Regulation 2211.7

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ADMINISTRATION

Principal - Appraisal and Evaluation

The pastor or the Office of Education (for diocesan schools) shall formally evaluate the principal once a year. However, the pastor or the Office of Education (for diocesan schools) shall conduct his/its evaluation throughout the principal’s year of the employment agreement, including periodical discussions regarding performance feedback.
The principal appraisal form is a tool used by the advisory council members to provide the pastor or Office of Education input regarding the performance and effectiveness of a school principal. The pastor is to use the appraisals when conducting his yearly evaluation of the principal as does the Office of Education (for diocesan schools).

The following process shall be followed for the advisory council appraisals and pastor or Office of Education evaluation:

1. The principal is responsible for distributing the official Principal Appraisal instrument to advisory council members during the October meeting.
   
   
2. Advisory council members are to complete, sign and submit the appraisal to the pastor or Office of Education (for diocesan schools) by January 31.
   
   
3. The pastor shall prepare a summary of the appraisal by February 7. The pastor may request assistance from the executive committee of the advisory council on the summary. A copy of the summary, along with the individual appraisals, should be submitted to the Office of Education by February 15.
   
   
4. When advisory council appraisals and pastor evaluation indicate that areas of the principal's job performance are poor, ineffective, or in serious need of improvement, the pastor or representative of the board shall contact the Office of Education by February 15.
   
   
5. After the evaluation documents are received and reviewed by the Office of Education, the pastor or the Office of Education (for diocesan schools) shall meet with the principal to discuss all components of the evaluation. This should be completed by February 28.
   
   
6. During the term of the employment agreement, if the pastor or Office of Education (for diocesan schools) determine that the job performance of the principal is poor and there is a need for significant improvement, the following steps may be taken if there is sufficient time before the end of the term of the employment agreement, but such steps are not required:
   
   
   1. The principal be notified in writing by that his/her job performance is unsatisfactory. A meeting with the principal should be held to discuss areas of job performance that need to be improved.
      
      
   2. Performance areas, which run deeper than skill or effort, are harder to improve and may result in termination or non-renewal of contract. These areas include but are not limited to loss of credibility, integrity violation, broken relationships, and cultural misalignment.
      
      
   3. The areas related to skill or effort that need improvement should be clearly stated in a plan specifying the measurable goals.
      
      
   4. The principal shall be offered the opportunity to improve his/hers job performance in those areas when there is reason to believe that the areas of improvement are achievable. When determined that performance can improve, the principal should be given sufficient time to address the areas that need improvement.
      
      
   5.   At the conclusion of the time designated for improvement, the pastor or Office of Education (for diocesan schools) shall reevaluate the job performance of the principal. A summary of this second appraisal should be sent to the Office of Education and a copy sent to the principal.
      
      
   6. The pastor and the Office of Education shall determine whether to renew or not renew the principal's contract.
      
      
   7.  Substantial improvement must be obtained to warrant renewal or the offering of a subsequent employment contract. In limited circumstances, when the pastor’s or Office of Education’s (for diocesan schools) evaluation determines that the principal's performance has shown significant improvement, but not to the level desired and it is believed that all deficiencies can be appropriately corrected if additional time was provided, a probationary employment agreement may be offered for the following year that would provide for termination during the term of the subsequent employment agreement if such improvement is not achieved within a reasonable period of time. There is no right to a probationary employment agreement and whether it is offered is in the discretion of the pastor or the Office of Education (for diocesan schools).

The timeline stated above is a general guideline and there may be circumstances that prevent this timeline and the steps from being followed. The pastor and the Office of Education (for diocesan schools) retain the absolute authority to determine whether or not to put in place an improvement plan and whether or not to offer renewal or a subsequent employment agreement.

 The Diocesan Board of Education Policies and Regulations do not in any way constitute a binding contract or in any way guarantee any rights or promises of any particular term or condition of employment or subsequent employment. The Pastor and the Office of Education (for diocesan schools)  retain the absolute right to determine the terms and conditions of the employment of the principal.

Approved: November 29, 1994
Revised: February 1, 2007
Revised: December 15, 2025

Office of Education
Diocese of Belleville