Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Final Posting on Superintendent as CEO
There were several opportunities we had to learn about board superintendent relations, including the central office administrator Jim Martin as he planned educational facilities with the school board. As a summary I ask you to compare the experiences of all the superintendents, their designees, and planning professionals in securing funding, designing schools, and relationships that are formed in running a school district. A huge theme was board constituency changing over time and the impact that had on the district. Again I will reflect in response to your reflections. dh
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With the Superintendents they all had great stories. We had a superintendent who school board was 100% behind them, we had one who was quitting her job because of the school board and the final one outlasted the bad boards. With the first one she was able to get two bonds passes with the support of her board. The second one came in cleaned house and is now in the process of looking for a job because she did what she was hired to do but made people upset in the process. The last one had an uphill fight and he stuck it out and the current board is happy with him. The main thing I learned from all of this is that the job of a superintendent is not easy and even if you are doing a good you must have thick skin. I also learned that a person looking for superintendent job must find a district that fits their style.
ReplyDeleteBoth of the architects that we had on the tours were great. They both did they research and designed a school with the staff in mind as well as the students. I also learned that even though both the schools were great they each had ideas on improvements for both. I hope that someday I will be lucky enough to be able to work with a couple of guys who are this dedicated to building a great school.
Each superintendent we heard had their own unique story of challenges and obstacles inherited or created during their work at their districts. I think the theme that tied each of these together is the fact that they knew the importance of staying at one place to initiate change in order for growth to occur and the impact of having a quality team in place to help students. All have been at the district they served for quite a length of time as a superintendent or employee and felt a need to serve and help their personnel achieve great things for the district. The key is good board relations and each superintendent strived to do this while running into various stumbling blocks, such as members who served special interests groups, or came in with another agenda. In dealing with a seven member board there is likely going to be several different if not seven different opinions at times. Something that stood out to me is what Mr. Patterson said, that at some point you are going to have to make a tough decision on how the district should go based on the best interest of students and staff. When you make this call is when the board relationship is liable to get rocky. This is going to tell you right away what kind of board you have and what you may be facing. Al things considered even the best place you could find will present some challenging and gut wrenching problems as long as you have to deal with people, however, I agree with Jeff’s post that you should definitely seek out a district that meets your style to put everything in your favor. First, you may have to work through a few districts that challenge you to find that district that meets your style and theirs.
ReplyDeleteWhat was also impressive about that Jeff, is the fact that Ms. Linda McAnelly assumed her role in Devine ISD following the departure of a superintendent when the board was divided. She split the horns of the poltical dilemma at Devine by assuming the reigns of the district with very specific conditions. She would only address the future and the opportunities the district faced. She understood the problem of managing a board without being bought out by different factions or inadvertently giving power to either faction by taking conversations in a direction that would favor the interests of either if it did not serve students. She managed her relationships in the community in such a way that she remained above the fray. Only as a community uniter was she able to accomplish so much in a district not prone to approve spending money. She was very savvy and heads up. She knows herself well. She knows her values. She knows what she wants and communicates it well. She is reaching a point where she is at her best at the same time she may ready to do something else.
ReplyDeleteMs. Garza of Edgewood was a political realist. She understood the reality of board politics and political polarity. In her community there was she knew that she could best serve the community by not engaging in a political fight to save her job. There was some dignity and integrity in this decision and how she managed her life and career as well.
Mr. Gary Patterson experienced perhaps the most divided board of all. He also was a political realist but he understood the dynamics of what happens when you do the right things for the right reasons. We all remember that he was proudest of the fact that he "stayed when he did not have to stay," and that he was sustained by his commitment to his staff, his community, and his family. The interactions will all three superintendents was unforgettable. dh
Jeff and Scott, thanks for some great insights from where you stood. Every perspective recreates some powerful lessons for all of us. Again thanks for making the semester such a success. dh
ReplyDeleteAll the superintendents we were able to visit with had their own ways of working and dealing with their board of trustees. One comment I remember from Mrs. McAnnelly was that she told the board, "Don't bring past things up to me in closed session". She definitely wanted them to know that she wasn't the past superintendent and she had no control over that past, but that she was there to make Devine ISD divine for a long time.
ReplyDeleteDr. Garza, unfortunately, had been told to make the cuts and when she did she ended up stressing her relationship with the Edgewood board. I don't know how you deal with such controversy. I suppose that's why the average stay for superintendents is somewhere between 3 to 5 years in a district.
Unlike, Dr. Garza, Superintendet Patterson wasn't going to let the "politics" get the best of him. What a challenge that must have been for him to stick it out, but his successes now seem to make it all worth it.
Mr. Amaro and Mr. Martin's were both able to give a different aspect to district successfulness. People in these positions aren't always seen after the completion of construction, but the positive relationship they have with the Board, Superintendent, and other Adminitration is critical for the difficult process. Trusting these gentlemen in spending huge amounts of tax payers' money and making the buildings a place students and staff want to come to has to be the most important part of the process.
