We
have now had two forums in which candidates for the School Board responded to
questions from the community. These
have been important opportunities for me to deepen my understanding of the
questions and concerns people in the community have about their public school
system. We have had interesting
questions about our budgeting priorities and what we will do to improve
standardized test scores, facilitate greater parental engagement, decrease drug
use among students, and, keep students in school rather than suspend them.
All
of these questions are important. I do
think, however, that the questions have sometimes misunderstood the role of the
School Board. At least one member of the
audience at last week’s forum expressed frustration at our failure to be
specific about what we would do to raise standardized test scores. I have no doubt that she spoke for many
others! Among the reasons that my
answers have lacked specificity is that I don’t believe that I will have the
responsibility, authority, or power, as a member of the School Board, to create
instructional programs.
As I
have reflected on the role of the School Board and the various decisions it
makes over the years, I have come to the conclusion that the most important
thing the School Board does is to hire a Superintendent and, after that, to
provide oversight and support to the Superintendent and the administrative team
he or she puts in place.
As
the Virginia Department of Education’s Guidelines
for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Superintendents says,
“superintendency matters.” Obviously,
the Superintendent is that person best placed to have a determining impact on
the success or failure of the system.
He or she establishes and promotes the overall vision for the school
system. The Superintendent oversees the
central office and its staff and the administration of each of the schools in
the system. The Superintendent
establishes a leadership style and professional expectations for everyone in
the school system.
If
am elected, I will bring my nearly 25 years experience in higher education in
helping the Board guarantee that the Superintendent and Administration provides
effective leadership. We must hire the best, bring out the best in
those we hire through good formative evaluation processes (and by providing
professional development opportunities), support them in the face of unfair
criticism, and, promote those who perform the best— all without regard to race,
gender, creed, sexual orientation, or personal friendships.
This is
the primary way we can have a positive impact with reference to the concerns
raised by citizens in the various public forums.
Another,
and maybe less obvious reason, the hiring and ongoing supervision and
evaluation of the Superintendent and other system administrators matters so
much has to do with the degree to which the School Board itself is dependent on
the Superintendent (and the other administrators he supervises). Much of the knowledge the school board
members have about the school system is through the Superintendent and
staff. In that context, it is easy for
the board to become only an agent of the Superintendent and the School
Administration and their advocates in the community and in the School Board’s
relationship to the Board of Supervisors.
While
school board members are certainly advocates for public education, and, in some
measure agents of and advocates for the School Administration, we must always
keep in mind that the Superintendent and School Administration work for the
citizen’s of the county through the citizens’ elected representatives on the
School Board. School Administration
works for the School Board, not the other way around.
No comments:
Post a Comment