Superintendent Berman's Evaluation Underway

The Jefferson County Board of Education convenes Friday to publicly discuss its evaluation of the district’s Superintendent, Sheldon Berman. The board began meeting Thursday behind closed doors to begin the process; another closed session is set for Friday at 2:00pm, with the public portion of the evaluation set for about 4:00pm.Berman has just started the final year of his four-year contract. The board moved his evaluation from mid-June to after July 15th, the effective date of a new state law that allows school boards to conduct such superintendent evaluations in private.The board did so last year, the results of which were challenged by the Courier-Journal, saying the board violated state open-meetings laws, a claim that was upheld by the attorney general and a circuit judge.Under the new law, preliminary discussions on the superintendent’s performance may take place in executive session, but the final evaluation must be disclosed and voted on in public.