Union 113, Millinocket critiquing new official

MILLINOCKET – The 13 Union 113 and Millinocket school board members have a homework assignment: Review Superintendent Sara Alberts’ performance.

The school board members are filling out review forms critiquing Alberts that they hope to have completed by the end of the month or early next month, board Chairman Robert Leathers said Monday.

“We’re all using the same evaluation sheets, but we’re doing it individually,” Leathers said. “We hope to bring it all together and come up with a common evaluation of the superintendent.”

The board set evaluation criteria during a meeting last week.

It might seem early for an evaluation, given that the former SAD 4 administrator started her new, $80,000-a-year position only on Aug. 1, but the evaluation must occur by December according to the agreement between Alberts and the board, Leathers said.

Under the two-year agreement to share school administrations, Alberts serves boards in Medway, Woodville, East Millinocket and Millinocket, as well as the joint board.

Woodville school board member Steven Fleming thought the evaluation was coming a bit early, but he and Leathers agreed that an early review process made sense.

But with the schools she oversees eight to 10 miles apart, and different personnel and students in the various schools, assessing the workability of the management at such an early date might not be a bad idea, Fleming said.

Described as an advocate for students, Alberts had been employed by SAD 4 for the past five years, first as the special education director and recently as special education director and elementary supervising principal.

She was also director of a day treatment program in Waldo County.

Alberts seems to be doing a good job, Leathers said.

“I really don’t see any problems,” he said.