Though they acknowledged the difficulty that Superintendent Dr. Barry Rabinovitch faces due to dwindling resources, School Committee members said they can't ignore the lack of improvement in student performance over the past year.

In his annual performance evaluation, the School Committee gave Rabinovitch a "needs improvement" rating. The superintendent will receive no increase in pay.

"I felt that, for the most part, the superintendent did a good job. But we still have some key issues with schools in restructuring [and] test scores," School Committee member Kenneth Fontes said during the Rabinovitch's public evaluation on Wednesday. "I think we need to have a lot of improvement from where we were a year or two years ago."

School Committee member Rhonda Veugen agreed.

"What I struggled with in this evaluation process is the results — being able to see the results of some of the things we put in place," Veugen explained.

The news comes just weeks after the state released last spring's MCAS scores, which revealed that Wareham students continue to fall behind state averages, and according to the state, the district is not improving scores fast enough.

Rabinovitch is evaluated annually on his progress in meeting goals set in the prior year, and on his performance in “general responsibilities." Each School Committee member completes an evaluation and the scores are averaged.

In his work toward his goals — increasing student achievement, expanding the use of technology, expanding the partnership between the school community and parents, and procuring "sustainable resources necessary to provide an excellent learning experience" — Rabinovitch was given 36.8 points out of 60 possible points.

In his general responsibilities — his relationships with the School Committee, community, staff and personnel, his educational leadership, and his personal qualities — the superintendent was awarded 27.65 out of 40 points.

Rabinovitch's overall score was 64.45, putting the superintendent less than a point away from the 65-to-79-point "satisfactory" rating, which would have earned him a $3,000 raise. He was rated "very good" last year, earning him a $4,000 raise, and "satisfactory" in 2010.

Rabinovitch completed a self-evaluation last month and scored himself 49 points out of 60 for his progress on goals, and 39 points out of 40 in his general responsibilities, for a total of 88 points — or a "very good" rating.

School Committee members stressed that the evaluation was a difficult one.

"I think that when looking at the numbers, where I was across the board was 'satisfactory' or 'very good'" ratings, Veugen explained. "But really, for me, it did come down to student performance. … We're here to educate our students and the benchmark of that is test scores. Student achievement."

School Committee member Cliff Sylvia sympathized with the superintendent, and pointed out the "barriers," including a strapped budget, that Rabinovitch had to deal with over the past year.

"We're holding the superintendent responsible for student achievement, even though we all know there is a set of variables working against him," Sylvia said. "I don't see how we can hold the superintendent responsible for shrinking resources."

Fontes offered two analogies in expressing his own struggle with the evaluation process.

"You can't expect the superintendent to deliver a Mercedes if you're giving him a Gremlin," he said, but added: "The bottom line for me is, for a sports team, it starts with the CEO. I have to hold the CEO responsible for the rank and file, all the way down to the teachers, assistants, instructional leaders, and the students."

School Committee member Michael Flaherty echoed his fellow members' comments, and commended the superintendent for spearheading the effort to get extra funding to the schools through a Proposition 2½ override and debt exclusion tax increases, all of which failed at the ballot in July.

"You touched what I call the 'third rail' of local politics," said Flaherty, who was elected to the board in April. "You and the School Committee stood on it with two feet."

Rabinovitch had no response to the School Committee's evaluation, saying only: "I have no comment to make."

Superintendent Dr. Barry Rabinovitch's self-evaluation, as well as School Committee members' individual evaluations, are available for download below this story.