Great Neck Schools Superintendent Thomas Dolan addressed the state of the district at Monday’s school board meeting, discussing the schools’ achievements, political challenges and compliance with state teacher evaluation standards.
Dolan emphasized Great Neck’s efforts to manage class sizes and the hiring of new teachers, contrasting the district’s actions with cutbacks in schools across the state.
He reserved his strongest criticisms for the state’s Annual Professional Performance Review program, which set mandatory standards for teacher ratings. Dolan announced that the schools’ APPR plan had been approved by the state, but pulled no punches in his critique of the evaluation scheme.
“We still believe that there should be far less imposition by the state,” he said, arguing that the standards, geared towards what he described as less successful districts, were not suited for Great Neck.
Dolan continued to state that the district’s plan to implement the APPR would avoid increased testing, costs or harm to school quality.
He also noted State Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineoal) and state Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel’s (D-Great Neck) support of the district’s concerns with Albany’s new regulations.
“We will need their help if we are to avoid the homogenization on which the state is insisting,” Dolan said.
Dolan also discussed a series of capital improvement projects for the schools, including a new track and field for Great Neck North High School.
The superintendent also noted that the district had won a federal Carolyn M. White Physical Education Program Grant. The $483,393 grant is earmarked to improve physical education and nutrition at Great Neck schools.
The address included a somber moment of recognition for Great Neck North High School football coach Chris Deeks, who died August 30. Dolan praised coach Chris Cesar for his work leading the team in the weeks after Deeks’ death.
“Chris has done an amazing job of leading these young men and mending some broken hearts,” Dolan said.
