hewins on fps_supt-bd_relations

WSU Supt Certification ProgramRegional Cohort Presentation

Dr. Frank Hewins

Superintendent

October 29, 2010

Superintendent/Board Relationsor

“Care & Feeding of Your School Board”

Getting to the Seat

• MS/HS Teacher, Coach, Dept Chair

• HS Asst Principal

• HS Principal

• K-12 Executive Director

• Asst. Supt

• Superintendent

Inside vs. Outside

INSIDE• Like current direction

• Known commodity

• Involved in the community

• Admin/staff credibility

• Understands needs

• Hit the ground running

OUTSIDE• Want new direction

• Fresh ideas

• No baggage

• Perceived district dysfunction

• Veteran (i.e., entrenched) staff

Learning to Dance w/Five Partners

•Building relationships•Establishing trust•Acting w/consistency•Maintaining confidentiality•Honest/open dialogue•Sense of humor

Inheriting a Good School Board

Communication! Communication! Communication!

Find out the right amount, the right method, and the right style for your Board.

What Do Boards Do?

• Provide for:– a quality instructional program, within the

limits of the resources;– management and direction of the school

system;– continued guidance through policy

development and adoption; and– communication between the district and the

community.

Board Responsibilities

• Policy making

• Hiring a superintendent

• Planning, goal setting, and appraisal

• Approval and adoption of an annual budget

• Staffing, appraisal, salaries, fringe benefits

• Instruction

• School facilities

• Public relations

• Adjudication and investigations

Management decisions that legally can be made only by the Board

• Budget review and adoption• Hiring and other personnel matters• Approval of textbooks and other instructional

materials• Negotiation parameters and agreements• School construction and maintenance• Bond and levy proposals• Payrolls• Purchasing

Prolonging the Honeymoon

Do The Work• Attend meetings or send a representative• Finish reports when they are needed• Provide appropriate data• Be well-planned and organized for every Board

meeting• Be involved with the total school community• Talk with the Board and know its expectations

Be a Generalist

• Know what is going on in every one of your departments

• Get regular briefings from Cabinet members and Principals

• Be able to respond to questions from the Board in a timely manner

Don’t Get Greedy

• In most cases you will be compensated well as a superintendent

• Depending upon your community, salary and benefits can be a controversial topic and any community member with an axe to grind can find a way to use that controversy to split the Board and oust the Supt

Honor the “Green” Line

• Make sure you and the Board understand the difference between policy and administration

• Keep them out of your day to day operations of the district

• Always give the same information to all Board members – treat them equally

The Role of the School Board in an Engagement-Focused Learning Organization

• Leadership – sets and articulates direction

• Collaboration – w/supt part of a collective team

• Core Business - make pro-active contributions

• Responsiveness - to needs of parents, students, & tax payers

• Advocacy – leading advocates for youth in the community

• Ownership - pride in success &share responsibility for failures

• Norms – established operating norms that build trust

• Goals - adopt clear goals

Cabinet’s Role w/School Board

• Attend all work sessions and regular board meetings prepared to comment on any pertinent agenda items and respond to questions from board members

• Attend morning session of our annual Board Retreat to present what is “on the horizon” for the coming school year

My Ideal Board• Listen twice as much as they speak

• Servant Leaders

• Work for the common good

• Community builders

• Focus on the future

• Commitment to strengthening the capacity of the people in the organization

Questions???

Thank you!

If I can be of any service to you during or after you complete your program, feel free to contact me at:

fhewins@fpschools.org

or

(253) 298-3010