Section 2000 Administration

The Administration shall implement the educational philosophy, goals and objectives of the Madison Board of Education. This shall be accomplished through guidelines established by Board policies; federal, state and local law; and employee contracts.

The Administration shall demonstrate professional leadership to the staff of the Madison Public Schools and the community in promoting educational standards and resolving conflicts that relate to the school system. The Board of Education will encourage and support professional activities that enhance the leadership skills of the Administration.

The Administration, as representatives of the school system, shall strive toward developing a good working relationship with the community in order to promote and maintain quality education in Madison.

The Administration, under the direction of the Superintendent, shall be responsible for the operation of the school system and is encouraged to utilize the management team concept.

Date Adopted: September 19, 1991

All administrative and supervisory positions in the Madison Public Schools shall be established by the Madison Board of Education in accordance with Board guidelines, State law, and district goals.

The Board of Education, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, shall consider the establishment of such positions in sufficient number and with specific purpose to provide for the effective management and structure of the school system.

The Superintendent shall recommend qualified individuals for appointment by the Board to management and supervisory positions. All management and supervisory personnel shall be evaluated annually by the appropriate Administrator. A current and comprehensive set of job descriptions and evaluations for all administrative and supervisory positions in the Madison Public Schools shall be maintained by the Superintendent.

Date Adopted: September 19, 1991

The Superintendent shall establish an Organizational Structure which shall be represented in an organizational chart and presented to the Board of Education for approval. The Organizational Chart shall provide an orderly means of achieving district goals and identify lines of primary responsibility for all employees of the school district.

The lines of responsibility shall be structured to enhance:

• the coordination, consistency and delivery of instruction
• the implementation of policy
• communication of goals and objectives
• conflict resolution
• understanding of individual roles and responsibilities as they relate tostudent, staff, and administration

The Organizational Chart shall be kept current. All changes within the chart shall be subject to approval by the Board of Education. Should there be a change in the philosophy and goals which form the basis for the Organizational Structure the Board shall direct the Superintendent to establish a new chart which reflects those changes and submit it for Board approval.

Should the Board of Education, as a result of temporary constraints, find it necessary to restructure lines of responsibility, it shall request that the Superintendent amend the Organizational Chart in an appropriate manner. The amended chart shall be presented to the Board of Education for approval on a temporary basis, not to exceed one year, and shall be referred to as the Amended Organizational Chart. At the end of that time, Board approval shall be required to extend the use of the amended chart, with a designated time established for its review.

Date Adopted: September 19, 1991

The Madison Board of Education shall employ a Superintendent to serve as the chief executive officer of the Board. He/She shall be responsible for the management of the school system within local, State and Federal laws and regulations, and Board policies. The Superintendent shall be accountable to the Board, and execute all board policies and decisions. As the educational leader of the district, he/she shall develop and implement programs consistent with the goals of the Board. The Superintendent is to administer all school operations and programs so as to maximize both efficiency and educational opportunity in the district.

The Superintendent shall be certified in accordance with the requirements of the State of Connecticut. The Board shall establish and maintain a job description for the office of the Superintendent of Schools which defines the responsibilities and expectations of the position. The employment of the Superintendent shall be determined by Board election wherein a majority of all members shall be required for confirmation.

The Board shall provide a written contract of employment which shall not exceed three (3) years in duration, as limited by law. This contract shall include, but not be limited to: salary, employment, benefits and term of office. The contract shall be kept on file at the Central Office of the Board, as a matter of public record, in accordance with State statute.

Superintendent's Responsibilities:

General responsibilities of the Superintendent of Schools include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

Board Relations:

• Assist the Board in the development and review of policies and establish administrative procedures for their implementation;
• Inform the Board of its statutory obligations and limitations;
• Communicate with the Board in a timely manner and provide necessary information to allow the Board to adequately consider proposals, recommendations and actions. In cases where emergency action must be taken within the school system, the Superintendent shall have the power to take appropriate measures in accordance with Board policy.

Staff

The Superintendent is responsible for the management of all employees of the school district. He/She shall organize the staff of the school system to achieve its objectives and goals, and identify lines of primary responsibility for all employees. He / She shall:

• Recommend qualified persons for appointment by the Board to all certified administrative positions, in accordance with Policy #4112;
• Hire all certified personnel, with the exception of administrative personnel, and noncertified personnel in collaboration with appropriate administrators;
• Recommend to the board the transfer of any administrative personnel;
• Assign, transfer and evaluate all personnel, except as indicated above, in collaboration with appropriate administrators;
• Delegate the exercise of power and/or discharge of duties to appropriate school personnel. Such delegation does not relieve the Superintendent of responsibility for any actions taken under such circumstances.

