration, pathways to technical education and dual enrollment programs,” possibly with colleges or technical schools outside the District and “offer professional development offerings and student enrichment programs that focus on a growth mindset, positivity, collaboration and critical thinking.”

Another District Improvement Goal is to “create opportunities for families and the community to gather, learn and create through well-planned and executed engagement programs, social media campaigns and annual events to promote a sense of belonging and create a welcoming environment at engagement events for students, families and employees,” which might include get-to-know-you social events, cultural fairs and parent orientations, often called Parent University.

A Professional Practice Goal is “to implement best-practices that attract and retain exceptional educators, employees and building leaders,” with objectives to “create a mentoring program for new leaders and encourage professional networking and develop, update and implement comprehensive employee manuals and training materials.”

One Student Learning Goal dovetails with plans to improve state Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test scores, reading, “Educators will intentionally implement student centered literary instructional strategies with high quality materials to plan data-driven instruction ensuring all students, especially those with disabilities and multi-language learners, experience targeted, rigorous instruction that leads to grade-level proficiency in reading fluency, comprehension and academic language development.”