Interview

1.      What is your definition of leadership? Leadership is the intangible influence that a person has on ours in an organization.

2.      What are the positive aspects of being in a leadership position, like Superintendent?

The main positive aspect is you get to effect more live then I did as a principal and as a teacher and on down the line. I’m in this business because I want a better quality of education and better opportunities in education for young people/kids. Especially the kids that were like me, so the rewarding thing is that you get to effect lives.

3.      What are the negative or difficult aspects of being in a leadership position?

Probably, the most difficult thing is that in the education world this is not the same in other leadership roles and other businesses but in the education, public education world that your life is not your own.

4.      What do you believe are the attributes of a good Superintendent?

This is that the person has their heart is in the right place and is not Hitler or something like that and are knowledgeable and competent.

A good superintendent has the ability to getting people to decide absolutely positively own their own to do exactly what it is you want them to do.

 People want you to be a part of everything. The City, Chamber of Commerce, Loins Club, Churches…)

You’re the superintendent 24/7

5.      Superintendent Competency 1 emphasizes the importance of integrity, fairness and ethical behavior. What does ethical leadership look like?

Ethical leadership to me is being transparent and being every clear, one thing people make a mistake about when they are talking about ethical leadership, that they think it is about right and wrong, legal and illegal and I am telling them no. A lot of times ethical leadership has to do with making sure that you’re clear about what you represent and what you stand and what you are all about. I will tell people now, an older superintendent told me this before I interviewed for a superintendent job, don’t ever go to an interview going I really want this job, I will do what it takes to get this job and knowing that you’re not going to be yourself because what will happen is that team or school board will hire somebody else and it will be you because if you pretended to be somebody else and they hire you pretending to be that somebody else and you’re not that somebody else the whole time then they are really upset. So, then you’re having that trouble, if you go ahead and be yourself, then they’re really upset because you’re not what they hired. So, you have to give them exactly what you are and you’re about.

6.      Competency 2 discuss the role of the superintendent in shaping campus culture by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the educational community. How do you work to develop a shared vision?

You have to make sure that you really get to know and work with your executive team first. It is like Covey’s Circle of influence you got this situation regardless of the organization. The way to develop a shaped vision is you start in your inner circle and you make sure that the people in this group understand the same thing, what your about and what you believe in, ask them how they feel, get to know them, what they believe in then incorporate what they want into so it is not I am tell what my vision is. After that they get that (shared vision), start fanning it out to the next circle.

7.      Competency 3 discusses the importance of the Superintendent 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. How should a superintendent evaluate the effectiveness of communication strategies in the school district and encourage the engagement of the community to benefit all students?

The amount of information a person has to evaluate is the key to knowing whether the communication was effective not whether someone likes what was said

8.      Competency 4 focuses on the importance of the Superintendent responding to and influencing the larger political, social, economic, legal and cultural context, including working with the Board of Trustees, to achieve the district’s educational vision. How does the Superintendent build a good working relationship with the Board?

You have to spend a lot of time visiting with them, getting to know them on a personal level. They can understand and even be able to disagree and be more amicable if you have an individual relationship with them. I think you need to set parameters and have a set ground rules and most boards have them with board operating procedures. But then you still need to have conversation with them on the regular basis about something not school related.

The first 4 competencies looked at the Superintendent as Leader of the Educational Community. Competencies 5 – 7 examine the Superintendent as Instructional Leader.

9.      Competency 5 examines the importance of the Superintendent planning and implanting strategic planning that enhances the teaching and learning, ensures alignment of the curriculum, curriculum resources and assessment; uses the current accountability system; and promotes the use of varied assessments to measure student performance. How does the Superintendent accomplish such wide ranging strategic planning?

I use the smart goal process, and then you divide and concur. Write them down, monitor, give them timeline, and give them the resources

10.    Competency 6 emphasizes how Superintendents must advocate, promote, and sustain an instructional program and a district culture that are conducive to student learning and staff professional growth. How does a Superintendent promote and sustain a district culture that emphasizes student learning and professional development?

To me it about what your core beliefs are but it is also how your action supports those core beliefs. One thing that I firmly believe is if you’re going to be a learning organization, go back to Peter Senge the 5^th discipline he really honed in on what a learning organization versus bureaucracy.

I invest in professional development that is why I have one of the largest PD budget around, because that is one of our core beliefs.

11.    Competency 7 discusses the importance of the Superintendent implementing a staff evaluation and development system, and selecting appropriate models for supervision and staff development to improve the performance of all staff members.  How do Superintendents address these issues aimed at improving the performance of all staff members?

He sits down with the individuals that evaluates and they come up with a plan based for what he see as well as what that individual want to improve on.

Competencies 8 – 10 focus on the Superintendent as Administrative Leader.

12.    Competency 8 examines the importance of Superintendents knowing how to apply the principles of effective leadership and management in relation to district budgeting, personnel, resource utilization, financial management, and technology application. More or less, the Superintendent has an immense responsibility in carrying out these tasks. How should Superintendents approach the management of everything from budgets to technology applications?

Most people don’t have a guiding practice for things like that but you can start with what the purpose and then hire someone who is competent, skilled and understand my philosophy.

13.    Competency 9 states that Superintendents must know how to apply principles of leadership and management to the district’s physical plant and support systems to ensure a safe and effective learning environment. What leadership and management principles help Superintendents supervise the physical plants and support systems to ensure a safe and effective learning environment? And please talk to us about developing organizational leadership skills.

We need to understand what finances are for and what the physical plants are for. We have to remember that the plants are for the students to use first and the budget is used for the students and to provide them all that is need to give the best education.

14.    Competency 10 addresses how Superintendents apply organizational, decision-making and problem-solving skills to comply with federal and state regulations and facilitate positive change in varied contexts. Please discuss the importance of organizational leadership, as well as decision-making and problem-solving skills in addressing these compliance areas and maintaining positive change.

He stated that he uses the processes motioned above

15.    What additional experience, learning, or advice can you share to help me (our student’s) develop an effective internship?

You have to understand that this job is very different it is about influence, and managing down, out and up.

REFLECTION: Please write a reflection on what you learned from your interview. Be sure to include at least five responses that stood out to you and explain why these responses seem so important. What did you learn from the interview that will improve your leadership knowledge and skills?

I learned that my superintendent is sometime strange and has a different way of thinking about things in education. But one thing is made clear from the conversation was that he really wants the best for students and he is willing to whatever it takes to provide what students need to be successful. He is willing to fall short in other places to ensure that Duncanville students have everything they need or might need to move past great to become extraordinary. 

He also caused me to think about what I really want for my future and how that could play a major impact on their lives, especially my children. He reminded me that people are cruel and act before they think, so you need to prepare for those times.