Newport Independent Schools Superintendent Tony Watts received high marks from the board of education in his first evaluation as the district's leader.
Watts was brought in as superintendent more than a year ago when the COVID-19 pandemic was emerging.
"Mr. Watts was hired at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he did a great job of keeping our students, teachers, staff and families safe," said Newport Board of Education member Aaron Sutherland. "I have been impressed. He brings a breadth of experience to our schools, especially with regard to improving academic performance."
Newport Board of Education vice Chair Julie Smith-Morrow said she has been "personally thrilled" with Superintendent Watts's leadership.
"He hit the ground running, has never slowed down, and has performed very well despite many challenges," Smith-Morrow said. "When we think about how much COVID dominated all our lives during the past year we’ll want to remember that the leader of our school district had to manage COVID, because he had a tremendous responsibility for the health and safety of all our students, teachers, staff, and all their families.
"I hope we will also remember that dealing with COVID was layered on top of all Mr. Watts other responsibilities for leading his team in teaching our children, finances, transportation, curriculum, facilities, and food service," she said. "He did not miss a single step."
For an annual performance evaluation of the superintendent, the Newport board of education uses a tool developed by the Kentucky Department of Education. It relies on seven fundamental standards for leadership - strategic, instructional, cultural, human resources, managerial, collaborative, and influential.
Board members then look for indicators of the superintendent’s performance on each standard throughout the year and select a score for each from among the four options - exemplary, accomplished, developing, or growth required.
The board rated Watts exemplary on strategic, cultural, and managerial leadership. He was rated accomplished in instructional, human resources, collaborative, and influential leadership.
Smith-Morrow said the board members were especially pleased with Watts's:
- Strategic efforts in developing a strong relationship with his board, principals, and staff, and for modeling and supporting our district’s reimaging.
- Positive effect on the district’s culture through his calm demeanor, leading by example while setting high standards for all, and ownership of an initiative to understand all our implicit biases.
- Courageous leadership on Kentucky legislation that demonstrated his keen understanding of the political, social, legal, ethical, and cultural issues that can affect our students and our district.
"Mr. Watts has implemented a variety of interventions targeting our students' needs in an effort to improve Newport Independent School District’s academic performance on state testing and overall," Sutherland said. "I am confident in Mr. Watts's leadership as superintendent and I am excited to work with him to continue improving Newport’s schools."
The board also set goals for Mr. Watts for the next year, including:
- Plan for improved academic performance and measure achievement progress.
- Continue developing processes and systems for recruiting, inducting, supporting, and retaining a highly effective, diverse staff.
- Continue building community relationships by engaging stakeholders.
-Staff report
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July 13, 2021 at 06:17AM
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Newport Superintendent Praised in First Evaluation from Board - The River City News
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