Adrian Board of Education begins discussion of Superintendent Nate Parker's goals
ADRIAN — After taking over superintendent duties of Adrian Public Schools in April, a lot has already been accomplished by Nate Parker in just under three months on the job.
That was the general consensus among the Adrian Board of Education during its meeting Monday, as discussions started regarding the superintendent goals and expectations for the district during the 2022-23 school year.
Board President Beth Ferguson highlighted some of the goals the board was hoping Parker would address throughout the upcoming school year including increasing the number of school of choice students coming into the district; working with new athletic director Chad O’Brien to update the district’s athletic game plan; making constant efforts to promote Adrian’s arts, academics and athletic offerings; and continuing to revamp the district’s Playbill arts plan for all kindergarten through 12th grade students.
The board is also hoping Parker can continue to address the importance of getting young elementary students to the third grade reading level, an educational measurement set by the state of Michigan that states students who are not proficient readers by third grade can repeat a grade. Extra supports have increasingly become available to schools to help children be proficient readers by third grade.
As part of the superintendent’s contract, there is an expectation the superintendent will complete various school year goals, designed to advance the district, according to an executive summary from the board. The goals will be evaluated at the end of the 2022-23 school year.
Goals will be paid out at a maximum of $10,800.
The superintendent is also to provide a written self-evaluation and attach supporting evidence for the completion of each specified goal area, the board’s summary said.
During the superintendent hiring process earlier this year, candidates for the superintendency, including Parker, were asked to address the importance of the third grade reading law as part of the interview process. The law, Parker said, needs to be addressed and evaluated as often as possible.
“At the end of the day, we want Mr. Parker to have a tool that assures us third graders can read,” Ferguson said. “We feel that is important in the educational journey of our students.”
The Adrian schools have not conducted a strategic planning process in nearly seven years, board trustee Michael Ballard said. With new leadership at the district, now would be a good time to get that started and begin a team-building process, he said.
In addition to Parker still being fairly new as superintendent, the district also has new building principals for the next school year at Adrian High, Springbrook Middle and Lincoln Elementary schools.
“I’m excited to see how things work together for the next school year,” Parker said. “We’re doing a lot and we’ve kept a lot the same. We must remember that it’s all about the kids.”
Vice president Jon Baucher said the district should look back on the school year that just wrapped up and notice the successes of a school year that bounced back from several COVID-19 affected years, making Adrian “the best darn school in the state.”
Parker’s first 90 days as superintendent will be marked June 30.
In his near first 90 days, Baucher said Parker has exceeded the board’s expectations for what he has already managed to accomplish.
“Keep running, man,” he said. “You’re doing a great job.”
Ballard said it was a deliberate decision on the part of the board to hire Parker during the school year so that he could get engrained with the schools and began forming relationships with administration, while also learning on the job from former Adrian Superintendent Bob Behnke.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Adrian school board begins discussion of 2022-23 superintendent goals
