Christopher Farmer's reticence to give public updates on the unsettled student pregnancy problem last spring let the School Committee and the community be "caught off guard when the situation escalated," the superintendent has been told in his annual written review.
The consolidated evaluation, a synopsis of the seven individual, written reports, cites Farmer's decision not to involve the committee in the exploration of the issues surrounding the spike in student pregnancies as an example of an overly controlling or perfectionist style that the committee believes hinders Farmer's effectiveness.
Instead, in the wake of a report in the Times on March 7 of what principal Joseph Sullivan described as a "frightening" increase in pregnancies — including some that were desired — Farmer deflected committee requests for a briefing while he investigated and attempted to formulate a policy on student pregnancy.
Committee member Valerie Gilman, who had asked Farmer to brief the committee or the Program and Student Services Subcommittee she chairs, said yesterday she blames herself for not insisting on the briefing.
"I read about it in the Times," said Gilman. "Christopher reported briefly in a meeting. I wanted to put it on the next agenda for the Program Subcommittee....I should have pushed harder."
With the committee willing to allow Farmer free rein to sort through the complex of medical, social and educational issues raised by the apparent non-accidental pregnancies within a group of about 17 students, fierce disagreements inside the high school over the propriety of providing contraception festered until the protest resignation in May of the medical director and nurse practitioner of the health clinic operated under the aegis of Northeast Health System.
Days later, Time magazine interviewed Sullivan and reported the existence of a "pact" by some students to become pregnant and share the experience together, setting off a month-long media circus.
On Tuesday, Sullivan released a letter announcing his retirement. In it, he blamed Farmer and the School Committee for excluding him from the process of making student pregnancy and pregnancy avoidance policy.
This past Sunday, Gilman, the committee's secretary and a human resources consultant, took the seven individual review-forms — hers and her six colleagues — and synthesized the essential points into a consolidated review.
After circulating copies to her colleagues, Gilman made edits and provided the package to Farmer, in preparation for the public review scheduled for Wednesday night.
The exercise, lasting less than an hour, produced a substantive, pointed exchange between the city's highest paid, appointed public official and the elected school committee.
The event resembled a corporate board meeting to decide whether to retain the chief executive officer of a private school or university, which is how Mayor Carolyn Kirk, an ex officio member of the committee, described Farmer on her evaluation form.
Only three years ago, the previous School Committee casually voted to give Farmer a 12 percent raise to his current salary $140,000 level before the then two-year head of the school system was given an informal performance review.
In the end Wednesday night, the committee voted 6-1 (with Gilman dissenting) to extend Farmer's $140,000-a-year contract for one year through August 2010.
The overall rating of Farmer's performance was 3.259 on a low-to-high, 1-to-4 grade point system, with 3 defined as "fully meeting" expectations and "solid/good" performance.
Among Farmer's most important strengths, according to the consensus report, are his energy, ethics, motivations, intelligence, courage, stamina, self-confidence, planning and leadership skills, analytical nature, follow-through and focus on the well being and education of the students.
Throughout the individual evaluations are expressions of respect and even awe. Even Gilman, the lone vote not to extend Farmer's contract, lauded his assets.
"I can't imagine a superintendent being more dedicated to a job." she wrote.
But the reviews also focused on his weaknesses. These, according to the consolidated review, include a controlling, argumentative style that can intimidate and put people off.
Both Kirk and Gilman expressed concern that Farmer will not be able to make the necessary adjustments to become less of a looming, stern, lone figure of intensity, and capable of reaching out to the seemingly permanent and essential private, school system philanthropies.
"I am not sure that a collaborative leadership style is a strength of yours when it comes to working with stakeholders outside of your staff," the mayor wrote in a cover letter to her written evaluation.
Gilman made the same point. "Parents and community advocates feel pushed away and/or defensive when they wish to volunteer services/ resources or give you feedback," she wrote.
In responding, Farmer said he knows he is perceived as "aloof." He added that he appreciates the "frankness" of his committee and pledged to "reflect" on the review and adapt as he enters his sixth year at the head of the Gloucester schools — with the seventh year now guaranteed. He declined to comment on his annual evaluation for this report.
The consolidated evaluation, prepared by Gilman and reviewed by her colleagues, synthesized three different references to the mismanagement of the pregnancy problem as examples of Farmer's tendency to maintain control, difficulty in delegating, or striving at perfection.
"There are times when the superintendent opted to delay the presentation of topics while waiting for finalization of a policy final draft, i.e. teen pregnancy," the consolidated evaluation noted. "As a result, the School Committee and district were caught off guard when this situation escalated in late May 2008.
"It would have benefited us all if we had been given a thorough briefing of the situation prior to a policy being presented for approval," the section concluded.
The ideas in the consolidated review most closely reflect Gilman's individual evaluation, but Kirk and Committee Chairman Greg Verga also saw the same flaws in Farmer's approach in the mishandling of the pregnancy problem.
"Too slow in bringing policy recommendations to the School Committee regarding teenage pregnancy this past year," the mayor wrote. "Situation escalated within the high school and the Health Clinic without the opportunity for the School Committee to assert its rightful role in establishing policies."
"There have been times where the presentation of topics may be delayed while awaiting more 'official' reporting," Verga wrote. "There should be more opportunity for less formal discussion at the subcommittee or full committee level ahead of finalized reports.
Verga said Farmer strained to complete a study before reporting.
He wants to go "A through Z when A through M" would be sufficient, Verga explained.
He said the decision to hold off bringing the committee up to speed on the pregnancy problem was one of a number of similar examples of the same penchant.
Verga said it might be the mark of a "controlling person or a perfectionist."
Richard Gaines can be reached at rgaines@gloucestertimes.com
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