In discussing the performance of Superintendent Nate Levenson on Sept. 11, School Committee members showed where they stood with regard to the embattled leader: Ratings issued before this summer e-mail scandal made committee divisions clear. “We have a divided committee,” member Denise Burns said, and School Committee Chair Susan Lovelace, in reporting the numbers, agreed. From a lengthy list of evaluation issues, each scored from 1 to 5, the overall grade was 2.75.

“The superintendent got pretty good marks,” Lovelace said.

Committee members who tended be tough graders did not agree with that view. The grade was described as “almost meets expectations.”

Burns noted that she had offered the lowest scores for Levenson. “I don't agree with way we evaluate,” she said. “Too much is a checklist.”

In summarizing how the committee’s ratings stood, Lovelace said they broke down this way:

In overall performance, Sean Garballey, Joseph Curran and Burns combined for a 1.8, which is between “unsatisfactory” and “needs improvement.”

On the other hand, Jeff Thielman, Sue Sheffler and Lovelace weighed in with a 4.0, or “exceeds expectations.”

Member Ron Spangler appeared to be the swing vote between these groups. He judged Levenson’s overall performance at 3.45, which is “meets expectations” and “exceeds expectations.”

YourArlington has requested the scoring sheets for each individual committee member, but Lovelace was unsure whether those could be provided.

She wrote in an e-mail Sept. 12: “I can easily send you the scoring sheet from each member, however, the written comments were done differently by different members and I'm not sure the documents should be posted in their current form (it's confusing when reading them if you are not familiar with the evaluation tool - which is the statement on the tool and which are the written comments of the SC members.) I'll get back to you on it.”

Burns wrote to the Arlington list Sept. 12:

"Since we are moving toward more data-driven analysis, I hope you will all review the accountability subcommittee meeting minutes for July 20 for this item, which is 1/4 of the superintendent's evaluation.

"The Accountability subcommittee voted unanimously to recommend awarding the superintendent 7 out of possible 25 points for this portion of his evaluation, taking in to account all 7 members of the board's evaluations of the superintendent.

"That's 28%, or an F, if you want to put a letter grade on it."

In other business, the committee held two closed session, each an hour long. The first was to discuss pending litigation. The second concerned a Level III grievance.

Jack Duranceau, Arlington Education Association president, wrote in an e-mail Sept. 11:

"A level 3 grievance is an argument presented to the School Committee  (1-bldg, 2-super, 3-sc, 4- binding arbitration).  This was a grievance about retaliation against Mr. Coughlin by the Administration. It had been amended because it had been filed before the infamous 'investigation,' subsequent dismissal, and other hostile acts.

"Our claim is that the actions taken this month are yet more evidence of retaliation. The case was presented by MTA [Massachusetts Teachers Association] counsel.

"The next step,arbitration, which must be voted on by the Board of Directors (the building representatives), costs the union and the town money for filing, paying the arbitrator and paying for counsel."

The committee also heard a report on the vision for special education from Jerry Kupperschmidt, interim director, whose one-year contract was approved.  

Kupperschmidt noted the "lack of trust" and “the litigious nature of society” with respect to special-education issues. He asked: "Does everyone have an advocate"?

Replacing B.J. Cataldo, who left in June, he has 30 years of service and taught at UMass/Boston graduate school of education for 25 years.

Kupperschmidt offered one two bright spots during the meeting. He said the response intervention reading program in the elementary schools is going well. He cited an improved data system, which helps the district monitor compliance, an issue that drew negative state notice based on recordkeeping before Levenson arrived in 2005.

The other bright spot was the introduction of Judi Malone Neville, named interim principal at Ottoson after Stavroula Bouris was dismissed Aug. 22.

Levenson welcomed Neville, a veteran educator from Newton, by making clear the “difficult situation” she faces. Her supervisory experience includes 15 years as a middle school principal, 10 as a high school principal and four as an assistant superintendent.

Despite the turmoil, the parent of five children called the Ottoson opening “very smooth” and the "building has a very good feeling about it."

One wrinkle to which she alluded are scheduling issues. The district has hired a consultant, at $3,000 to $4,000, Levenson said, to deal with those issues.

"I have a lot to learn about Ottoson," she said.