Noonan endures last superintendent interview, possible decision tonight

Lisa Noonan, chief academic officer of Washoe County Schools, told Douglas County school board members Friday that "what we teach" is nonnegotiable.

"We're told what to teach. That's defined by state standards," she said. "We can go above those, but we can't pick and choose."

Noonan was the last of four superintendent candidates to face a three-hour roundtable interview with 20 board members, principals and teachers, among other staff.

Trustees invited Noonan and Heather Henderson-Hill back for additional interviews after the board couldn't agree on the initial finalists, Dave Jensen and Mary Bull.

Noonan said when it comes to instruction, "how we teach," she believes in as much teacher control as possible.

"Teachers find the most joy in their work selecting how they get there," Noonan said.

She said it's her job to provide them with the necessary resources to "increase the strategies in their toolbox."

Assistant Superintendent Lyn Gorrindo asked Noonan how she would handle a school not following the adopted curriculum.

"It has to start with the principal, the chain of command," Noonan said. "My role first and foremost is to help."

However, Noonan said if a principal refuses to enforce standards, that's where disciplinary action comes into play.

Michele Baugh, a secretary at the district office, asked Noonan how she would handle pressure from special interest groups.

"I don't want to become a pinball that reacts to everything that comes my way," Noonan said.

On the other hand, she said doesn't want to be in a position where she stops listening to concerns from stake-holders.

"You have to let people know that issues are going to be addressed," Noonan said. "If it's the right thing for the system, we have to move forward for the sake of the students."

Carson Valley Middle School teacher Nicolle Larson asked Noonan to what extent she supports using student achievement scores in teacher evaluations.

"I didn't ever feel that as a principal it needed to be in the rubric of teacher evaluations," Noonan said. "I felt sure that good teachers would be acknowledged, and if some were failing, I didn't necessarily need that piece to do my job."

But Noonan said the country seems to be moving in the direction of using student achievement whether individual districts like it or not.

"If we're going to do it, then we need to do it well," she said. "Within the purview of the school district, we can design a new rubric for evaluations. If it's going to be 50 percent, then we'll make sure it's a well-rounded 50 percent. And whatever we implement for teachers should be reflective of how we evaluate administrators and central office staff."

At the same time, Noonan said, the new evaluations would need to be fluid, not rigid, adaptable to what kind of class a teacher is assigned. For example, she said she often assigns low performing students to the best teachers.

"We would have to build the evaluation carefully so it doesn't create barriers that don't reflect a teacher's true contribution," she said.

When asked about her experience with budget cuts, Noonan said she's an advocate of, first, putting the best teachers possible in the classroom, and, second, providing the best materials for the job.

But when the state mandates cuts halfway through the year, decisions must be made, Noonan said. She gave the example of cutting a planned textbook adoption to save classroom positions.

"I've learned not to spend money early in the year, especially in Nevada," she said.

As superintendent, Noonan said she would fight at the legislative level to preserve education funding, while simultaneously preparing for reductions at the district level.

"It's not going to be one thing that gets us out of the woods," Noonan said. "It's going to be a give and take."

Noonan said her parents went to elementary school during the Great Depression.

"Someone made sure they had school," she said. "We need to make sure we still have public education."

School board members are meeting 5:45 p.m. tonight at Douglas High School to discuss final selection of the superintendent.