At its meeting on February 11, 2019, the San Rafael City Schools (SRCS) Board of Education took action with a 3-2 vote to not grant a one-year extension of Superintendent Michael Watenpaugh's employment agreement, which expires on June 30, 2019. In their comments at the meeting, Board members shared that they made their decisions about the superintendent's performance evaluation and employment agreement based on the best interest of the District and our students. Dr. Watenpaugh has served as SRCS superintendent since 2007.
"I am so proud of the many successful initiatives and accomplishments that we as a SRCS community have achieved together to positively impact our students and families," said Superintendent Watenpaugh. "Serving as the superintendent for the past 12 years has been the highlight of my professional career and I am grateful to the Board of Education for providing me the opportunity to work on behalf of the students, families, teachers, staff and San Rafael community."
Over the next few months, the Board will determine their next steps in identifying the process and timeline for the recruitment and selection of SRCS's next leader.
"We are grateful for Dr. Watenpaugh's work on behalf of our students and families," said Board President Greg Knell. "He has brought powerful solutions to the unceasing challenges required to educate all our students. Under his leadership, SRCS has become the model of effectiveness and the proving ground for dozens of innovative programs designed to improve our educational outcomes."
He added, "As we begin the process to hire our next superintendent, we will be looking to find the best leader who can continue our path of innovation and excellence. We will be reaching out to engage every sector of the SRCS community to help us define what we will need to continue the outstanding achievement we expect from San Rafael City Schools."
The Board action follows the completion of a mid-year performance evaluation of superintendent Watenpaugh. The Board sought community input regarding the superintendent's performance and progress, and noted they are grateful for all the feedback they received from so many who are vested in SRCS. The Board also expressed their gratitude to the Marin County Office of Education for their support throughout the evaluation process.
