The Superintendent's First Day In the Office 1578860288, 9781578860289, 9780585483245

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THE SU P E RI NT E N D E NT’S FIRST DAY IN THE OFFICE DEBBIE DEMMON-BERGER

Published in partnership with the American Association of School Administrators

SCARECROWEDUCATION Lanham, Maryland Toronto

2003

Oxford

Published in partnership with the American Association of School Administrators Published in the United States of America by ScarecrowEducation An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 www.scarecroweducation.com PO Box 317 Oxford OX2 9RU, UK Copyright 02003 by Debbie Demmon-Berger

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-PublicationData Demmon-Berger, Debbie. The superintendent’s first day in the office / Debbie Demmon-Berger. p. cm. “Published in partnership with the American Association of School Administrators.” Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 1-57886-028-8 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. First year school superintendents-United States-Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. School management and organization-United States-Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title. LB283 1.73 .D46 2003 371.2’01 1-dc21 2003012228 W T h e paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials,ANSI/NISO 239.48-1992. Manufactured in the United States of America.

CONTENTS YOU FINALLY HAVE THE JOB-NOW WHAT?

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WHAT T O DO NEXT

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RESOURCES

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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YOU FINALLY HAVE THE JOB-NOW WHAT?

Th

e first day on thejob begins long before you walk through the door of the central office building on July 1 or August 15 or some other mutually agreed-to date. No, it may well begin at 6 A.M. on the morning afier the public announcement of your hiring, when the media that serves the community of your new superintendency tracks you down in your current job-at home, no less-and wants to know, before you’ve even had a cup of coffee, your vision and entire game plan for the new posting. If you do have an overarching vision for the new district, and you share it, you risk being roundly criticized for having the temerity to come in and “remake” a school district whose constituents believe is in fairly decent shape. Even if the community doesn’t believe that, the staff will be offended if the new superintendent appears not to value the job they have been doing and plans wholesale changes. If you don’t have an overarching vision for the new district (or you have one but wisely decide to keep it to yourself for the time being), then the community is apt to label you as a rather uncreative sort and hardly up to the task ahead. Dull or boring is not the tone you wish to set. Ron Naso, superintendent since 1995 of North Clackamas (Ore.) School District #12, recalls that his comments to the press were largely noncommittal, despite efforts by reporters to draw him into areas of current controversy.

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One of our high schools had been involved in what was reported as a “race riot” the previous year. A few months before my arrival, the police department, with the knowledge of the previous superintendent, had put an undercover police officer in that building, disguised as a student, to break up a suspected drug ring. The outcome had been somewhat disastrous: a few students arrested, but no arrests of dealers or suppliers. The students were furious; the community divided about the wisdom and ethics of the action. As you might expect, the press wanted me to comment on these events. Instead, my remarks were largely about my excitement in being named the superintendent; my reluctance to make comments about situations I knew little of; and my intent to spend my early weeks getting to know the community, the students, and the staff. This was not a district that needed a new superintendent coming to town announcing a reform plan based upon his experiences in other districts. It was not why I was hired. Another superintendent recalls one of those 6 A.M. calls on the “morning after.” When informed that the new superintendent was still in bed, the reporter responded: “I didn’t know superintendents ever went to sleep.” If you decline to talk to the media, you are dead in the water before you even begin the job. As one superintendent puts it, “Never argue with someone who buys ink by the gallon.” T h e media is a power to be reckoned with, but it can also be a powerhl ally. Don’t bungle your first opportunity. So what’s a new superintendent to do? That early morning media call is just one of a number of challenges the new superintendent will encounter at the start of his or her new job. To develop this “first day” guide for new superintendents, two dozen current and former school superintendents were interviewed. They represent a wide diversity in geography, system size, and community makeup: urban/rural/suburban. They include consensus builders as well as more independent thinkers. Most have held several

