Board reports superintendent’s annual evaluation as “highly effective” after closed meeting

At its June 24 meeting the St. Louis Park School Board summarized the conclusions of a closed‑door annual evaluation of Superintendent Dr. Hynes, reporting the board rated her performance largely as “highly effective.”

The board disclosed that it held a closed meeting on June 23 to evaluate the superintendent “pursuant to Minnesota statute 13D.05 subdivision 3(a),” and that Dr. Hynes did not request an open meeting. The board said the superintendent and all seven board members attended the closed session.

According to the public summary read at the June 24 meeting, the board and the superintendent had set four performance focus areas at the start of the year using the Minnesota School Boards Association rubric: goals and strategic plan, information for decision making, district finances and relationships with community. Performance for each area is measured on a four‑level scale (highly effective, effective, developing, ineffective).

The board’s public statement said Dr. Hynes “drove diligently to get to know our students, staff, parents, and community members” while addressing a roughly $2,000,000 budget shortfall. The statement said the board found Hynes “highly effective” at listening to the community and developing goals tied to the district strategic plan, establishing roles for governance staff, and working with stakeholders to balance long‑range data with community concerns. The board said it would continue to support Hynes as she begins a second year leading the district.

The board read the statutory notice confirming a public body may close a meeting to evaluate an individual it employs and must summarize conclusions in public afterward. Several board members echoed appreciation for the superintendent’s work during board discussion that followed the summary.