Over my eighteen years as superintendent, I worked with many individuals elected to the school board by their community. Most of them were committed to good governance that benefitted students; encouraged staff; held me accountable, which I welcomed; and honored community standards. They had a leadership quality I describe as “boardmanship.” What is “boardmanship” (inclusive …
Thomas Pillar
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Trust is Fundamental to the School Board President and Superintendent Relationship
Recently a school board president asked me how to build trust with the superintendent. The board president apparently experienced a situation with a previous superintendent that strained the trust between them. The board president did not wish to be “burned” again. I explained that trust is fundamental to the board president and superintendent relationship. I …
The School Board Should Hire a Qualified Architect and Construction Manager
After the voters approve a ballot proposal for new construction or renovation, the school board will hire professionals to design and build the facility. The architect will propose a design that reflects the board’s intent and stakeholder input. The construction manager (CM) will guide the board through the construction process, which will translate the board …
The Superintendent Wants Good School Board Policy
When I conduct a policy training session for school board members, I identify several reasons why the board should adopt good policy. They include: meet federal and state requirements; articulate the board’s vision; equal and consistent treatment of staff and students; comply with the law; and prevent or reduce court challenges. Also, the superintendent wants …
The School Board Committee: The Good, Bad, and Ugly
As a practicing superintendent I worked with school board committees. In my experience, the board created committees to “advise” me in specific organizational areas such as policy, finance, personnel, and operations. Board members volunteered to serve on committees that appealed to their interests. If no one was interested, then the president assigned a member to …
Cancelling School Is a Tough Decision
As winter weather sets in with snow, ice and cold, I reflect on what I believe was one of the toughest decisions I made as a superintendent: to cancel school due to inclement weather. In the context of public school administration, the decision to declare a “snow day” might seem trivial. Trust me, it is …
Policy Is the Foundation of All School Board Action
I have the privilege of presenting school board training sessions focused on the board’s role in policy development, implementation, and oversight on behalf of the Michigan Association of School Boards. The Association schedules these training sessions, part of the Certified Board Member Award Program, throughout the academic year in various locations around the state. I …
School Board Leadership with Competing Interests during a Construction Project
On November 4, 2014 voters in seven Michigan public school districts successfully passed ballot proposals for school construction or renovation. The proposals ranged from $2.1 million to $62.3 million with the median amount $10 million (School Elections for State Qualified Bonds 1996-Present website). School board leadership managing such large amounts can be challenging. Most school …
Is What You See What You (Get) Believe?
Perception is essentially a subjective point of view. One’s perception can be affected by one’s experience. For example, if one goes to a casino for the first time and plays a slot machine and wins easily, then one may believe that a slot machine is a source of easy money. Based on this belief, if …
School Board Vision: A Preferred Future
In my previous blog I asked “What is in your district’s mission statement?” Although the article focused mostly on the content of a mission statement, I briefly referred to a vision statement. In this blog, I would like to focus on the content of a vision statement. Books and movies often utilize a crystal ball …