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superintendencies during their careers and bring an abundance of useful information to share with up-and-coming superintendents. They have faced a variety of situations, some more difficult on the surface than others. As you get started, know this: Every superintendency, no matter how small or how large, will require every ounce of leadership skill that you possess. There are hidden agendas and potential minefields in each community, but they all have one thing in common. They have entrusted you with the community’s children. Providing those children with the best possible education may take you in many different directions, but it should never deter you from that central goal. Paul D. Houston, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and a former school superintendent for 17 years in three states, points out the need for changing strategies for superintendents in a Phi Delta Kafifian article in 2001. Superintendents used to be required to be good at the “killer Bs,” he notes. These were things like buildings, buses, books, budgets, and bonds. It was the “stuff” of education. A superintendent was a superintendent of schools, with the presumption that school was a place for learning and that the superintendent’s job was to take care of that place. The future dictates a very different approach. Superintendents of the future must see themselves as village builders. They can use the centrality of their institutions to help re-create a support system. But they must do so by reaching outward to connect to the resources of the broader community. That means they will have to be masters of the “crucial Cs.” The Cs are the processes that support the work and get it done. They are things like connection, communication, collaboration, community building, child advocacy, and curricular choices. Leadership in the future will be about the creation and maintenance of relationships: the relationships of children to learning, children to children, children to adults, adults to adults, and school to community. The increasing complexity of our society, the deterioration of families,

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and the loss of social capital available to support children and families mean that superintendentsmust be adept at creating a web of support around children and their families. Creating this network will require skills that differ from those traditionally used by superintendents. The ability to communicate and to market ideas will be critical. Superintendents in the twenty-first century will need to be able to facilitateand affiliate. They will need to turn in their “power over” skills of command and control and take on a “power with” mentality that allows everyone to be part of the action. This is a huge shift in perception and approach, for which new training models will be needed. T h e superintendents interviewed for this publication concur that a new era has arrived, one focused more on communication and collaboration than on bus schedules.’ The tips and strategies they offer by no means represent a step-by-step guide. Every situation, every superintendency, is different. Rosa A. Smith, former superintendent in Columbus, Ohio, and Beloit, Wis., points out that entry is inextricably interwoven with the makeup of the board, the politics of the community, the role of the media, and the degree of union aggressiveness as much as with your own personal style and comfort level. You’ll have to use the good sense and leadership skills that got you the job in the first place to decide which of these strategies will work for you and which will not. No doubt, you’ll come up with some new strategies and “best practices” of your own. And because 24 hours is hardly enough time to allow a superintendent to get started, we’ve included “What to Do Next.” T h e following first day list was created in no particular order, and certainly some of the items are more important than others. These are the themes that surfaced over and over in conversations with successful superintendents. Hopehlly, they will smooth the way for your first day on the job. 1. Nonetheless, ignore the bus schedules, especially on the first day of school, at your

peril. 4

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ENJOY THE DAY-IT DOESN’T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS

If there is to be a honeymoon period for your superintendency, today is it. While there may be individuals or interest groups or hot button issues waiting in the wings to trip you up, in general the community is with you today, eager and excited-if a bit apprehensive-about your superintendency. No doubt those are your feelings as well. After all, you got the job you wanted, you’re full of ideas about what you want to do, and almost everyone is pulling for you. If possible, given the magnitude of what you’re expected to accomplish today, enjoy yourself. “That first week, I had a blast,” recalls Winston Brooks, superintendent of the Wichita (Kan.) public schools (USD 259). “I was so excited to be superintendent. I’m not having quite as much fun now. So enjoy that first week. It doesn’t get any better.” For Steve Jones, superintendent in Syracuse, N.Y., the good-will lasted even longer. “There was a reception four days after I started, and nearly everyone in town was invited. The purpose was for me to get to know all the key players-it was wonderful and very uplifting. I had heard that issues were splitting the community, but I didn’t see any of the riffs for a few months. People just pulled together. My honeymoon actually lasted about a year. T h e press was horrible to my predecessor, but I got great press during that time.” Fort Wayne (Ind.) Supt. Thomas Fowler Finn also believes the first day can be enjoyable: “Be seen as listening, taking it all in, and enjoying it. The community is hopeful that the superintendent really enjoys children, and this is your opportunity to define yourself as identified with that mission.” Finn continues, “People say to me: ‘What a huge job you have.’ I reply, ‘I really like my job. I truly enjoy the opportunity to be with children and to be part of their achievements.’ I feel really good when I go home every day.” 5

