What Would Superintendents Do? WWSD? A School Board Study Guide for Future Superintendents

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What Would Superintendents Do?WWSD? A School
Board Study Guide for Future Superintendents

• ED 7321 Spring 2008
• Dr. Kip Sullivan

Michael D. Bagley Paula Traynham Kim
Sexton Connie Parker Pablo Jasso Zachary Gibson
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List of Scenarios

• Scenario 1 Information Gap
• Scenario 2 Contracts
• Scenario 3 Human Resources
• Scenario 4 Goals
• Scenario 5 Community Support
• Scenario 6 Legal
• Scenario 7 Policy vs. Procedure

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Scenario 1 Information Gap

• As a board member you are in the midst of
  discussing a major item for action at a board
  meeting. During the course of your discussion you
  soon realize that some of the board members have
  information about the topic you don't have.
  Through further investigation you discover this
  additional information was provided by the
  superintendent to some of the board members but
  not to you and others. This differential in data
  places you and others at a disadvantage during
  the discussion.
• How should the information gap be dealt with?

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Answer

• Dont detract from the main issue to bring up
  the problem related to the information gap.
  However, full discussion with the board and
  superintendent would be in order later in the
  meeting during the non-agenda portion of the
  meeting. This is an issue that all need to
  discuss. Therefore, to discuss it sometime in the
  future with only the superintendent would give
  only you the answer and not be shared with all.

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Competency Correlation 004

• The superintendent knows how to respond to
  and influence the larger political, social,
  economic, legal, and cultural context, including
  working with the board of trustees, to achieve
  the district's educational vision.

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Scenario 2 Contracts

• Before the board acted on its final item for
  the meeting, the two previously absent board
  members showed up. The board was voting on a
  20,000 contract for painting classrooms in the
  district. Because trustee Flanders owned the
  painting business involved in the contract, she
  was required to abstain from voting. The board
  subsequently voted four-to-two to approve the
  contract.
• Did the board approve the contract?

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Answer

• No. The board did not legally approve the
  contract for the painting services. When a board
  member has a financial interest in a contract
  presented to a board, state law requires that the
  contract be approved by a two-thirds vote of the
  members serving on the board, which still
  requires five affirmative votes even with a board
  member abstaining.

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Competency Correlation 004

• The superintendent knows how to respond to and
  influence the larger political, social, economic,
  legal, and cultural context, including working
  with the board of trustees, to achieve the
  district's educational vision.

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Scenario 3 Human Resources

• The Board of Education has conducted an
  assistant superintendent search. It has followed
  its consultants leadership and has interviewed
  the top eight candidates. It has identified the
  top three candidates from that group. Telephone
  reference checks and a visitation have been made
  to the finalists community. The finalist, after
  spending a day in the community, withdraws from
  the search. The same thing happens with the next
  two candidates.

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Scenario 3 Continued

• Which of the following options should the board
  of education adopt?
• The board may meet and review the five candidates
  who were interviewed but did not receive further
  consideration.
• The board may meet to revaluate those not
  interviewed and decide whether or not to
  interview those.
• The board should discuss and consider reopening
• the search.

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Answer

• The board should consider the options in the
  order presented until consensus is reached.
• Guiding principle A board should never hire
  the best of the worst.

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Competency Correlation 008

• The superintendent knows how to apply principles
  of effective leadership and management in
  relation to district budgeting, personnel,
  resource utilization, financial management, and
  technology use.

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Scenario 4 Goals

• One of the goals the board decided on at its
  September goal setting session was the district
  will study the impact of schools of choice.
•  
• What may be wrong with the wording of this
  goal?

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Answer

• How a board states its goals is almost as
  important as having them. For best results, begin
  board goals with action verbs that describe the
  single key result intended complete, submit,
  issue, verify, increase and reduce.

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Competency Correlation 002

• The superintendent knows how to shape district
  culture by facilitating the development,
  articulation, implementation, and stewardship of
  a vision of learning that is shared and supported
  by the educational community.

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Scenario 5 Community Support

• Your schools dont seem to have the community
  support they need. Parent-teacher conferences are
  not well attended, citizens are quick to rise up
  against decisions made by the board and bond
  issues are repeatedly turned down.
•  
• What could be wrong and how can it be changed?

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Answer

• Board members and other school officials may
  be out of touch with various groups in their
  community. Find ways to ask them about problem
  areas. Once you go directly to your customer, you
  may find that parent/teacher conferences are
  offered at the wrong time. Maybe the public
  doesnt understand the boards role or the bond
  issues dont pass because you havent found the
  right ways to communicate the districts goals to
  the various segments of the educational
  community.

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Competency Correlation 003

• The superintendent knows how to communicate
  and collaborate with families and community
  members, respond to diverse community interests
  and needs, and mobilize community resources to
  ensure educational success for all students.

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Scenario 6 Legal

• You just found out that federal legislation
  passed a mandate which permits states to require
  payment of unemployment compensation benefits to
  school employees for summer months. A bill has
  been introduced in the Texas Legislature
  requiring schools to pay unemployment benefits to
  non-certified employees through the summer
  regardless of assurances of employment for the
  next school year.  
• How should the board deal with this
  situation?

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Answer

• Ask the superintendent to estimate the cost
  of the legislation on the district. Give a
  comparison point, such as how many books could be
  purchased for the cost, or how many jobs it
  equates to. Contact your legislator to discuss
  the legislation. Inform your community of the
  impact on your school, encourage them to
  communicate their feelings to the legislature.

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Competency Correlation 010

• The superintendent knows how to apply
  organizational, decision-making, and
  problem-solving skills to facilitate positive
  change in varied contexts.

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Scenario 7 Policy vs. Procedure

• The board has spent about 45 minutes at the
  monthly board meeting discussing whether, under
  the attendance policy, a parent conference should
  be required after a student has been tardy to a
  class more than twice in a grading period. You
  can see that the discussion is not resolving the
  issue.
•  
• What can you do to try to refocus the
  discussion in order to resolve the issue?

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Answer

• The board is really discussing administrative
  procedures, not the policy itself. Refocus
  discussion by agreeing to measurable outcomes for
  your student attendance policy. Allow the
  administrative staff to develop the procedures,
  regulations, and rules.

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Competency Correlation006

• The superintendent knows how to advocate,
  nurture, and sustain an instructional program and
  a district culture that are conducive to student
  learning and staff professional growth.

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Helpful Links

• www.tasb.org
• www.aasa.org
• www.tasanet.org
• www.masb.org
• www.tea.state.tx.us
• www.texes.ets.org