203.01

ADMINISTRATION                            DELETED 10/22/07

Leadership Assistance Team: Establishment/Appointment

• By action of the Board 9/20/76, 12/13/82; Revised 7/8/91, 2/7/94, 11/23/98; Deleted 10/22/07

• Edited 10/07

203.02

ADMINISTRATION                                         DELETED 11/23/98

Leadership Assistance Team: Appointment    (Deleted / See 203.1)

• By action of the Board 9/20/76, Revised 12/13/82, 2/7/94;  DELETED 11/23/98 

• Edited 11/98

 203.03

ADMINISTRATION

Administrative Leeway in Absence of Board Policy

The administration shall have the latitude to make policy decisions in day-to-day matters when current board policy is insufficient to cover the question. The administration is expected to make the decision in the best interests of the District and the education of the students, in line with the philosophy of the District.

The administration shall notify the Board at the next regular meeting of all occurrences where a board policy is needed for the future.

• By action of the Board 9/20/76; Revised 12/13/82, Revised 11/12/90; Reviewed 11/23/98 ; Reviewed 10/22/07

• Edited 10/07

203.04

ADMINISTRATION

Review of Administrative Decisions

It shall be the policy of the District to allow for Board review of administrative decisions.

Administrators may be requested to share with the Board the conditions surrounding a situation and the rationale for the decision in a particular case.

• By action of the Board 9/20/76, 12/13/82; Revised 9/17/90; Reviewed 11/23/98; Reviewed 10/22/07

• Edited 10/07

203.05

ADMINISTRATION

Principal Classifications

The following shall be the policy of the District.

Elementary Principal:

The administrator responsible for the operation of one or more elementary schools.

Secondary Principal:

The administrator responsible for the operation of a secondary school.

Associate Secondary Principal:

The administrator assisting with the operation of a secondary school, or who is in charge of a secondary unit, but directly responsible to a secondary principal.

• Cross Reference: Administrative Regulation 203.05A, Administrative Regulation 203.05B

• By action of the Board 9/20/76, Revised 12/13/82, Reviewed 7/8/91; 11/23/98; Reviewed 10/22/07

• Edited 10/07

203.06

ADMINISTRATION

Administrators' Professional Organizations

The Davenport Principals' Association shall be recognized by the Board as a professional organization representing principals and associate principals for purposes of meeting and discussing matters of mutual concern with the Superintendent.

• By action of the Board 9/20/76, Revised 12/13/82, Reviewed 12/9/85, Revised 7/8/91; Reviewed 11/23/98; Revised 10/22/07

• Edited 10/07

203.07

ADMINISTRATION

Graduate School Attendance for Administrators

Permission to be absent from duty to attend summer school in a recognized graduate program related to the administrator's job responsibility may be granted by the Superintendent without loss of salary. The administrative absence shall normally coincide with the administrator's vacation period. In individual cases, when additional time is needed, the Superintendent may approve additional leave without loss of salary.

• By action of the Board 9/20/76, Reviewed 12/13/82, Reviewed 7/8/91; 11/23/98; Revised 10/22/07

• Edited 10/07

203.08

ADMINISTRATION

Vacations

Policy regarding vacations for Administrative Officers including Principals and Supervisory Personnel.

Twelve-Month Contract Employees:

All certificated employees in this category shall have four-week vacations, exclusive of holidays. This vacation may be taken anytime during the calendar year when approved by the Superintendent.

220-Day Employees:

The contract year for these employees shall be from August 1 through June 30. The month of July shall be considered as the normal vacation period . Principals should work out a vacation schedule with their Associate Principals so that the principal is on the job starting the 1st of August. Vacations requested to be taken at any other time than indicated above may be taken upon approval by the Superintendent, and then only if a very unusual situation exists which prohibits the employee from taking vacation during July.

All holidays granted by the Board of Directors to twelve-month employees plus the days during the winter vacation period and the spring vacation period may be taken by the 220-day employees without loss of any vacation time.

215, 210, 207, 205, 200, 195, 185-Day Employees:

The contract year for employees in these groups shall be established by the administration. The employees shall be on duty during the school year, before the start of the school year, and after the close of the school year, as established by the administration. Vacations requested during the scheduled work time may only be approved by the Superintendent, and then only if a very unusual situation exists.

All holidays granted by the Board to twelve-month employees plus the days during the winter vacation period and the spring vacation period may be taken by employees in these groups without loss of any vacation time.

• By action of the Board 9/20/76, Revised 12/13/82, Revised 7/8/91; Reviewed 11/23/98; Reviewed 10/22/07 

• Edited 10/07

203.09

ADMINISTRATION

Evaluation of Administrators

It shall be the policy of the District that each administrator shall be evaluated on an annual basis. Evaluations may occur at a more frequent rate if superiors request the evaluation or if the administrator to be evaluated requests a more frequent evaluation.

Guidelines and procedures for the evaluation of administrators shall be developed by the administration and approved by the Board.

• Cross Reference: Board Policy 201.01 Superintendent, Administrative Regulation 203.09A

• By action of the Board 9/20/76, Revised 12/13/82, Reviewed 7/8/91; 11/23/98; Revised 10/22/07

• Edited 10/07

203.10

ADMINISTRATION

Evaluation of Superintendent

Preamble

Evaluation of the superintendent shall be motivational and developmental. It shall aid in planning and in communication; ultimately, the effective evaluation of the superintendent will help to assure a good education for the students in our schools.

The evaluation of the superintendent will enable the superintendent to become more effective. This notion rests upon the premise that a successful person can become even more so, and a less effective individual can attain greater competence, given the opportunity and an imaginative evaluation process.

