School Committee member Val Gilman was the lone vote against renewing School Superintendent Christopher Farmer’s contract with the city through 2010 Wednesday night at City Hall, after a performance review that was virtually unanimous in both praise and criticism. With “four” being considered a perfect score, Farmer earned a written average among all members of the School Committee of 3.26. After each member spoke glowingly of Farmer’s strengths — policy writing, strategy, budget savvy, keeping the interests of students at heart, taking emotion out of his decision-making — the one weakness repeated by all, including Mayor Carolyn Kirk, was Farmer’s issues with partnership and collaborative style, within the administration and among teachers and the community. It was this issue in particular that motivated Gilman to cast her vote against renewal, though she did so reluctantly and reassured Farmer that she truly admires his strengths. “I am concerned,” Gilman said. “It is so important for the superintendent to be able to work in partnership. For that reason I must vote no.” The written reviews of Farmer’s performance were to have been discussed at last week’s regular meeting, several days before Gloucester High School principal Joseph Sullivan resigned his post and generated community-wide anger and dismay at the administration for not having stood by him when the teen pregnancy story erupted in media frenzy in June. Wednesday night, th ...
Anytime
