Louisiana superintendents group praises Patrick Jenkins, St. Landry School Board disagrees
St. Landry Parish Superintendent Patrick Jenkins received a vastly different evaluation from the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents and the District school board members who delivered his annual job performance score during a closed meeting Thursday night.
Just hours after Jenkins was saluted for his “outstanding leadership” and named state Superintendent of the Year, by the LASS, board members rated his overall 2022 job performance as one that “needs improvement” seven months before his current contract is scheduled to expire.
Jenkins said he had no statement to provide after board members presented him with the averaged performance score during the open portion of the meeting.
In a news release issued prior to the start of the Thursday night meeting, LASS complimented Jenkins’ “leadership for learning, communication, professionalism and community involvement.
Board members also had no comment as they left the meeting room after delivering their evaluation scores for Jenkins, who was hired as superintendent in October 2016.
Since his hiring, Jenkins has requested and received several contract extensions from board members. His latest extension is scheduled to expire June 30.
Board members are required under the terms of Jenkins’ current contract to notify him at least 120 days before the end of his current contract whether they intend to provide him with another extension or a new contract, said board member Mary Ellen Donatto.
Jenkins preferred not to comment in detail about the results of his evaluation.
“I really have nothing to say other than I was happy to have received superintendent of the year. I think the work that I have done (in St. Landry) speaks for itself and I am going to leave it at that,” Jenkins said.
During several recent annual evaluations provided by the Board, Jenkins was rated as either highly proficient or proficient.
Jenkins indicated that the scoring on his annual evaluation ranged from exemplary to unacceptable.
Jenkins’ average 2022 score provided by board members on Thursday night was a “25,” which put him one point short of being scored proficient.
A former math teacher, Jenkins sarcastically joked as he left the meeting room that his score on Thursday night reflected “linear regression.”
Individual scoring released publicly after the evaluation indicates board member Myron Guillory, who did not attend the meeting, scored Jenkins “exemplary.” Guillory gave Jenkins a perfect average of 40.
Board members Milton Ambres, Raymond Cassimere, Joyce Haynes, Donnie Perron, Bianca Vedell and Anthony Standberry gave Jenkins a proficient rating.
Standberry’s average score of “35,” placed Jenkins in the highly proficient category.
Board member Randy Wagley gave Jenkins a “10,” which indicated that Wagley rated Jenkins’ performance as unacceptable.
Kyle Boss, Josh Boudreaux, Donatto, Albert Hayes and Hazel Sias scored Jenkins as “needing improvement.” Boudreaux also did not attend the meeting but handed in his evaluation score.
Boudreaux, Hayes, Perron and Guillory were not reelected Nov. 6.
Included in the LASS news release was a statement by Jenkins that said working as the St. Landry superintendent has been “a dream fulfilled.”
Jenkins, who graduated from Opelousas High School, said in the news release that “this parish “has a special place in my heart and I have a strong desire to see the educational successes we can bring about (in St. Landry). I am immensely proud of the work we have done and the turnaround we have created for kids and the community we serve,”
This article originally appeared on Opelousas Daily World: Louisiana education group lauds Patrick Jenkins, school board disagrees
