Superintendent Interview

Superintendent Interview

                The job of being a superintendent encompasses a wide range of tasks and responsibilities.  With that said and agreed upon, my superintendent stated that sixty percent of his job is school board relations.  Without a healthy, cooperative relationship a superintendent cannot be effective.  He discussed the dynamics of a changing board and how important the interview process is in establishing that relationship of trust and shared vision.  The hiring board is allowed valuable insight to the superintendent through this lengthy process.  As the board changes, new members were not participants in the hiring process and thus do not have that insight nor the shared vision and/or, possibly, trust.  If possible, the superintendent must work to establish that trust and shared vision.  Of course sometimes new members are on their own agenda and are unwilling to establish that relationship.  To use his words, “They hire you because they like you and they fire you because they don’t.”

                I really liked his thoughts on leadership because it involved one’s actions in response to the issues at hand, your actions taken and the reason for taking that action.  He discussed the competencies and characteristics of honesty, ethics, sincerity, passion, consistency, and more as supporting determiners to the action taken.  Actions do speak louder than words.

                In response to the negative aspects he said “You are never not the leader.”  That includes at church, at the grocery store, at the lake, when mowing your yard, at a restaurant, etc…  We also discussed the cruelty leadership positions can have one your family.

                He shared some interesting thoughts in discussing developing a shared vision confessing that communication is his weakest area.  He feels that we must constantly remind people of where we are and where we are going while where we are going is always changing.  There is never enough communication and someone is always left out.  An insightful point was made that we really need to include staff when communicating because “they are isolated day to day in a 30x30 room” and without communication that isolation will lead them to wander or stray from the vision.

                Another interesting approach was a “what not to do but had to do” answer to question nine dealing with wide range strategic planning.  This district was unacceptable upon arriving at mid-term several years ago and it was quickly evident that there was no district-wide curriculum.  Teachers developed their own, borrowed from others, or simply taught from the book or on a whim.  It was decided by the superintendent to use the CSCOPE curriculum.  The decision was made without involving all stakeholders because that process would not allow for a timely decision needed to avert another year with an unacceptable rating.  Though made five years ago, he stated that that decision continues to haunt him but he believes it was the correct decision at the time.

                In discussing budgeting he asks three questions: 

“What do we need?” 

“Can we afford it?” 

“How will it impact student learning?”

He discussed some difficult decisions such terminating programs like the welding class that served 50 students but the money was also needed for a program that would serve 100.  It was evident that decisions such as these and the elimination of nearly 80 positions this past spring weighed heavily on his mind.

                 This experience was very interesting, insightful, and enjoyable.  It is interesting to hear the perspective that is so often unheard.  My superintendent was very gracious and is sincerely interested in my professional growth.