Five Paraphrases
1. What does ethical leadership look like?
A superintendent must model the highest level of standards and hold ones self accountable. A superintendent must acknowledge that she is superintendent 24 hours a day. Integrity must be modeled at the office, football game, and community restaurant, etc without exception. A superintendent needs to know and understand policy so that it can be followed appropriately. I like the fact that she focused on integrity extending beyond just the school walls.
2. How does the Superintendent accomplish such wide ranging strategic planning?
The superintendent needs to understand budgeting; however, the state has this so regulated now that there is not a whole lot of room for playing with the numbers. The superintendent must understand curriculum, scope and sequence, research based programs. Our superintendent looks at every single PO that comes through to check that what is being purchased is research based and is in line with the vision of the district. She assess what tools and technology are required to get the job done and then makes sure that the appropriate people have access to these tools. I thought her comments on budgeting were interesting. She said that today it is mostly a matter of plugging numbers into the right boxes because of how heavily the money is regulated. I would like to see this process for myself.
3. How do Superintendents address these issues aimed at improving the performance of all staff members?
When our superintendent decided that the school was going to adopt C-Scope, she knew this was going to be a struggle for much of her staff. She understood the importance of staff development, so she provided the training required before she had the teachers implement the new curriculum. She knew it would cost a lot of money to make the necessary changes so she put the money where her mouth was so the teachers would have the needed tools. There is no change without proper training and tools. It can take some time to put the proper steps in place, but in the end, it is worth it. Then you need to create a process for continual evaluation. This resonated with me because I was here on the ground floor of implementing C-Scope so I know first hand the difficulties that were involved. I liked seeing her though process as she planned how to introduce this to the staff. Putting the money on the line is so true and I enjoyed seeing her perspective.
4. How should Superintendents approach the management of everything from budgets to technology applications?
Procedures must be in place to carry out the vision. Years ago the district was only a k-8 campus. It remained so for many years and things were done very loosely. Then the district began to grow rapidly and many things changed with the inclusion of 9-12. Accounting, policy, personnel, certification, book keeping, etc all had to be approached differently. The right people and procedures had to be put in place to manage everything and make sure the school’s accountability remained where it needed to be in relation to the state. All of this took knowledge, skills, time, and change. The superintendent has to be able to initiate change in these areas when needed. She mentioned the right people for the job, and I think that this is very important. Part of leadership is being able to delegate responsibilities to the right people. Our superintendent has done a good job with this.
5. Please discuss the importance of organizational leadership, as well as decision-making and problem-solving skills in addressing these compliance areas and maintaining positive change.
The organizational leadership and problem solving skills come through knowledge. It takes a lot to keep current in today’s ever changing educational system. Educational trends are always changing and evolving. There are demands at the local, state, and federal levels. A superintendent must network with county and regional superintendents, TEA, associations, etc to stay current and have a pool of resources to meet the challenges faced in these varied contexts. Staying current is a huge task that she repeated many times. A good leader must be knowledgeable in his or her field to lead effectively.
Summary: I was encouraged as I study the different competencies, to keep in mind that they are inter-woven concepts. Pulling them apart can be difficult. Decision making will require a superintendent to draw from all the different competencies. All through the interview the superintendent kept hammering on knowledge and skills. A superintendent must be a committed life-long learner. Always ask how the decision is going to impact kids and never lose sight of the students. The last thing she wanted me to know that was instrumental to her was, prayer.
