The Power of Good Relationships: Teamwork and Leadership Strategies for Board-Superintendent Teams

Transcription

1 The Power of Good Relationships: Teamwork and Leadership Strategies for Board-Superintendent Teams Steering the Ship Together for Student Success Jamie Stacks, Superintendent

2 Who am I? Educator for 28 Years Former Board Member Alaska Administrator for 10 years Instructor at UCA Current Wonderview

3 What is your Why? What motivates you? Why did you decide to become a board member? What are your goals/vision for your school district?

4 What GIFTS do you bring? Listening and patience Building relationships Detail oriented Responsible Energetic Love challenges Story seeker Thinker Team player Open minded Think out of the box Positive Attitude Passion for the future what is possible anything! Listening & Passion for learning Problem solver

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6 Effective Leadership Hanover Research(2014) A strong, effective relationship between superintendents and school board members hinges upon clear definitions of each body s duties and responsibilities CLEAR ROLES STAY IN YOUR LANE

7 Board Members Roles/Responsibilities Selecting, working with and evaluating superintendent Serving as advocates for all children teachers, and other staff by adopting kidsfirst goals, policies and budget Maintaining fiscal responsibility and fiscal autonomy, with the authority to appropriate local funds necessary to support the board approved budget Delegating to the superintendent the day to day administration of the school district, including student discipline and all personnel matters

8 Superintendent s Role/Responsibilities Serving as chief executive officer to the board of education, including recommending all policies and the annual budget. Supporting the board of education by providing good information for decision making. Overseeing the educational program Taking responsibility for all personnel matters

9 Superintendent s Role/Responsibilities Developing and administering the budget Managing business and financial matters, bids and contracts, facilities, transportation, etc. Developing and supporting district-wide teams of teachers and other staff working to improve teaching and learning and supporting administrators. Taking care of day to day management and administrative tasks including student discipline and personnel issues.

10 Board/Superintendent Team Responsibilities Having at its top priority the creation of teamwork and advocacy for the high achievement and healthy development of all children in the community. Providing educational leadership for the community, including the development of the vision and long range plan for the district in close collaboration with staff and parents. Creating strong linkages with social service, health and other community organizations and agencies.

11 Board/Superintendent Team Responsibilities Setting district-wide policies and annual goals, tied directly to the community s vision and long-range plan for education Approve an annual budget Ensure the safety and adequacy of all school facilities Providing resources for the professional development of teachers, principals and other staff. Evaluating its own leadership How is your board doing? Board Member Professional Development

12 Tom Gentzel, Executive Director of NSBA Superintendent/Board Working Relationship

13 EFFECTIVE SCHOOL BOARDS AND SUPERINTENDENTS: MAINTAIN CONSTANCY AND CLARITY OF PURPOSE Focus on Students Provides direction that is clear, strong, and unambivalent Clarity fosters trust TEAMWORK

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15 T E A M a small group of people (3-12) that shares common goals as well as the rewards and responsibilities for achieving them. They set aside their individual or personal needs for the greater good of the group.

16 T E A M Small size (3-12) People with complementary skills Common goals Mutually accountable Group over individual Collaboration

17 EFFECTIVE TEAMS

18 IT IS ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS Relationships are built on

19 BUILDING TRUST Trust is the foundation of teamwork. On a team, trust begins with vulnerability, which may be difficult for most people. Building trust takes time, but the process can be greatly accelerated. Like a good marriage, trust on a team is never complete; it must be maintained over time.

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21 Productive Productive Conflict

22 PRODUCTIVE CONFLICT Passionate, unfiltered debate around issues of importance to the team. VULNERABILITY-BASED TRUST IS ESSENTIAL!

23 MASTERING CONFLICT Conflict norms must be discussed and made clear among the team. The fear of occasional personal conflict should not deter a team from having regular, productive debate. Establishing trust is essential.

24 Virtually every successful innovation- technical or social-has been the outcome of conflict. Douglass MacGregor

25 COMMITMENT BUY-IN: Honest, emotional support CLARITY: Removal of assumptions and ambiguity from a situation.

26 EMBRACING ACCOUNTABILITY Accountability: the willingness of team members to remind one another when they are not living up to the performance standards of the group. Strategies: Lightning Rod Track team progress against goals Annual Board Evaluations!

27 FOCUS ON RESULTS Teams that trust one another, engage in conflict, commit to decisions, and hold one another accountable are likely to set aside individual needs/agendas and focus on what is best for the team. They place the collective results of team success ahead of their own agendas or ego-driven status. The team is focused on group goals developed based on the strategic plan Individuals are rewarded based on team goals and student success

28 Conclusion: Cohesive Teams Trust one another Engage in unfiltered conflict around ideas Commit to decisions and plans of action Hold one another accountable for delivering against those plans. Focus on the achievements of collective results.

