Sarasota school board rates superintendent as 'highly effective'

The grades for Superintendent Brennan Asplen’s performance over the past year are in and his report card shows he’s an A student. 

School board members unanimously voted to rank Asplen as “highly effective” for his past year of work. 

Asplen, who started Aug. 10, 2021, had many obstacles to overcome in his first year, including COVID-19 protocols and rebuilding trust with the community. 

Board members graded Asplen on 10 criteria including relationship with the board, culture, health and safety and student achievement, among others. 

Board members on Tuesday said Asplen performed exceptionally well in his first year. 

“I think he’s developing that trust that we, as board members, look for,” Board member Jane Goodwin said. “I think he was what we really needed over this year with such a disastrous situation.”  

Asplen said he was thankful to the district staff and community who made him feel welcome in his first year on the job. He said he looks forward to another year of service with the district.

“I know this was a challenging year,” Asplen said. “I think we’ve done as good of a job as we could possibly do and I know things can only get better and better. As we move forward, there’s always room for improvement, and we will continue to improve every year.”