The key for Mr. Patterson was he knew the law. He knew he was right. And he was not going to let people be harmed. He trusted that in the long run the right thing would be done as out-of-control board members continued twisting the law and policy to serve their personal ends. "I stayed when I didn't have to stay." was the thing that he wanted to be remembered for. East Central is a better district for it. dh
ReplyDeleteMrs. McAnelly, Dr. Garza and Mr. Patterson were hired by united boards. Nonetheless, very few boards stay in tact for long periods of time. The question is, "what is the (unspoken) agenda of the board members?" A successful superintendent uses an artful skill to establish and maintain a strong, positive working relationship with school board members. But even the most skilled superintendent can struggle and “lose the battle” (Lumby & English, Leadership as Lunacy, Ch. 4) with a personally-motivated and charged board member or two. The aftermath to a battle lost is the difficulty in replacing the superintendent with someone of the caliber willing to work with such a board. Mrs. McAnelly is that superintendent that was willing to take the place of a superintendent released by the same board hiring her. She used a audit from TASB as a teaching tool to work with her board. However, prior to accepting the job, she established some ground rules, such as not having them talk to her about the past in their "war stories".
ReplyDeleteAnd the outcomes for Dr. Garza and Mr. Patterson were different from each other, yet with an affect of split boards.
I respect the dignity that Dr. Garza has maintained once she opted to resign her position at the end of her contract. Yet, Mr. Patterson demonstrated his dignity during his temporary exile and returned to do the right thing for his staff when the board wanted him to make an inappropriate call with regard to staffing.
Three very strong and capable superintendents; three similar but very different stories.
It is evident that the relationship between the school board and the superintendent is vital. They can make a superintendents job a nightmare or they can help him/her create an awesome school district. The superintendent has to have fortitude if they are going to what needs to be done if a board does not support them. Each superintendent had differing experiences. Each had their struggles. Dr. Garza did what she had to do and because of that will not longer be Edgewood ISD superintendent. Mr. Patterson outlasted the storms and now is enjoying the fruits of his perseverance, the excellent facilities in his district. Ms. McAnnelly did so much work to get a bond passed that had previously failed and then was able to get a second bond passed. She dealt with her board upfront and let them know there was a new superintendent and didn't want to hear about old things. She recognized where her area of need was got help and got the job done. Jim Martin seemed to have a great relationship with his board and was able to do wonderful things in his district. So much leadership and so many experiences with different boards. Each one of them delegated task and resources on a large scale, some larger than others, to create learning facilities for the students in their community.
ReplyDeleteListening to the three Superintendents speak and hear about their challenges was very insightful. The commonality with the superintendents when faced with obstacles and opposition is they put aside what some may perceive as best for them and pushed forward to do what was best for the district and community.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Mrs. McAnelly, the district needed a bond issue passed and she persued that within months of taking her position as Superintendent. She was very candid about the challenges faced in being a Superintendent but felt she was providing a service to her community. Dr. Garza’s challenges were a little different. She saw the need to look and plan ahead while working with a board that did not necessarily have that vision. She continued and pressed on until she felt it was in the best interest of the district to resign at the end of her contract to “take the politics out of it”. Mr. Patterson, in my opinion faced the biggest obstacle. He stuck it out under situations that most of us would not. Throughout his conflict with the school board, he held to what he believed and stood up for what he felt was best for the community he served.
What I admire about all three of the Superintendents that we heard, is they put aside what may have been best for them personally, to do what they felt is right for the community. Sometimes in the leadership role, leaders take the “path of least resistance” instead of what is right. I admire these individuals for facing the challenges head on.
I was impressed also with the enthusiasm for education that the architects showed. You expect to see the passion for education and the facilities from those who are educators. In all honesty, those involved in the construction aspect are building the facilities for financial gain; as would be expected. However, it was refreshing to experience the energy and passion for children and education coming from the architects involved in the building process.
Being a superintendent is no easy job; you must have thick skin and not take anything personal. Each superintendent that we heard speak had their own unique story and their own way of dealing with the board. First we heard Ms. Linda McAnelly speak. She took over as the superintendent after a split board. She agreed to the job with very strict stipulations. She said that she would only look forward and didn't want to hear anything from the past. She also came in and did a bond proposal in a very short amount of time. She didn't keep anything a secret with her board and was very open if any one of them was asking a question. Second we heard Dr. Garza from Edgewood speak. She is at a very difficult time in her career. When she first became superintendent she decided to make some really tough decisions and cut some jobs. She made the decision based on the future and the best interest of the district, but ultimately those decisions cost her the job. She had just resigned from her job due to the board politics. Now this allows her to carry out the year without any politics at all involved. Lastly we heard from Mr. Gary Patterson. Hearing from the first two superintendents was great but Mr. Pattersons story of perseverance was by far the most incredible. He was a man who believed in what was right and he rode out a storm that took a tole on him and his family in every possible way. He stayed when he didn't have to stay. What we gained from all three superintendents was unforgettable. This has truly been a great experience.
ReplyDeleteA common theme or attribute that I perceived in each of the superintendents that we were blessed to meet with was resiliency. Each had a story or a history of overcoming great odds to bring their districts into the next decade of educational success. The female superintendents seemed to have different obstacles to overcome, both in dedicating ample time to their own families, and in earning the respect of a male-dominated community that doesn't always have the most faith in a woman's ability to lead an organization.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed hearing from Mr. Martin, with the perspective of a facilities planner dealing with a sometimes uncooperative school board. He had a very positive outlook and a lot of good advice to share.
There is so much to learn from the experiences of superintendents and from each other!