Kent School Board to vote Aug. 5 on superintendent’s contract extension to 2022

The Kent School Board is scheduled to discuss and vote on a contract extension for Superintendent Calvin Watts during a virtual special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5.

The five-member board of the Kent School District will decide whether to extend the contract for Watts through June 30, 2022. His current contract expires July 30, 2021. The board voted in 2019 to end automatic renewal of Watts’ contract. In 2018, the board approved a rollover and addendum to his contract, not an extension. That put the contract in place until 2021.

Both of those votes came despite teachers and parents voicing their dissatisfaction with Watts’ leadership and his handling of the district budget crisis in 2018. Parents called for his resignation and teachers cast a vote of no confidence. The board hired Watts in 2015.

During a July 22 meeting, the board had been scheduled to vote on the contract extension but postponed that decision because of potential violations of board policy for notification and the need for more specific language about the vote.

Prior to the vote Aug. 5, the board will hear emails read from people who submit comments. All comments must be submitted 30 minutes before the meeting begins and are limited to 450 words. All required fields must be completed, or the comment will be considered invalid.

People can submit comments via the Public Comment Submission form at https://www.kent.k12.wa.us/Page/10392. Comments will be read by the executive assistant to the superintendent/board during the public comment portion of the meeting unless marked for a specific agenda item.

The meeting will be livestreamed on YouTube.