Romer Is Lauded in His First Appraisal

The Los Angeles Board of Education gave generally good marks to Supt. Roy Romer in his first evaluation Saturday.

After a six-hour closed session, the board released a short statement commending Romer in several areas and recommending improvements in others.

Board member David Tokofsky characterized the message in terms of student promotion, saying the superintendent was neither advanced a grade level nor held back.

But board President Caprice Young said the evaluation reflects solid backing for Romer’s leadership.

“I think we had a constructive dialogue,” she said. “One of the exciting things about having him as our superintendent is that we can have that kind of constructive dialogue. That’s why he’s such a strong leader.”

Romer, who became superintendent July 1, 2000, has “in many cases exceeded our expectations,” the statement said. “We are fortunate to have the leadership of a superintendent who has a profound commitment to reforming urban education for all our children. . . . He takes on tough challenges with an innovative spirit and exceptional drive.”

Romer said he was pleased with the evaluation process. “It was helpful to get a full understanding of each other and what our program is for next year,” he said. “We spent much of the time talking about where we’ve gone and where we want to go and how we can work together to get it.”

Romer was commended for focusing on achievement in instruction, carrying out the board’s reading program, developing instructional leadership in the 11 local districts, progressing on the construction of 85 new schools, strengthening the district’s relationship with the state and federal governments, and recruiting top talent to tackle deficiencies in the district’s computer systems.

The board recommended more attention to internal and external communications, operations and modernization at existing schools, business processes, training and recruitment of top talent, narrowing the gap between the achievements of minority groups and others, implementation of audit recommendations and strategic planning.

The board did not act on a section of Romer’s contract providing for a $100,000 bonus for improvements in specific areas.

Young said those items were addressed in the general comments because Romer told the board the day he was hired that he did not want a bonus.

“Over the last year, I wondered whether he was serious about that,” she said. But he reiterated the preference during the evaluation process, which began in July.

“I really believe this is a superintendent who is not motivated by money,” she said. “He’s here because he believes passionately in reforming . . . education for our kids.”