Schools

Groton School Board Begins Evaluating Superintendent Paul Kadri

Board of Education Met Monday in Closed Executive Session

The Groton Board of Education met last night in a closed executive session to begin its annual evaluation of Superintendent Paul Kadri.

Kadri was hired in 2008, replacing James E. Mitchell, who, after 38 years in the Groton school district, retired. Kadri signed a three-year contract, with a starting salary of $165,000—a $10,000 drop from previous employers in Neshaminy, Pennsylvania and Moorestown, New Jersey.

Kadri’s contract was extended by a year during the last academic session. 

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During his career in the Groton school district, Kadri reallocated funds to improve the school district's web capabilities. He also increased technology in classrooms by pushing for Promethean classroom boards.

Still, Kadri’s greatest undertaking was a proposed $133 million school construction plan known as Phase II. Phase II aimed to resolve issues of racial imbalance and corroding facilities in Groton’s underserved areas. This construction plan was rejected by voters in May. A month later, the Representative Town Meeting dealt another blow to the schools when it voted against increasing the school district’s budget.

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Kadri will be evaluated on standards outlined by the Connecticut Association of Board of Education. Areas of evaluation include educational leadership, organizational management, community and board of education relations, and personal and professional qualities and relationships.

“They’re supposed to do this every year and it’s supposed to be done in July,” Kadri explained. “In Connecticut, superintendents only have a three-year contract—different boards do it different ways—but it [the contract] is always up for [evaluation]. I’m not anticipating an increase.”

“It’s a long process,” said Brian Shirvell, Chairman of the Board of Education. “Typically we’ll meet, we’ll go into executive session, the superintendent will [give] his self-assessment, then we’ll have another session, then we’ll work on his evaluation.”

Delays have preempted the long evaluation process. “This being summer,” Shirvell said, “people just aren’t around.”

“I would hope [Phase II] would be a very positive thing in my review,” Kadri said in response to how the construction proposal might affect his pending evaluation. “I think the fact that it didn’t pass is not for lack of effort on anyone’s part. I’m sad it didn’t pass, but I don’t regret that we [gave] it our all. I think this [evaluation] is an obligation. The board has to do my review and getting them all together at the same time is tough.”   


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