ESCANABA — Escanaba Area Public Schools District Superintendent Coby Fletcher’s annual evaluation has begun. The first part of the process took place during the Escanaba Area Public School District Board of Education’s regular meeting Monday.

The Michigan Association of School Boards’ superintendent evaluation instrument is being used for Fletcher’s evaluation. The evaluation will be divided into five major categories — Governance & Board Relations, Community Relations, Staff Relations, Business & Finance, and Instructional Leadership.

During Monday’s meeting, Fletcher and members of the board talked about Fletcher’s performance in each of these categories during the 2018-19 school year. The board went into closed session for this discussion.

“We started the evaluation process and had discussion about our superintendent and district goals,” Board President Dan Flynn said after the board returned to open session.

According to a document provided to the Daily Press by Fletcher after the meeting, his goals include (but are not limited to) developing and maintaining strong curricular and extracurricular programs; maintaining a high degree of visibility and community engagement; aggressively advertising and promoting the school district; maintaining open and positive relationships with labor unions and employee groups; maintaining a healthy fund balance; consistently seeking ways to increase district efficiency; and enabling strong communication between himself and the board.

Another discussion on Fletcher’s performance evaluation, which is also likely to take place in closed session, has been set for the district’s next committee of the whole meeting on Dec. 9. At the board’s next regular meeting, scheduled for Dec. 16, Fletcher’s evaluation will be finalized and voted on.

“We’ll talk about this evaluation in public,” Flynn said of the Dec. 16 meeting.

In other business, the board:

– reviewed last week’s community forum on Fletcher’s recommendation to close Soo Hill Elementary School. At this time, Fletcher summarized concerns expressed by forum attendees, including questions about how closing Soo Hill could affect the district’s student population and students’ education.

“It was an emotional meeting,” Trustee Todd Milkiewicz said.

The board is likely to make a decision on reconfiguring the school district at its Dec. 16 meeting.