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 of women and men)? Continue reading “What Is Boardmanship?” »

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 offered a few suggestions for how they could build trust.  Continue reading “Trust is Fundamental to the School Board President and Superintendent Relationship” »

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 approved architectural design into a completed structure. The board should hire a qualified architect and construction manager who will provide the best and most professional services possible from the beginning of the design process through the project’s completion. Both firms should commit to serve the board, and by extension, those the board represents, namely all district stakeholders. What follows are a few suggestions the board should consider when hiring an architect or construction manager. Continue reading “The School Board Should Hire a Qualified Architect and Construction Manager” »

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 good policy.

Although each of these reasons has merit, I would like to focus on why the superintendent wants good policy. I suggest two basic reasons. First, the superintendent wants to know what the school board wants and will support. Second, the superintendent wants to know what the board does not want and will not support. Continue reading “The Superintendent Wants Good School Board Policy” »

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 serve on a committee. I had good, bad, and ugly experiences with board committees. Continue reading “The School Board Committee: The Good, Bad, and Ugly” »

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 not! The decision impacts not only the students, but also their families, the district’s instructional and non-instructional staff, and the community. The decision pleases some and irritates others. Continue reading “Cancelling School Is a Tough Decision” »

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 get the opportunity to meet school board members from many different districts across Michigan and we share ideas on one of the board’s most important governance responsibilities: making policy.

There is a close relationship between the school board’s vision for the district and board policy.  The board articulates its vision (intent) for the district expressed through policy that specifies what the board wants or does not want (outcome).  The board expects the superintendent to devise administrative procedures to implement policy to attain its vision. Continue reading “Policy Is the Foundation of All School Board Action” »

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 board members have little or no experience managing such large amounts. District administrators, instructional and support staff, parents, students, and citizens usually do not have experience with such large amounts as well.  Therefore, when there is an opportunity to spend a large amount of money, some people may believe anything is possible. Continue reading “School Board Leadership with Competing Interests during a Construction Project” »

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 one goes to a casino for the second time and plays a slot machine and loses quickly, then one’s belief is likely to change that a slot machine is not a source of easy money.

Although gambling and educational leadership may not be related, how staff, parents, students, and citizens perceive the relationship between the school board president and superintendent may cause them to form a belief about that relationship. Continue reading “Is What You See What You (Get) Believe?” »

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 as a device for peering into the future. Usually a character will rub the crystal ball and strange lights will appear within gradually giving way to a foggy glimpse into the future. A crystal ball is a quaint and useful device for peering into the future in books and movies, but it does not capture the true essence of a vision. The crystal ball suggests that one peers into a predetermined future. In reality, however, vision is an expression of intent. Vision is an expression of a preferred future. Continue reading “School Board Vision: A Preferred Future” »