The Daviess County Public Schools Board of Education on Thursday approved a new four-year contract with a 1% raise for Superintendent Matt Robbins, praising him for the leadership he’s displayed since taking on the position in 2017.
Robbins currently makes $168,489 per year. Board Chair Dale Stewart said he and Robbins have talked for the last few months, and that Robbins was adamant that he didn’t want to get a bigger raise than the staff.
“The first thing I will say is he has been determined from day one that he did not want to have any more (percentage of a) raise than the staff was given,” Stewart said. “That says volumes to the staff. To have a leader like that, that will make that commitment.”
Robbins said he hopes to build upon the momentum DCPS has gained over the last four years. Future goals include bettering systems of support for students; an accelerated learning plan; development of a long-range strategic plan; expanding the EmpowerU programs; focusing on early childhood and preschool education; and continued growth in other areas.
The board also presented their annual evaluation of Robbins, giving him top ratings. The evaluation focused on four standards of performance, as well as goals of the district.
Robbins received a rating of “Exemplary” in the leadership areas of Human Resource, Managerial, Collaborative, and Influential.
In a summary report signed by each member of the board, they wrote, “Mr. Robbins has led the entire district with compassion, integrity, and a caring heart. He demonstrates ‘Kids First’ is not just a slogan, but a way of life. Mr. Robbins’ approach to making all decisions is putting the health and safety of our students and staff as his first priority. He has done so while continuing the DCPS tradition of excellent instruction.”
The summary continued, “He has demonstrated a true desire to move the district forward, as exemplified by his completion of two stadium projects, a renovation at Apollo High School, and the building of our new Daviess County Middle School. In closing, we as a board are very enthusiastic about Mr. Robbins’ leadership and his vision for the future of Daviess County Public Schools. He has the unique ability to empower people to be better leaders, and more than that, better people.”
The board will be working with Robbins over the next several weeks to develop goals for the district’s upcoming 2021-22 school year.
