School board evaluates Whitesell
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POLSON — Teachers in School District 23 returned to school for a Pupil Instruction Related day on Jan. 4. Polson High School Athletic Director Scott Wilson shared at the Jan. 9 Polson School Board of Trustees meeting how the teachers used that time to work on district goals. After they were divided into 10 groups with 10 facilitators, the teachers commented on each goal. Common themes were communication among teachers, budget questions, program consistency throughout grade levels, and the Montana Behavioral Institute and emergency procedures. The comments will be compiled and distributed to the school board.
A major item on the meeting agenda was the evaluation of Superintendent David Whitesell. Whitesell waived his right of privacy so the evaluation could be public.
The evaluation forms had been circulated to the trustees and were compiled by Trustees Bob Hanson and John Laimbeer. Laimbeer cut and pasted all the answers, “every bullet and every word,” into a 27-page document. Hanson “threw out the anomalies,” two evaluations which rated Whitesell a 1, the lowest possible, in every category.
The average turned out to be no lower than 3 and no higher than 3.5, Hanson said.
In commenting on the tool used for the evaluation, Trustee Brian Havlovick said, “I don’t care about my opinion. I think we should see what progress we are making towards the educational system.”
Chair Caryl Cox said the evaluation was not an opportunity for board members to attack one another. “We have a difference of opinion. It’s pretty apparent to anyone observing this board for the last year,” Cox continued, adding that she would not entertain any public comment on the evaluation.
Whitesell questioned this, saying public comment is one of the reasons to do the evaluation in the open. He also stated, “There will be no verbal response from me tonight. I will respond in writing.”
After contacting attorney Michael Dahlem, the board confirmed that public comment on the issue wasn’t necessary. He also noted that the evaluation document becomes the property of the employee, and he may publish it if he wants too.
Each trustee read a portion of his or her evaluation of Whitesell regarding the strategic leadership and district culture. (A complete copy of the trustees’ evaluations is available at the school district administration office.)
Trustee Nancy Lindsay began by quoting from her evaluation of Whitesell.
“To my perception, Mr. Whitesell does not show leadership. Integrity — ethics — is a primary requirement of leadership ... Mr. Whitesell exhibits absence of integrity in many ways. He is untruthful. Sometimes he directly misinforms. ... His employment practices are inconsistent and perceived as unfair,” she said.
“David was hired by this board to be strong and to make some changes to the District culture. He was asked to lead and to run this district as a district ratter than to allow it to continue to be run as five individual buildings. ... I applaud his efforts and only wish this board would support him as I still believe it is a necessary change. I have never seen David act in any way other than ethical, and I have never heard David belittle or criticize members of his staff,” Havlovick said.
“We have the worst situation in our district ... in the 22 years I have lived here,” Trustee Bob Ricketts added.
“David has done an exemplary job demonstrating leadership in the past year appropriate for the superintendent. By doing the job he was hired to do, he has not won any popularity contests, but his actions have been done to improve the quality of education for the students in our district ... putting students’ needs first and staff needs second,” Trustee Theresa Taylor noted.
As far as developing collective district vision, “The superintendent has failed in this objective,” Cox said. He has not taken any kind of initiative to work with trustees to create a unified vision. It is up to the superintendent to help board members find common ground ... Mr. Whitesell fosters dissent and differences in the board.“
She added that staff members are afraid to speak up. “A leader unites; they do not divide,” Trustee Kelly Bagnell said. “He has single handedly destroyed our district culture, which is now weighed down in mistrust and speculation.”
“From the beginning of his tenure as superintendent,” Hanson said,” Mr. Whitesell has demonstrated a vision and leadership qualities significantly beyond those of his immediate two predecessors. Those characteristics have continued to mark his performance during the current appraisal period.”
“When David disbanded the Superintendent’s Community Council, I thought that an opportunity to illustrate executive leadership and to shape school culture and climate with the community was lost. I’m glad to see some form of that (Soup on the Supt.) coming back,” Laimbeer said.
The board agreed to turn Laimbeer’s compilation into Whitesell, schedule a meeting for Jan. 18 in the PHS library to continue the evaluation and decide then on a plan of action.
In other business, Havlovick submitted an agenda item to establish a school board ethics policy. After board discussion, the motion failed 5 to 3.
The board voted to approve the Polson School Clerk’s report for December and also to approve the out-of-district enrollment.
