Interview with the Superintendent

In the past two years I have worked very closely with our superintendent. Being a small school allowed us to meet daily and handle tasks together. With the exception of school board and finance issues we worked together on most school tasks. Our leadership styles are very different. I like to call him “progressive old school.” He is close to retirement so he is stuck in his ways, however he is very open to changes and to allowing new ideas from others to flourish on campus. In our interview the superintendent talked about the positive aspects of being a school superintendent. His number one motivator is the children. He talked about working very hard to build a new school as the current one is very outdated. Three years of hard work culminated with him walking down the newly poured slab and him reflecting on his job. He stated to me that when he walked the new building he was overrun with emotion as it will serve not only our current students but future generations. That in itself makes it all worth it he said. There are many positive aspects of this leadership position but above all, having the influence to make a difference it what matters most and what keeps him going. We did not cover negative aspects much, however discussions throughout the interview did highlight some things about the job he does not like such as unfunded state mandates, budget, etc etc. His definition of leadership was to have the ability to empower others to perform, to be knowledgeable, and to promote positive relationships. I am moving districts and will surely miss working with him.

The amounts of information I learned not only by interviewing him, but by working alongside him these past two years were immense and that knowledge will transfer over to any new job I have. Aside from the highlights of the interview stated above there were a few additional questions discussed in the interview that are worth reflecting on:

What does ethical leadership look like?

Asking the Superintendent this interview question also answered the one dealing with board relationships. Ethical leadership is something that is challenged much in schools. In small schools in particular a Superintendent is under the magnifying glass and can be influenced much by the school board. In our conversation the Superintendent spoke about various confidential situations in which his ethical principals were challenged. He was faced with a difficult decision that could cost him his job, but in the end always made the ethical choice. He did talk about maintaining a positive relationship with the school board to avoid all issues. He also stressed the importance of being fully aware of the law. “You see this right here?” as he pointed to the big blue school law book on his desk. “This is always on my desk and I refer to it a few times a week.” He mentioned that if you follow the law and remember the number one rule of taking the students interest into account every decision would be easier and you could sleep at night. This was one of the most interesting questions as we could’ve talked for hours about different situations he has been through with the board as well as with other people in the schools he has been in.

How do you work to develop a shared vision?

Here he actually asked me to answer this question. “Tell me what you have done here in two years?” After I briefly answered he took over and talked about the importance of a site based team, involving all stakeholders in decision making, etc. From hiring of new staff to a revamp of the dress code we have done a lot to develop a shared vision. He talked about how communication is very important with both English and Spanish speaking parents and that schools needed to try all avenues to reach out to the parents and community.

How should a superintendent evaluate the effectiveness of communication strategies in the school district and encourage the engagement of the community to benefit all students?

Schools must make extra effort to communicate with the community. Although traditional methods do work, he talked about a number of ideas ranging from making one of our soon to be vacant wings into a head start program and another area of the school as a community health center. The superintendent is very good at attaining grants so he thinks these ideas would be possible. I applaud him for having such grand vision. By implementing those programs, the school would not only be serving the students but the community as well thus engaging and creating a relationship that will ultimately be beneficial for all.

How does a Superintendent promote and sustain a district culture that emphasizes student learning and professional development?

A superintendent should promote a collegial district culture that has high expectations for all including students and staff. I feel that the response to this question was not quite there. Although professional development is important and should be continuous he admits that it is very difficult to make it happen. With limited resources teachers get only a few professional development opportunities a year and when it is it is usually a one and done type of training. Setting high expectations begins early and having a pk-8th grade campus allows a great opportunity to change mentalities towards achievement. If you start them young, and work with your staff to teach higher order thinking skills once they reach the upper levels, they will be better prepared.

More than anything this interview helped me ask questions that I otherwise wouldn’t have asked. When talking to an educational leader with close to 30 years experience it doesn’t take one interview, it takes a long mentorship relationship in which I feel I have. As I move districts I hope that my relationship with the superintendent will stay strong and that he a can be a resource for my new job as well as for this course.