Monday's special meeting ( Sept. 30, 2019 ) of the Lake County, FL School Board included the final approval of their evaluation of her performance and Supt. Diane Kornegay received a total rating of 4.61 out of 5.0.
I agree with the rating. She has worked to bring in new, more competent managers, held MANY listening sessions and acted on issues. The only real negatives you hear are complaints from union members about lack of funding for wage increases, and that is not under her control. Most School funding is set by the Florida State Legislature, which is shifting funding from public schools to "alternate" education such as charter schools, private schools, vouchers, etc.
Here is the video of Monday's morning meeting starting at the short discussion about School Supt. Diane Kornegay's evaluation. No evaluation documents were posted on the online agenda before the meeting. A copy of the evaluation summary produced by the District's Attorney at the meeting is NOW on the website HERE (on Oct. 1,2019). Additionally, the Board member score matrix for the evaluation is HERE, with no score below 4.0.
Kornegay was also a winner in the recent Dancing with the Stars fundraiser for the Education Foundation of Lake County. There was no rating section on fundraiser dance skills in the evaluation form, or the average score might have been HIGHER. (:-)) However, one Board member did mention she won the contest.
Vance Jochim
Lake County Fiscal Watchdog at FiscalRangers.com
Oct. 1, 2019
Below is the content of the press release sent out by the staff:
Superintendent gets high ratings from School Board
TAVARES -- Lake County School Board members gave Superintendent Diane Kornegay high marks in her most recent evaluation, which they approved in a meeting today. Collectively, they gave her a total average rating of 4.61 out of 5.0.
A 4.0 rating means “Meets Expectation” and a 5.0 rating means “Exceeds Expectation.”
One of her highest ratings was received in the area of Board Governance & Policy, for making a “considerable effort to have a positive working relationship with the board, treating all board members fairly and respectfully, and attempt[ing] to resolve any conflicts with board members.” Each board member rated her 5.0 in this area.
“The superintendent and her staff maintain an extremely positive working relationship with board members,” board member Marc Dodd wrote in his evaluation. “They are easily accessible and quick to provide board members with requested information.”
She also received a perfect 5.0 rating in the area of Communication & Community Relations, specifically for using “effective public information strategies to communicate and promote a positive image of the district with families, community, the media, state and local officials,” as the standard reads.
“The Superintendent is visible throughout the county, attending numerous meetings and events as the representative of Lake County Schools,” wrote board member Bill Mathias. “The relationship she has built with members of the local Commercial Contractors Association has had a direct impact on the success of the Construction Academy at LHS (Leesburg High School). She also has a positive relationship with members of our legislative delegation, which has resulted in two education appropriations and needed changes to state statutes.”
Kornegay’s multi-year contract with the district provides for a base salary of $195,000 per year as well as the continuation of additional compensation based on specific performance objectives that are subject to an annual review. This practice is common in districts with an appointed superintendent.
As the district continues to seek cost-cutting measures and lobby the Legislature for additional non-restricted funding to help cover pay increases for teachers and staff, retired teacher Susan Morgan of Leesburg asked the board at the meeting whether Kornegay could forgo the compensation package in her contract. Board members on Monday spoke against that idea.
“We have seen the effort and time she put in to make the district great,” Mathias said. “She has earned it.”
