The Manitowoc School District Board of Education on July 22 held a special workshop led by Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) consultant Patty Vickman that focused on governance responsibilities, board-superintendent relationships and the district’s superintendent-evaluation process. The board voted during the meeting to confirm a personnel appointment for Lincoln High School and later moved to adjourn.

The workshop, described by Vickman as an overview of WASB’s essential governance elements, emphasized the board’s central mission "governing for high levels of learning for all children," and walked members through roles, levels of authority and norms for board conduct. Vickman said the WASB “beyond first year” superintendent-evaluation framework would be appropriate for the district’s superintendent because he has been on the job since last October and has already completed community outreach and other introductory tasks.

Why it matters: the evaluation framework and the board’s governance norms determine how the board oversees district goals, evaluates the superintendent and requests information from staff. Vickman and district leaders recommended an annual evaluation cycle and a goal-setting process tied to the district’s strategic planning and incoming data.

During the meeting, Superintendent Lee Tennis participated in the discussion and Vickman outlined the WASB process steps: a superintendent self-evaluation, board member ratings on administrative leadership standards, at least two review meetings (midyear formative check and a summative evaluation), and a final written summary that becomes part of the public record. Vickman noted the WASB online tool produces a consolidated report for the board and the superintendent.

Board members completed team-building exercises and worked through scenarios that distinguished board oversight from operational duties reserved for the superintendent and staff. Vickman advised that individual board members should route substantive requests for staff reports through the superintendent or board officers so the district can prioritize administrative workload and preserve the chain of command.

The board and WASB also discussed timing for goal setting tied to strategic-plan data. Vickman said the board and superintendent "decided that that goal setting process would probably wait till October because they'll have some important data pieces coming in," and recommended using that consolidated information when setting superintendent goals.

Votes at a glance: the meeting recorded two formal motions: the board approved the hire of Patricia Israel as associate principal at Lincoln High School (mover identified as Keith Shaw; second not specified in the transcript) and later approved a motion to adjourn (mover not clearly identified in the record; a second was recorded as Anne [Ann Holzen]). The meeting transcript records voices saying "All those in favor say aye" at the personnel vote; the motion was carried.

The workshop closed with guidance on board norms, communication practices, avoiding "walking quorums," and using the WASB evaluation tool. Vickman offered to collect the board’s follow-up notes and to help schedule the online evaluation timeline; she also noted the WASB evaluation platform includes training videos and a resource manual. Vickman told the group the online evaluation tool is provided free for one year; renewal after that is an annual subscription (stated in the workshop as $390).