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Teacher urges Colonial Heights School Board to simplify evaluation system, citing excessive workload
Summary
At the April 28 meeting, Tussing Elementary teacher Tracy Ridpath asked the Colonial Heights School Board to streamline the local Teacher Performance Evaluation System (TPES), arguing the current documentation requirements are duplicative and burdensome; a resident echoed the call.
Teacher Tracy Ridpath urged the Colonial Heights School Board to simplify the division’s Teacher Performance Evaluation System during the board’s April 28 meeting, arguing the current process places an unreasonable documentation burden on teachers and evaluators.
Ridpath, who identified herself as a Tussing Elementary teacher of 31 years, said the locally developed TPES—sometimes referred to in the meeting as the “red binder”—requires multiple hours of work from teachers each year. “With the increased workload since COVID, we believe it's time to switch our evaluations to only including the principal's observations and SMART goals,” Ridpath said, urging the board to revisit the policy.
At the same time, resident Rick Ripeth, who identified himself as Ridpath’s husband and lives in Colonial Heights, described witnessing positive interactions between administrators and students and questioned the need to convert those observations into extensive written documentation. Citing the Code of Virginia, Ripeth said the length and complexity of the local documentation requirements are “unnecessary” for veteran teachers and create redundancy for staff and retirees. “It is not necessary because I observed it,” he said of onerous documentation requirements, and asked the board to reopen the evaluation policy for review.
Board members listened and thanked the speakers; there was no formal board action on TPES at the meeting. The board’s public packet referenced Virginia State Code provisions related to conflicts of interest during roll call and a speaker referenced the Code of Virginia in describing the evaluation documentation.
The speakers asked the board to formally reassess TPES and consider adopting a lighter-touch system emphasizing principal observations and SMART goals. Board members did not vote on the request at the April 28 meeting; Ridpath and Ripeth said they hope the item will be placed on a future agenda for formal consideration.