29 COMPONENTS OF A TRUSTING AND SUCCESSFUL BOARD RELATIONSHIP The superintendent is the employee of the Board This relationship is a partnership. The superintendent is a member of the Governance Team Trust is essential to a successful relationship. The relationship is public and visible to staff, parents, community members, and the larger public

30 THE NO SURPRISES RULE The successful superintendent internalizes the importance of keeping the board informed and with experience has an automatic ability to know when it is necessary to notify the board of incidents, issues, and matters that could affect the board and district. It is crucial that the superintendent and board have a mutual agreement regarding no surprises. Weekly updates ensure there is a systematic way of sharing information with the board. It is important to establish protocols and review them yearly.

31 ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS: BOARD/SUPERINTENDENT RELATIONSHIPS Get to know your Board and earn their trust and respect Develop positive relationships with school board members Spend time with them Communicate, communicate, communicate: s, phone calls, face-to-face, weekly updates

32 BOARD MEMBERS and SUPERINTENDENT HAVE DISCUSSIONS What they believe is the greatest strength of the district. What they see as next steps to improve student achievement, facilities, and fiscal issues. What they hope their legacy will be when they leave their position on the Board.

33 FUNCTIONAL OR DYSFUNCTIONAL What kind of board do you have? Focused on clear set of beliefs, a plan to carry them out, and constant monitoring Established process to orient new board members, provide continuous training, and build collaboration Disagreement among members on goals and process No coherent orientation for new board members, no investment in training for board members

34 How is your board? Functional or Dysfunctional

35 FUNCTIONAL OR DYSFUNCTIONAL What kind of board do you have? All about improving student achievement for ALL students Differences are never personal in public and are about important issues related to student achievement and well being. Unfocused agenda that wastes time on unimportant, peripheral issues Disagreements get personal in public

36 FUNCTIONAL OR DYSFUNCTIONAL What kind of board do you have? Members work together to represent the whole district; do not play interest group game Board keeps regulations to a minimum Members represent special interest groups or only certain areas of the district or personal agenda. Board over manages with regulations, petty matters

37 FUNCTIONAL OR DYSFUNCTIONAL What kind of board do you have? Board does their work through the superintendent. Board operates in the open, involves community in decision making. Board members go around superintendent and work with school staff. Board avoids transparency, prefers to make big decisions in closed settings

38 FUNCTIONAL OR DYSFUNCTIONAL What kind of board do you have? Board communicates as one body and works with sharing information in an ethical manner. Board shares expectations with community before hiring a superintendent, sets goals, monitors and provides feedback frequently. Board shares their personal opinions and plays favorites in sharing information. Board hires the superintendent under unclear expectations, then changes its mind frequently

39 Strategic Plan A guide for your district

40 Creating a Strategic Plan The Board establishes a vision that reflects the community s desires and aspirations for its students. Study Sessions are scheduled to allow adequate time to complete the visioning process. Strategic Planning is a process that involves the broader community in setting long-term goals. A Plan is necessary to guide the work of the district and serves as a benchmarking system for the superintendent s yearly evaluation.

41 Common Mission, Vision, Values and Goals The most important question in any organization has to be What is the business of our business? Answering this question is the first step in setting priorities. -Judith Bardwick

42 Critical Questions If we expect all students to learn, what is it we expect them to learn? How will we know if they are learning it? What will we do when they don t? How will we engage students in their own learning? -(DuFour, 2002)

43 Goals Short-term mini-targets manageable measurable Provide intermittent reinforcement Provide feedback on progress Identify priorities Establish a timeline for our process of change

44 Effective Goals Specific and strategic Measurable Attainable Results-Oriented Timebound SMART Goals

45 Review of Evaluations

46 Superintendent Evaluation Evaluation is an opportunity to clarify roles and to measure progress toward goals. Quarterly evaluations are helpful and are supportive of a new superintendent. A superintendent should insist that his/her performance be measured annually. Arkansas has created an evaluation tool that mirrors teacher evaluations

47 Superintendent Evaluation Process The superintendent s evaluation is a closed session topic. Any contract related changes that occur must be reported out from closed session. The evaluation should include a self- evaluation by the superintendent with adequate data and metrics for evaluating progress of the district s plan and the superintendent s role in leading the plan. The evaluation tool can be modified by mutual agreement between the superintendent and the board. Should be aligned to the strategic plan.

48 Board Self-Evaluation Highly effective boards conduct self-evaluations. Board self-evaluation must be conducted in open session. Questions for self-evaluation: Have we been working well as members of a team? With each other? With the superintendent? With the staff? With members of the community?

49 Board Self Evaluation, Cont. Have our behavior, attitude and manner reflected the qualities of support, respect, integrity, trustworthiness, open and honest communication, professionalism, fairness and sustained effort necessary for effective teamwork? Have our efforts been focused on serving all children? Are we Leading for Learning? Have we respected each other s and the public s right to have a diversity of perspectives, personalities and styles? Focus on community. Have we made it possible for a majority vote of the board to set the direction for the district?

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51 Resources for Board Members

52 DISCUSSION AND QUESTIONS