The Fall River School Committee last night released the results of its annual performance evaluation of Superintendent Matthew Malone.
The yearly evaluation comes on the heels of an investigation of alleged inappropriate behavior by Superintendent Malone against school department staff early last fall. The findings resulted in changes to the superintendent’s contract, reducing his salary, and adding language indicating he could be terminated without cause in the future.
School committee member Mimi Larrivee led the board’s evaluation process, and in reporting the findings, pointed out the superintendent’s strengths in leading the district during the pandemic, managing the move to remote learning last spring, and implementing the hybrid learning model currently in use. The allegations against Superintendent Malone were noted as unsatisfactory during his evaluation.
School Committeeman Kevin Aguiar did not support the findings in the superintendent’s investigation and his evaluation reflected his concern.
Committee members Tom Khoury and Mark Costa, who supported the superintendent’s punishment, said as troubling as the allegations are, Superintendent Malone’s guidance of the district through the pandemic should not be minimized.
Mayor Paul Coogan, who recused himself from the investigation due to a conflict of interest as his brother is a direct report to the superintendent, said the issues facing the superintendent will likely impact the district for some time.
Superintendent Malone took exception to comments made by Mr. Aguiar, saying his allegations were not proven by the independent investigation. He pledged to continue to focus on what lies ahead for the district.
Also at last night’s meeting, Superintendent Malone said he is working on plans to fully bring back some students in grades K-5 as early as April 5. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education last week voted to allow Commissioner Jeffrey Riley to mandate the return of elementary students to full-time in-person learning in April.
The committee also heard from educators seeking its support against the administering of this year’s MCAS test. The state is still requiring students to take the test but has delayed the implementation until later this spring. The school committee is working on a draft letter asking the state to forego this year’s tests, arguing that students are ill-prepared due to the lack of in-person learning since last March.
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