roles of Superintendent and School Committees

What is the role of the Superintendent? from Christine McGrath, Director of Operations for the state association of superintendents (and former superintendent):

Superintendents have a high turnover rate: "have to take good care of your superintendent"
"Superintendents don't lose their jobs because they failed to align the social studies curriculum; superintendents lose their job because people feel they are out of the loop and there isn't sufficient communication with the School Committee"
(emphasis, incidentally, not added)

• what one SC members, all know
• faculty and staff need to know
• parents: "happy people do not dial the phone" of the School Committee or Superintendent

Cable TV has really changed our responsibility and opportunity
culture of community sets how often communication is necessary
"never cast someone in a negative light"
"the send button is a PUBLIC RECORD" : be prepared to see it on the front page of your local paper

keep the lines of communication open and above all honest

Development of entry plan for superintendent
get your new School Committee members up to speed
Use of data and communicate about it EFFECTIVELY and CLEARLY
both eyes on HR: supervision and evaluation: very attentive to licensure
Collective bargaining agreements are all up online on the DESE site.
Strikes, job actions, reductions in force
Keep a good working relationship with your teachers' union

connections with police, fire: systems and procedures

Presenting and promoting the budget: "if I hear the word 'transparent' one..more..time!"
strategic plan, school improvement, mandated expenditures in making the budget

MARKETING: give them the message you need them to have : working with educated consumers
clearly articulate what our school is about
Superintendents need to go to celebrations: have a section in SC meetings about GOOD THINGS

regulatory obligations: distractions from the central mission of the work

Admin retreats, SC retreats

Role of the School Committee by Michael Gilbert, MASC Field Director
"Some mistakes superintendents make: they become a superintendent!"

be careful about accepting a superintendent on a split vote. If it's that we have several good options and it's split, that's good, and should be followed by a vote of unanimous consent. But if three people don't want the person that four do, be wary of taking that job.
Check out the district: it's a two-way marketing program
DO NOT ANSWER the question of if you're applying for an internal vacancy
Have a board retreat soon after appointment: laws and regulations are "as clear as mud"
"what is the culture of the district? Can things be changed? Is it necessary to make changes?"
encourage board members to get professional development!
Trust is transaction based, it's value based
Commitment+ Expectation+Delivery=Trust
Once you've been caught in a lie, you'll never recover.
You don't work for 1, 5, 7, or 9 individuals; you work for the board.
Underestimating or stereotyping board members is a problem; they aren't stupid.
Always give your board members both sides of the issues, and let them know why you're making your recommendation.
"I have to get that message out at least 21 different ways before it sticks."
Don't build community support outside the board to the exclusion of the board.
Don't align yourself with a political entity on or off the board.
Recognize when it's time to move on.
"when priorities change, and your skill set maybe doesn't match the community priorities, recognize that and move on. Find somewhere that needs your skill set."
"Don't promote micromanaging."
(but make sure you're not calling something micromanaging if it's just a difficult question)
You can only just throw stuff at the board for so long; they're not dumb.
Don't badmouth board members or embarrass them publicly.
Provide the same information to each board member.
Don't be right no matter the cost.

Questions:
Why do we have such turnover? We don't build internal capacity...need to promote that building of capacity.
Encouragement of retreats for goal setting
Further, for pure socializing, getting to know each other, "know each other's body language"
Norms of behavior for meetings