Curriculum and Instruction:

Budget

Community:

Monitoring Goals and Annual Progress Report:

The Superintendent shall monitor the progress of the schools in achieving the goals of the Board regarding curriculum, school environment and school operations.

Annually, by the last regularly scheduled Board meeting in June, the Superintendent shall provide a written summary of the proceedings of the Board, and conditions and progress of the schools, as well as plans and suggestions for improvements of the schools.

Superintendent Evaluation:

The performance of the Superintendent shall be evaluated by the Board annually, in accordance with criteria and guidelines mutually predetermined and agreed to by the Board and the Superintendent.

(cf. 4111 Recruitment / Selection)

(cf. 4112 Hiring of Personnel)

Legal Reference: Connecticut General Statutes

10-145 Certificate necessary for employment

10-157 Superintendents. Relationship to local or regional board of education; verification of certification status, written contract for employment; evaluation of Superintendent by board of education.

1-210 Access to public records. Exempt records.

1-214 Public employment contracts as public records

Date of Adoption: June 25, 1991

Date of Revision: March 17, 1992

Technical Revision: March 21, 2006

Technical Revision: September 17, 2013

The Superintendent shall have the power to act when emergency action must be taken within the school system and the Board of Education has provided no guidelines for administrative action.

It shall be the duty of the Superintendent to notify the Board of Education promptly of such action. The Superintendent’s actions will be subject to review by the Board of Education at its next regular meeting.

It shall be the responsibility of the Superintendent to inform the Board of Education of the need for additional policies, or revision of existing policies, as a result of the action required by the Superintendent.

Date of Adoption: October 15, 1991

The Madison Board of Education encourages the Superintendent and Administration to create and maintain appropriate groups such as councils, cabinets and committees in order to:

• foster good communications with the staff, students and the community
• allow staff, students, and the community to have a voice in the process of making decisions which will affect them.
• establish effective channels of communication for the staff, students and community.

Date Adopted: September 19, 1991

The Madison Public Schools recognizes its responsibilities to manage public funds in a responsible manner, which includes identifying, addressing and appropriately managing any risks that may affect (1) the safety and well-being of its employees, (2) its financial stability, (3) its ability to achieve its mission, or (4) its ability to maintain a safe school community.

The Madison Public Schools further recognizes that, as a public entity providing a wide range of services, it engages in operations that may carry significant risk, and also engages in operations that are subject to possible disruption. Although risks are unavoidable, the Madison Public Schools considers no loss or interruption of services to be acceptable.

Therefore, the Superintendent shall establish a Safety Committee and empower it to assess the risks that may arise from or affect the Madison Public Schools’ operations and activities on behalf of its employees and develop regulations for implementing this policy. All Madison Public Schools’ employees are required to cooperate with the Safety Committee in this effort.

Date of Adoption: July 15, 2003

The Board of Education believes that effective and efficient record keeping is necessary for the overall benefit of the school system. Therefore, the Board charges the Superintendent with the responsibility of developing and implementing the records retention / disposition regulations required by the State of Connecticut.

The required records retention / disposition schedule of educational records to be maintained by Connecticut public schools (Schedule M8) was developed by the Connecticut State Library in collaboration with the Connecticut State Department of Education. The schedule is comprehensive, but it is not a definitive listing of records required by law to be maintained by schools. Instances may occur where the school system creates and maintains records not included on the list. The Superintendent shall procure prior approval from the Office of the Public Records Administrator before destroying any records whether or not they appear on the retention schedule.

The school district’s retention and disposal of educational records shall comply with the records maintenance requirements of applicable federal legislation, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA, otherwise known as the Buckley Amendment) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Reference: “Records Retention / Disposition Schedule”, Connecticut Towns, Municipalities and Boards of Education

Date of Adoption: September 19, 1991

Date of Revision: March 23, 1999

The Board of Education recognizes that students have a basic need for security and safety in the school setting. Any event or circumstance which threatens the safety and security of students and staff will be considered a crisis. There are unlimited possibilities for crisis situations that could impact the district. Those include, but may not be limited to the following situations: medical emergencies, suicide, death, acts of violence, trauma, natural disaster, facility emergencies, and accidents.

