School Committee Split on Evaluation

The Seekonk School Committee could not agree on reviewing the 2024-2025 evaluation of Superintendent Rebecca Kidwell at a future meeting. In a split vote at the August 18 meeting, chair Robert Gerardi and Lisa Rizzo voted against Emily Field’s motion. Field and Kyle Juckett were in favor. Alicia MacManus was absent.

“I would like to focus on the future, not on the past,” Gerardi said. “Especially in light of legal advice that we were given and that’s why I don’t feel it’s necessary to go backwards and look at (Kidwell’s) 2025 evaluation. I think we should be moving forward.”

“Let’s discuss it out in the open so people can know what we’re talking about,” Field replied. Field spoke out during the public comment portion at the beginning of the meeting. She said Gerardi had denied her request to include a discussion of Kidwell’s evaluation at the meeting. Field called Gerardi’s request not to discuss school committee business on social media or publically to be “unethical” and “quite possibly a first amendment violation.”

“Let me be clear. I will not be intimidated into silence. I was elected to serve the community, not to be micromanaged by the chair. I believe the public deserves accountability and transparency,” Field said.

When contacted by the Reporter on Wednesday, Gerardi e-mailed this statement: “Let me clarify that anyone can watch the video of the July 14 school committee meeting and see the facts are that Superintendent Kidwell’s evaluation was conducted and concluded in public at that meeting.  Two members chose to comment on the evaluation ratings and three members had the ability to, but chose not to comment at the July 14 school committee meeting.”

“In our August 4th Seekonk school committee workshop, we were advised by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees on how to set evaluation timelines and provide a more effective superintendent evaluation in the upcoming year.  We have timely issues like elementary enrollments that need to be resolved quickly.  Focusing on the past might delay the needs to resolve problems in the future.  I will restate, “I choose to focus on the future, not on the past.”