The Keokuk School District will not release more information about why the school board is divided over adding another year to Superintendent Tim Hood’s contract.
The 3-3 vote followed a more than two hour closed session.
Two board members, Alka Khanolkar & Jane Abell, said they voted against the extension because they did not feel Hood met his goals for the past school year.
They would not elaborate on that statement, though, because they said the goals are private.
Tri States Public Radio asked to see a copy of the goals, but that request was turned down in an email from the district’s legal counsel.
Attorney Brett Nitzschke is with the firm Lynch Dallas out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He said the goals were developed by the school board as part of the closed-door evaluation process.
He said the evaluation is part of Hood’s confidential personnel file, which is protected from public view by Iowa’s open records law.
Several other school districts in southeast Iowa follow the same closed-door practice, including Central Lee and Fort Madison.
At least one local district is different, though, as the West Burlington School District sets the superintendent’s goals during a public meeting with open discussion.
You can see a copy of Hood's contract here.