The Board of Education acknowledges the necessity to implement a Crisis Management Plan in the event that a crisis should occur. Therefore, the Superintendent shall develop regulations to support this policy in the form of a Crisis Management Plan. The Crisis Management Plan shall provide for:

• an immediate and effective response to the actual emergency if such emergency has occurred on or near school property, at a school-sponsored event or on a field trip; and
• an immediate and effective response to the psychological trauma resulting from such an emergency.

The administration shall provide all staff members with ongoing in-service training concerning implementation of the regulations.

Date of Adoption: December 9, 1997

The Board of Education affirms that the placement of students into classes is the responsibility of the administrators at each school. Many factors will be considered in the placement decision. One factor is the student’s learning style and academic needs, in conjunction with the teacher’s instructional style. For grades K-5, another factor is the establishment of classes grouped heterogeneously with respect to academic skills / performance and social and emotional characteristics.

Procedures for Placement

A. Prior to Commencement of the School Year

Prior to placement, school administrators have the responsibility to gather input about placement from parents / guardians, teachers and support staff. This input must be directly related to the learning needs of each student. It should address learning styles, social and emotional development, and academic needs. Placement decisions will be determined by the administrator.

If, after receiving written commitment of a placement decision, but prior to the commencement of a school year, a parent / guardian has concerns about the suitability of the placement, he / she should contact the school principal to arrange a discussion about the placement issue. The principal shall address parental / guardian questions / concerns and explain the rationale for the student’s placement.

B. After Commencement of the School Year

After the commencement of the school year, a parent / guardian with concerns about the suitability of the placement should follow these procedures:

1. The issue or question shall be brought to the attention of the teacher so that the parents / guardians and teacher can work cooperatively toward its resolution.
2. If efforts to resolve the issue with the teacher are not successful, the principal shall be contacted. The role of the principal is to assist in the cooperative effort toward resolution.
3. The administration has the responsibility to use all available resources to cooperatively resolve the issue. This process shall include meeting with the teacher and parents / guardians. Support staff may be requested by the administrator to observe and / or meet with the student, parents / guardians of the student, and / or teacher to better determine the full scope of the issue or concern.
4. The administrator shall meet with the appropriate parties and give a final decision.

Parental / Guardian Appeal Process

If parents / guardians do not agree with the placement decision, they may appeal to the Superintendent. The Superintendent shall obtain all necessary information regarding the placement, shall conference with all parties as appropriate, and shall give a final recommendation to the school administrator.

Cross References: 5070 Assignment of Students to Classes and Grade Levels

5070.1 Assignment of New Students to Classes and Grade Levels

5070.2 Assignment of Former Home-Based Students to Classes

Date of Adoption: February 3, 1998

In order to fulfill the responsibility of parents / guardians to maintain a safe environment for their children, the Board of Education recommends that parents and guardians contact local law enforcement agencies to obtain information regarding registered sex offenders residing within the community.

Additionally, when a law enforcement agency contacts the district about a registered sex offender who may reside within the boundaries of the school system, the Board of Education believes it is important that the district respond with a planned course of action.

Therefore, the Superintendent or his / her designee shall establish an ongoing relationship with the local law enforcement officials to coordinate the receipt of such information. The Superintendent or his / her designee also shall establish procedures for notifying appropriate staff and transportation officials as necessary.

(cf. 1340 - Relations with Law Enforcement Agencies)

Legal Reference: Connecticut General Statutes

Public Act No. 98-111 An Act Concerning the Registration of Sexual Offenders

United States Code, Title 42

14071 Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Program Act.

Date of Adoption: March 23, 1999

The Superintendent will evaluate annually the performance of all administrative personnel directly responsible to him/her and make recommendations regarding their employment and salary status to the Board of Education. The evaluation program will be aimed at improving administrator performance and promoting professional growth within the framework of District goals and objectives.

Evaluations of administrators shall be conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the State Board of Education and such other guidelines as are mutually agreed upon by the Board and the “teacher’s representative” under the Teacher Negotiations Act. Further, claims of failure to follow such guidelines shall be subject to the grievance procedure in collective bargaining agreements negotiated subsequent to July 1, 2004.

(cf. 2131 – Superintendent of Schools)

(cf. 4060 – Evaluation/Supervision)

Legal Reference: Connecticut General Statutes

10-151a Access of teacher to supervisory records and reports in personnel file.

10-151b Evaluation by superintendents of certain educational personnel.

(amended by PA 04-137, An Act Concerning Teacher’s Evaluations)

10-151c Records of teacher performance and evaluation not public records

10-220a(b) Inservice training. Professional development. Institutes for educators. Cooperating and beginning teacher programs, regulations.

Date of Adoption: April 18, 2006