Days before retirement, JCPS' Pollio receives final evaluation. Here's what it said

Yahoo

4 days ago

Jefferson County Public School Superintendent Marty Pollio is days away from leaving the role, and on his way out, board members gave him an overall positive evaluation for his last year leading Kentucky's largest district.
The evaluation, his eighth during his tenure, was presented and approved during an executive session June 24, followed by Pollio's last Jefferson County Board of Education meeting — where an audience that included his parents watched a video tribute to his successes over the years.
That video highlighted accomplishments that included the launch of the Academies of Louisville program; the opening of W.E.B. DuBois Academy; the construction of new schools and early childhood centers; renovations at the historical Academy @ Shawnee; and the presentation of several student scholarships since Pollio created the Employee Sponsored Student Scholarship Fund in 2019.
Pollio is leaving the district with an evaluation that largely mirrors his first six and is a bounce back from last year's review, when he was dinged for bus transportation failures that scarred the 2022-2023 school year.
The board gave Pollio the top two ratings on the majority of standards evaluated. He received a rating of "exemplary" for his cultural, collaborative and influential leadership and "accomplished" for his strategic, human resources and managerial leadership.
For instructional leadership, the board split the standard into two sections for the first time. For one part, Pollio earned an "accomplished" rank, but for the second, which particularly pointed to student outcomes-focused governance, Pollio earned his only "developing" rank in the evaluation.
Board member comments related to the standard noted that transportation issues and "the persistence of the 9:40 start time are barriers to student learning that need to be addressed," and the increasing rates of non-English speaking students is negatively impacting proficiency goals.
Pollio became acting superintendent of JCPS in 2017 before taking on the role permanently in 2018. His initial contract was set to end in 2022, but the board reappointed him for another term in 2021. He leaves JCPS as one of the longest-tenured superintendents of a large urban district in the country.
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Following the June 24 board meeting, Pollio said his departure comes not just after eight years as superintendent, but after 28 years within JCPS, where he's also served as a teacher, coach and principal.
While he joked he will leave JCPS with "a lot of scars," Pollio also noted the many fond memories he will take with him.
Asked what he is proud of, he pointed to the strategic plan he and his team began developing when he took the role, which outlined several initiatives that were set to be in place by this year. Much of that has been implemented, even if still in the early stages, with Pollio pointing out that progress was made despite a global pandemic.
If the next superintendent, who starts July 1, and the board continue to build on the work that's been started, Pollio said, students' educational outcomes will improve.
"I'm really proud of where we are as a district, but there's still a lot of work to do," he said.
JCPS' Superintendent Marty Pollio Evaluation by Krista Johnson on Scribd
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This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio gets final evaluation before retiring