After having sat in on a few school board meetings and Administrative Team meetings with my new Superintendent, I started to get a feel for the type of leadership style she utilized in her day to day practice. I was glad to see that she utilized this style consistently and did not play to one group and then differently to another (I have seen that before and it does not create cohesion). I was getting ready to ask her for a monthly checklist that she might utilize to help guide her through the year, and then at my first School Board meeting she handed out the checklist to the board members and the attending administrators. It looked like this:
Board Meeting Date: Board Agenda Items:
July: Fund 10 Revenue Budget
Fund 10 Expenditure Budget
Athletic/Activities Handbook
Rebid Waste Contract for 11/2014
August: Building Handbooks: Student & Teacher
Bread Contract
Milk Contract
End of Year Fund Balances
Annual Meeting
September: Spring Sports Contracts
October
1st Meeting: Review of Summer School Offerings/Expenditures
Early Graduation Requests
Enrollment Reports
Budget Adjustments
October
2nd Meeting: Set Tax Levy
Set Revenue Budget
Set Expenditure Budget
Short-Term Loan
Strategic Plan Update
November: Youth Options Approval for Spring Semester
Short-Term Loan Approval
December: Financial Audit Report
Non-represented Staff Evaluations
Administrator Evaluations
Fall Coach Contracts
January: HS Course Curriculum Guide
Administrative Contract Renewals
Evaluation of Probationary Staff
Summer Recreation Coordinator Contract
February: Valedictorian/Salutatorian
Preliminary Staffing Levels
Summer School Coordinator
March: School Calendar
Youth Options Approval for Fall Semester
Non-represented Staff Contracts
Transportation Contract
Bus Contractor Lease Agreement
April
1st Meeting: School Calendar
Staffing Levels
66:030 Agreements
Preliminary Non-renewal notices
Teacher Contracts
April
2nd Meeting: New Board Member Orientation (TBD)
Board Reorganization
Designation of Depositories
Committee Assignments
Board of Education Calendar
CESA #3 Contract
May: Extended Summer Contracts
Extra Curricular Assignments for next year
Final Non-renewal notices
Lay-off notices
Set All Fees
Set School Lunch Prices
Set following year graduation date
SWEEP Agreement
Open Enrollment Requests
June
1st Meeting: Winter Coach and Advisor Contracts
Professional and Support Staff Compensation
Administrator Compensation
Non-represented Staff Compensation
June
2nd Meeting: Amendments of Current Year Budget
Set Aside Cash Balance/PO's in Fund Balance
Insurance Renewals
While my new Superintendent doesn't exactly employ a servant style leadership, I am pleased that she greatly utilizes a collaborative leadership style and has a solid grasp of educational best practices, rather than being a accounting expert. She invites staff input and values their knowledge. She asks for admin team input and listens to team members while also providing valuable feedback. She is heavily invested in professional development and believes that we need adequate resources to support that need.
While all of those practices and beliefs are good, I do see areas that concern me. There has been a lack of professional development for the board members. There is little discussion of student performance data, performance targets, and checks on progress toward district goals. The vision for the district has not been referred to once, and the board truly seems only interested in the finances. I am hoping through time, discussions and professional development, the administrative team will come around to see the importance of developing the board in this way so that student learning can benefit from it.