The route to improvement is through planning. The superintendent and the Board must plan together. Planning must be an integral part of evaluation. It consists of a step-by-step process enabling the participants to move toward intended ends. Systematic planning, including the establishment of objectives, implementation, and measurement of results, is the best route to meaningful evaluation.

Evaluation is best accomplished through the use of specific objectives which reflect, as closely as possible, mutual agreement of the superintendent and Board. It is important that final judgments about the superintendent's effectiveness be based upon measurable results. If the evaluation process is to yield positive and productive benefits, it must be more than a culminating post-performance checklist type of assessment.

Steps and Time Line for Superintendent's Evaluation

The evaluation of the superintendent shall be completed prior to April 1 of each year. Since the process generally will take six weeks, initial steps should begin around February 1 each year.

Steps:

1. The superintendent is requested to meet with the Board prior to February 15. One week prior to this meeting, the superintendent will send to the Board a written self-evaluation. Prior to meeting, board members will communicate any questions about the self-evaluation or a need for clarification to the Board President, who in turn, will communicate these to the superintendent. The purpose of the meeting is for the superintendent to present the self-evaluation of the preceding year's performance.
   
   That evaluation should include but is not limited to a review of individual professional and system goals set during the previous evaluation, and their current status. This meeting is to be a presentation by the superintendent, not a question-answer period.
   

2. Following the self-evaluation, each board member completes the evaluation questionnaire and returns it to the Board President for summation. This phase shall be completed no later than March 1.
   

3. The Board President shall then summarize the individual board member ratings using this procedure.

Using a form similar to the evaluation instrument, the following shall be recorded:

1. Next to each item the frequency for each rating category;

2. Next to each item the mean (average) for that item;

3. A listing of all comments for each item; and

4. All general comments.

4. No later than April 1, the Board shall meet with the superintendent to review the results of the summary evaluation. One week prior to this meeting, the Board and the superintendent will receive a copy of the summary evaluation. At this meeting, the Board and the superintendent shall have a dialogue concerning any aspects of the evaluation deemed appropriate.
   

5. By May 1, the Board will take action on matters of the superintendent's contract and salary.
   

6. At the first regularly scheduled meeting in May, the superintendent shall submit to the Board a written copy of individual professional goals and system objectives for the following year. These goals and objectives shall reflect the results of the dialogue between the Board and the superintendent described in point 4.
   

7. These meetings may be held in closed session when permitted by Iowa law and requested by the superintendent.

• Legal References: Iowa Code Chapter 279.8, 279.20, .23, .23 A, .25 (1989) 81 Iowa Admin. Code 12.3(4) (New Standards)

• Cross Reference: Board Policy 903.6 Closed/Exempt Sessions

• By action of the Board 9/17/90; Revised 6/22/98

• Edited 6/22/98

203.11

ADMINISTRATION

Dissemination of Policy

The Board Policy Manual shall be available in hard copy or in electronic format at the administrative office of each school attendance center, the Administrative Service Center, and in the Board Secretary's office. Each school board members shall have a copy of the board policy manual if requested.

The Superintendent and other appropriate administrators shall have a copy of the board policy manual upon request. Persons wishing to inspect the board policy manual shall contact the Board Secretary, who shall have a board policy manual available for public inspection.

It shall be the responsibility of the Board Secretary to ensure that any adoptions, revisions, or deletions in board policies are brought to the attention of all district administrators and board members. The policies shall be updated on the district Website within 30 working days of the approved changes or additions.

It shall be the responsibility of all persons who have a board policy manual to keep the manual up to date and to surrender the manual to the Board Secretary at the conclusion of their tenures.

• Legal References: Iowa Code §§ 277.31

• By action of the Board 9/17/90; Reviewed 11/23/98; Revised 9/18/00; Reviewed 10/22/07

• Edited 10/07

203.12

ADMINISTRATION

Review of Administrative Regulations

It shall be the responsibility of the Superintendent of Schools to develop administrative regulations, and where necessary, to implement the board policies. The regulations will be shared with the Board as soon as they are developed. Administrative regulations will be available within a reasonable time period following the adoption of a board policy.

Administrative regulations shall be maintained in the Administrative Procedures Handbook by the superintendent.

The Administrative Procedures Handbook shall be housed in the administrative office of each school attendance center and each school board member also shall have a copy. All other appropriate administrators will have a copy of the handbook. The superintendent will ensure that copies of new and revised regulations are distributed to the custodians of Administrative Procedures Handbooks within thirty working days of the change or addition to the handbook.

It shall be the responsibility of each person possessing a handbook to keep it up to date and to surrender it to the superintendent at the conclusion of the person's tenure in the district.

• Legal References: Iowa Code Chapter 279.8 (1989). 281 Iowa Admin. Code 12.3(2) (New Standards)

• Cross Reference: Board Policy 203.11 Dissemination of Policy

• By action of the Board 9/17/90; Reviewed 11/23/98

• Edited 11/98

ADMINISTRATION

Collaborative Decision-Making

The Board believes collaborative decision-making has the potential to develop open communication, trust and the ability to problem solve for the improvement of the Davenport schools.  Collaborative decision-making provides meaningful employee involvement in educational decision-making.

The quality of decisions is strengthened when the process used includes diverse perspectives and involves stakeholder groups in a meaningful way.  When decisions are made as close to the point of implementation as practical, those who assume the responsibility for the decision also assume accountability for it.  Responsible collaborative decision-making at all levels of the organization is an effective process to quality improvement.

Collaborative decision-making can create an environment that listens better and responds more quickly to parents and students.  It can also improve the work environment of school building employees, thus improving the learning environment of the students.

In order to clarify the process and provide structure, parameters will be developed and reviewed on a continuous basis.

• By Board action:  Adopted 8/24/98; Revised 8/14/00; Reviewed 10/22/07

• Cross Reference:  Administrative Regulation 203.13A

• Edited 10/07