School Board Chair Tim Hitchings delivered the board’s evaluation of Cambridge-Isanti Superintendent Raymond Queener’s performance at the Cambridge-Isanti School Board’s Aug. 18 regular meeting.
The board met to evaluate Queener’s performance in a closed session on June 25. Queener has been superintendent of the district since 2013.
Each board member answered 20 evaluation questions in reference to Queener’s performance. The questions required board members to rate Queener on a scale of 1 to 5, or unable to answer.
Topics covered by the questions included community involvement, staff relations and communications with the board. A rating of 1 for a question denoted unacceptable performance and a rating of 5 denoted outstanding performance. Queener’s average evaluation score was 4.764 for all questions.
“The board feels Dr. Queener is doing an excellent job in his duties as superintendent,” Hitchings said.
Queener is one of 40 superintendents from across the nation selected to participate in the American Association of School Administrators’ National Superintendent Certification program.
Since the last regular board meeting, Queener attended his first training for the program.
“It was exceptional,” Queener said. “A lot of great presenters (and) phenomenal superintendents sharing best practices.”
The 18-month program will require Queener to conceive and complete a capstone project. At the Aug. 18 meeting, he said he is determining what that project will be.
Also at meeting, Queener briefed the board on plans for a joint Truth in Taxation meeting, to be held by members of the Cambridge-Isanti School Board, the Isanti County Board and the Cambridge City Council to inform citizens about property tax policy and facilitate discussion.
The current planned date for that meeting is Thursday, Dec. 1, with an alternate date of Dec. 8.
The meeting would begin with an instructional component, composed of 10-minute presentations from each of the three governing body. This would be followed by an open forum with county commissioners, City Council members and the School Board. The meeting would then adjourn to the foyer at the Performing Arts Center, where each governing body would have a table set up. At this time residents would be free to approach members of each individual governing entity with questions or concerns. A recommendation will be brought at the September School Board meeting for the board to decide whether to join the meeting on the designated date.
In other news:
• According to the Administrative Services and Human Resources report given by director Julia Lines, the district is giving job candidates the opportunity to combine multiple part-time positions in food services, custodial service and busing in hopes of attracting more candidates to those roles.
• Finance and Operations Director Kris Crocker informed the board on the communications subcommittee’s Aug. 3 work session for a district marketing video. Work was done on a script for the video, and a shot list was made. The video is to be shot between Sept. 19 and the end of October.
