Schools chief earns top rating

Charleston County School Board gave Superintendent Nancy Mc-Ginley the highest rating possible on her annual performance evaluation, and it rewarded her with more time and money to lead the state's second largest school district.

Five board members voted in favor of extending McGinley's contract one year until 2013 and to pay her a bonus of $18,250, which the superintendent asked to be deferred until April of next year. Those in the majority -- Chairwoman Ruth Jordan, Chris Fraser, Toya Green, Gregg Meyers and Ann Oplinger -- also supported raising the superintendent's base salary by $15,000 and removing any future bonuses. The superintendent earns $191,084.

Four members -- Chris Collins, Elizabeth Kandrac, Arthur Ravenel Jr. and Vice Chairman Ray Toler -- opposed the contract extension, bonus and overall evaluation.

McGinley's performance review followed a change in the board's leadership that left many wondering whether the superintendent still would have the endorsement of the board majority, and Monday night's vote appears to be an indication that McGinley still will enjoy that support.

She didn't seem fazed by the board's split vote and said after the meeting that she felt confident she will remain in the district's top job. Certain board members have opinions that don't reflect the facts, she said, and she wants to be held accountable according to objective measures rather than politics or personal preferences.

"I'm thrilled that I'll be able to stay in Charleston and do a lot of the follow-through on initiatives that we've started," McGinley said.

The evaluation was based largely on objective indicators of the district's progress, such as students' test scores, teacher vacancies, school safety, district finances and capital projects. McGinley improved her score from last year and earned 91.25 percent out of 100 percent, the equivalent of "greatly exceeds" standards. During her first performance evaluation last year, she received an 83.1 percent or "exceeds" standards.

Her worst scores were in areas that board members subjectively scored her, specifically for her board relations and work ethic as well as her vision, leadership and communication.

Jordan, the board's new chair, had refused to say whether she would support a contract extension, and on Monday night she said that she wanted that decision to be made based on facts not feelings.

"The data speaks volumes," Jordan said. "We are moving the district forward."

She didn't think some board members understood the tool used to conduct McGinley's performance review. She plans to form a board committee to study that instrument, set performance goals for this coming year and establish a timeline when members would receive that information next year.

Collins, who voted against the majority, said he would have liked more time to study the evaluation. He typically has been among the superintendent's supporters, and he said on Monday that he still thinks she's doing a good job.

But he said he didn't vote with the majority on this issue because: he couldn't compare the district's progress with other districts' improvements; he thinks contract extensions should be given annually rather than in advance; and he didn't think McGinley deserved such a large bonus or salary increase.

Eight community leaders, including Charleston Mayor Joe Riley and North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey, spoke highly of McGinley during the public comment portion of the board's meeting. One person spoke against her, citing problems in the district.

Reach Diette Courrégé at 937-5546 or dcourrege@postandcourier.com.