HADLEY – School Committee members presented Superintendent Anne McKenzie with an exemplary overall rating at their June 27 meeting, the highest possible mark, for her performance throughout the school year of achieving the standards she has outlined.

“At the end of the year, the School Committee is required to rate me on each standard and then provide a summative, overall rating,” McKenzie said. “Those ratings are then submitted to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.”

The four standards were instructional leadership, management and operations, family and community engagement, and professional culture – which were to be rated exemplary, proficient, needs improvement or unsatisfactory. The committee wholly agreed that McKenzie had earned an exemplary rating for every standard except family and community engagement, which was rated proficient.

“I would say that the standard three, family and community engagement in particular as we look at the great progress made this year through open houses and World Fair-type events, I think that there’s probably still work to do,” said committee Chair Humera Fasihuddin. “I’m glad that we’re surveying families to get feedback and I’m really glad that we have the school council thinking about the same kinds of things and really honing them into a strategic objective that is aligned with the School Committee.”

Committee member Tara Brugger seconded Fasihuddin’s statement and agreed that McKenzie was exceptional in almost every category. She added that she thinks family and community feedback can be an unfair category because there is always room to improve that area and it’s something that all school officials need to constantly monitor and modernize as communication needs and methods evolve.

“That first category, instructional leadership in particular, I feel like our administration is really good at getting feedback,” Brugger said. “Feedback from families, feedback from students particularly at the high school level and feedback from staff. More importantly, you don’t just get that feedback; you do something with it.”

McKenzie gave credit for all of the district’s accomplishments to the staff, collectively and individually on all levels.

“Thank all of you for your feedback, I appreciate it deeply and it’s extremely generous,” McKenzie said. “I agree, the work in family and community engagement is never done. I’m grateful for the School Committee for helping me with that. […] I don’t know that I would ever be satisfied with that because there’s always more and I don’t engage every group equally well, and I’m keenly aware of that and I aspire to do that but I know that’s not the case right now.”

Fasihuddin expressed his confidence in McKenzie and her work.

“Personally, I think you’re doing a pretty phenomenal job and I really appreciated seeing as much progress as we’ve made on the instructional leadership side and the addition of as much grant funding as you’ve brought to the schools, I’ve really appreciated that a lot of your items here are rooted in surveying educators for their feedback as well as students and families,” Fasihuddin said. “Please do extend our thanks to your extraordinary team. We recognize that you’ve assembled an incredible cast of characters who is extraordinarily competent at their jobs and that you are an incredible mentor to them and that is demonstrated by the consistently high praise that you get from all stakeholders including us, so thank you again for all of your hard work and dedication to us.”