Dartmouth Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Bonny Gifford's performance during her first year at the helm has been rated proficient by the School Committee.

"She has met all of the goals she identified for this year, although more time and data [are] needed to fully assess Dr. Gifford's impact on student learning," School Committee Chair Chris Oliver read from a compilation of committee members' individual evaluations during the board's June 20 meeting. "Nonetheless, the School Committee is pleased with Dr. Gifford's performance in her first year."

Gifford, who took the reins from interim Superintendent Mike Shea on July 1 of last year, previously served as superintendent in Falmouth.

School Committee members evaluated the superintendent in four areas: instructional leadership, management and operations, family and community engagement, and professional culture. The scale included four potential ratings: unsatisfactory, needs improvement, proficient, and exemplary. Gifford was rated "proficient" in each of the aforementioned areas.

Oliver, who compiled the members' individual ratings and composed final comments along with Vice Chair Dr. Shannon Jenkins, noted that the "proficient" rating was the general consensus of the committee's members.

"I think that Dr. Gifford has provided many samples of evidence of many of the things that she's working on, and this being the first year, it takes awhile to get to know the staff and for the staff to get to know her. ... There had been issues before, so it's going to take time to build that trust," said School Committee member Carol Karafotis. She told Gifford: "I'm very confident in what you're doing, and whatever support we can give, we're here to do that."

School Committee member Chris Garth said he concurred with the superintendent's rating and looks forward to "a very long relationship together," but would like to know more about what's happening below the administrative level.

"I do hope that we start to see some evidence of what's happening underneath you," Garth noted, "because that's ultimately where we're going to see the changes happen."

Gifford thanked the committee for its comments.

"You're right. Everything takes time, and as they say, Rome's not built in a day, to be corny," the superintendent said, later noting: "...without an exemplary team around me, I certainly couldn't do half of what we're trying to do now. ... We'll keep moving forward."

Among the committee's comments:

Instructional leadership: "Dr. Gifford has provided compelling evidence that she has met the goals in this section, for example, school-based and administrative meeting agendas, her 'entry plan' report, and several specific and pertinent e-mail correspondences," Oliver said. "She has put building blocks in place for future success."

Management and operations: "In her interactions with the School Committee, [Gifford] has shown competence with policies and ability to consider our strategic goals in developing a budget. She has begun making difficult but necessary changes to put the district on the path for improvement," Oliver read.

Family and community engagement: "It has been noted by staff, students, and School Committee members that Dr. Gifford has bought into Dartmouth pride. Committee members highlighted attendance at school and community events, her relationship with the Police Department, her work with the Healthy Dartmouth Committee, her use of Facebook and Twitter, her presence in walking through schools, and her creation of the Dartmouth Community TV show, 'Dartmouth's Got Talent,' as evidence of her rating in this area," noted Oliver. "The district is excelling at communication with the community. Although some committee members noted communication could be more consistent at the school level, nonetheless, this is an excellent area of strength."

Professional culture: "Dr. Gifford has been able to create a positive culture by modeling what it means to be a professional. She has earned the respect of her staff with her ability to listen. ... She has been working to create a high-functioning team that has a shared vision," Oliver said. He explained that that some committee members mentioned challenges in this area, "but noted that Dr. Gifford is knowledgeable, dedicated, and committed to improving the district, so we are confident she will be able to meet [the] challenges."