Morrison's final eval, Hattabaugh's farewell

Heath Morrison got a final job evaluation from the Washoe County school board this week, and it's glowing. He got top marks in every category, with the board calling him "a recognized tour de force."

Wednesday was Morrison's last day as superintendent in Reno; he starts work as head of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools on Monday.

Read the summary of his evaluation here and the full report here. The rating scale used in Washoe County is here.

Meanwhile, interim Superintendent Hugh Hattabaugh, who will leave the district when he leaves the post, sent this message to CMS employees:


From: Hugh E. Hattabaugh
Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2012 11:19 AM
To: cmsmailall
Subject: Thank you and farewell

Dear CMS employees,

As I leave CMS, I want to thank all of you for helping make my year as interim superintendent a success. Your work, your attention to duty and your dedication helped make the 2011-2012 school year a strong one.

We had a successful opening of schools in August, launching the Pre-K-8 schools and adapting smoothly to the changes wrought by school closures and new bell schedules. Transportation, Child Nutrition, building maintenance, human resources, curriculum and instruction – every department worked effectively this year.

September brought national recognition with the Broad Prize – another acknowledgement that we have some of the best teachers, principals and employees of any district in America!

As the year progressed, the budget uncertainties were less damaging. Unlike many districts in North Carolina, we anticipated the end of the federal EduJobs money. Careful financial planning spared us a reduction in force this year. And I’m happy to tell you that your three percent raise is almost certainly on the way. Our Board of Education has provided a plan for paying the raises to the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners, which should free up the $18.5 million the county set aside for raises. Coupled with cuts and redirections, as well as some state money, there is enough to fund the raises in our original budget request. If you’d like to see how the raise will affect the teacher salary schedule, view the attachment.

I’m very proud of early returns on the end-of-year tests. Preliminary data – final numbers will not come from the state until October – suggest we have increased the number of schools making high growth by 10 percent – from 45 percent to 55 percent. More than half our schools made high growth. Preliminary data also shows that our graduation rate rose by about two percentage points, to around 75 percent (the precise number continues to bounce around but hovers around 75). These increases are meaningful. They show that CMS is increasing achievement, school by school, student by student. This is our core mission and we made real progress this year.

All of you should take pride in that academic growth and in our successful year, because all of you had a role in it. It has been an honor and a privilege to lead CMS this year, and I wish each of you all the best as CMS continues its journey under the leadership of Dr. Heath Morrison. I’ve worked in several districts in Indiana, Arkansas and Florida – and this district and its employees are second to none. Thank you for all you do.

Best regards,
Hugh

Hugh E. Hattabaugh
Interim Superintendent
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Government Center
600 East 4th Street
Charlotte, NC 28202