Theresa Battle led District 191 successfully, board says - 2021

Battle led District 191 successfully, board says

John Gessner Jun 17, 2021 Burnsville Eagan Sun/Thisweek News


District 191 superintendent’s first 100 days


Review cites pandemic, community relations
Superintendent Theresa Battle successfully led District 191 through the pandemic while meeting personal work goals and professional standards, the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School Board said in its annual job review.

“Most notably,” said a statement read June 10 by Vice Chair Lesley Chester, “both the board and Superintendent Battle noted Dr. Battle being highly effective at community relationship building, her approachability and visibility in our schools and community, her professional knowledge of teaching and learning, and her culture of cooperation.”

The board met with Battle in a closed session May 27 to conduct her second review since she became superintendent. Board members evaluated her on four personal goals and 25 standards for superintendent performance recommended by the Minnesota School Boards Association.

The personal goals were collaborating with the board “around prospective board member support and board members’ roles in increasing district enrollment”; putting in place a revised district strategic plan by February 2022; developing a timeline and process for setting the 2021-22 budget; and providing leadership to “strengthen school/community relationships, diverse communities and cultural competence.”

The board’s evaluation and Battle’s self-review found her meeting the annual goals and “performing effectively” under the MSBA standards, Chester said.

She kept the health and safety of children and staff “at the forefront of all decisions” during the pandemic, Chester said.

“The board admires her calm leadership, science- and values-driven decision making, and commitment to community engagement, as these assets were essential for her success,” Chester said.

For the coming year Battle offered two new personal goals: improving and helping promote cultural competency, and strengthening relationships with board members.

Board Chair Eric Miller suggested a third: delivering a dashboard showing district performance in areas such as student achievement, cultural proficiency, financial management and partnerships. Such a project wouldn’t be finalized until the board finishes updating its strategic plan.

Board Member Abigail Alt suggested the goal of creating a job performance evaluation process for Battle’s cabinet members and the districtwide administrators group.

Battle joined the district in July 2019 after working for 28 years over two tenures as a teacher and administrator in the St. Paul Public Schools. Under a three-year contract, her initial salary was set at $187,000, with 1% raises in each of the following two years.