Schools Superintendent Tom Jefferson’s performance evaluation notes that he has been in the difficult situation of trying to do his job while working with a School Committee that has been “sharply divided” during the past year. We can relate. The philosophical differences that divide the committee are reflected in the community, where residents seem to be in camps passionately supporting one faction or another. Reporting on these differences is challenging, since people tend to view any “air time” given to one side or the other as bias.

Jefferson’s performance evaluation seems to be a current “flash point” in town and, along with the topic of the extension of his contract, is at the heart of many a heated discussion. However, based on what we saw on the cable-TV recast of the April 27 meeting where the evaluation was presented and the contract was extended, it doesn’t seem to be Jefferson’s evaluation that is at issue. We did not hear anyone speak negatively about his performance. What we heard was people questioning the timing of the contract extension, and the judgment of the School Committee in granting the extension for another 14 months, only seven months after granting an extension that would take the contract out to June 2011, already covering two more full school years.

School Committee members have said that the evaluation and contract extension are linked, and that it made sense for the sitting committee members to take action on both, since they are the ones who have worked with the superintendent for the past year. It seems that it is this linkage that is causing some consternation for people. While Jefferson’s evaluation was a positive one, the rating of “meets expectations”—in some cases on goals that have not yet been completed—does not seem like the kind of over-the-top rating that would justify extraordinary decisions regarding the contract. We fully agree that it is absolutely appropriate for the sitting committee to perform the superintendent’s evaluation. But we don’t understand the apparent rush to extend the contract. The extension would make sense to us if there were only one year left on the contract, but with two years left, it seems premature.