The Superintendent Evaluation Cycle Kickoff — Why December Is the Right Time to Start the 2028 Process
December 10, 2027
The year-end governance review is complete. The board assessed the fall governance cycle. The community year-end report is published. The organizational meeting confirmed the board’s leadership structure.
Now there is one governance action that most boards defer until February or March, and that deferral is the reason most superintendent evaluations are rushed, incomplete, and less useful than they should be.
The evaluation cycle should start in December.
Here is what I have learned from boards that produce useful superintendent evaluations: the quality of the evaluation is determined not by what the board writes in the evaluation document in April, but by what the board communicates in December about the framework, the timeline, and the evidence collection process.
Why December works
The superintendent evaluation has a natural end point — typically April or May, before the end of the school year. That gives the board four to five months from December to run a complete evaluation cycle.
Here is what the board can accomplish between December and April:
December: Communicate the evaluation framework, timeline, and evidence collection process to the superintendent January: Board members begin collecting evidence and observations February: Board holds a mid-cycle check-in or progress conversation March: Board drafts the evaluation document and shares it with the superintendent for review April: Board holds the evaluation conversation and adopts the final evaluation
That timeline is achievable. It requires no rush. It gives the board and the superintendent adequate time to prepare, reflect, and engage in a meaningful evaluation conversation.
Compare that to the board that starts the evaluation in March: the board has six weeks to collect evidence, write the evaluation, and schedule the conversation. The evaluation is written under time pressure. The superintendent receives the evaluation with minimal time to prepare a response. The evaluation conversation is compressed. And the evaluation document is less useful than it could have been.
What the board should communicate in December
The December communication to the superintendent should cover five elements:
Element one: The evaluation framework. What model is the board using for the evaluation? Is it based on the goals adopted in January, the superintendent’s performance against the growth areas identified in the 2027 evaluation, or a combination of both? The superintendent should know, in writing, what the board will measure.
Element two: The evaluation timeline. The specific dates for the evidence collection period, the mid-cycle check-in, the document drafting, the superintendent review, and the final evaluation conversation. The superintendent should be able to calendar every milestone.
Element three: The evidence collection process. How will the board collect evidence of the superintendent’s performance? Does the board use a survey instrument, written observations, goal-based evidence (data review outcomes, board meeting effectiveness, community engagement), or a combination? The superintendent should know what evidence the board will consider and how the board will gather it.
Element four: The growth area focus. The 2027 evaluation identified specific growth areas for the superintendent. The December communication should confirm whether those growth areas carry forward into the 2028 evaluation, and if so, what specific evidence the board expects to see against each growth area.
Element five: The board’s self-evaluation commitment. The board should communicate that the board will conduct its own self-evaluation as part of the evaluation process — assessing the board’s performance in providing clear direction, adequate support, and effective governance leadership. The board’s self-evaluation demonstrates that the board holds itself to the same standard it applies to the superintendent.
What the board president should do this week
Three actions:
One. Draft the evaluation cycle communication to the superintendent. One page. Five elements. Sent in writing from the board president before the December board meeting adjourns.
Two. Discuss the evaluation framework at the December board meeting. The board should have a brief discussion — twenty minutes, at a regular meeting or work session — to confirm the evaluation framework, timeline, and evidence collection process. Every board member should have an opportunity to ask questions and confirm understanding.
Three. Schedule the evaluation milestones. The December communication establishes the dates. The board president should ensure the dates are on the calendar: the mid-cycle check-in (February), the document drafting period (March), the superintendent review period (March), and the final evaluation conversation (April).
The evaluation that starts in December
The board that starts the evaluation in December sends the superintendent a clear signal: this board takes the evaluation seriously. The board is not rushing through a compliance exercise. The board is investing four months in an evaluation process that produces useful feedback, clear growth areas, and a stronger board-superintendent partnership for the 2028-29 governance year.
Your free CTA: Reply to this email with the keyword EvalStart and I’ll send you the Superintendent Evaluation Cycle Kickoff Kit — including the evaluation framework communication template, the evaluation timeline checklist, the evidence collection process guide, and the board self-evaluation commitment format.
Your paid CTA: I offer a Superintendent Evaluation Cycle Setup Coaching Call — a sixty-minute session with the board president covering the evaluation framework selection, the timeline design, the evidence collection process, and the superintendent communication preparation. Reply to this email for pricing and availability.
This piece continues the December 2027 Governance Year-End series. Wednesday’s piece (Dec 8) covered the community year-end governance report. This piece covers the superintendent evaluation cycle kickoff — why December is the right time to start the 2028 process. The next piece covers budget early signals for 2028-29 — what the board should be watching in December to prepare for the spring budget cycle. Subscribe at effectiveschoolboards.com to continue the series.