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CONSIDER A TRANSITION TEAM

A number of superintendents, especially those of larger, urban districts with complex systems that the superintendent must absorb and understand in a very short period of time, have devised an entry process that includes a formalized transition team for assistance. For instance, before the start of her superintendency in Columbus, Ohio, Rosa Smith selected eight people whom she trusted and respected (several of whom happened to be Danforth Foundation colleagues) and took them to Atlanta, Ga., for a two-day retreat. She included an individual who had completed research on curriculum issues, the interim superintendent who would become her deputy, and others. “It was a ‘critical friends’ meeting,” she recalls, “of people who could help me map out my entry and transition.” “There is no single template for this,” she continues. “There are pieces we can learn from everyone, but the design ultimately is so unique to each district, to the circumstances of each district: How were you hired? Was there mistrust of the previous superintendent? Are the unions aggressive? Are there political issues within the community that come to bear on the school system?” Atlanta’s Beverly Hall’s experience is instructive from two perspectives. Hired in March, she first had time to set up a mentoring experience with then Supt. Gerry House of Memphis. “Memphis was a similar district that seemed to be doing well,” Hall points out. “It was similar in size; it was southern; it was headed by an African-American woman. I wanted to see how she (House) handled her board relations, and how she had managed a successful comprehensive reform rollout that I planned to institute in Atlanta.” Hall shadowed House for a period of four months, but also set up a very formalized transition team to assist in her new position. “I had time to convene a transition team of experts from outside the school system: people with school finance background, facilities experience, even people to look at the instructional program. We did a complete analysis of the data for the past five years.” 6

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Hall held individual meetings with the board on expenditures and roles and responsibilities, and arranged a retreat where they could develop expectations and goals for the next five years. “I then presented the board with a document that included the overarching vision and four major goals, and we came to agreement on it.” During this time Hall also contacted parent groups, corporate leaders, the previous superintendent, philanthropies, and other major stakeholders “just to listen”; held focus groups with teachers to hear how they viewed the system; and scheduled meetings with principals to share goals and the accountability plan and solicit their input. “I also began selecting my senior leadership team, although that took two years to complete, and tried to project five years financially,” Hall recounts. “All of this is what I did between March and July.” By the time she reached the actual first day, Hall was thoroughly briefed on the school system and ready to share that with the press and the community. “The Chamber of Commerce hosted a meeting with the board and major stakeholders on June 28,” she recalls. “I used that meeting to make sure that they all really understood the vision-what we were planning to accomplish-and to talk through a reasonable time frame.” “Then we hit the ground running, as they say, and never looked back.” Hall relates that she developed this process by “borrowing” from “a lot of very competent people.” She was a member of Arlene Ackerman’s transition team when she was hired in Washington, D.C. (currently the superintendent in San Francisco), and built on her previous superintendencies as well. “Did I make mistakes? Well, two of my key hires were replaced within a year. If I have any advice about the entry process it is this: Slow down until you know the place and the culture. Having the wrong people in place delayed what we were trying to do by a full year. Secondly, I should have made sure that every board member was involved at every step of the way.” 7

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IF A TRANSITION TEAM ISN’T FEASIBLE, TRY T O ARRANGE TIME IN T H E DISTRICT BEFORE YOUR START DATE

A transition team may not be feasible for a variety of reasons: time, resources, district size, or personal style. But many successful superintendents have found a way to begin that first day long before the actual start date so that they arrive prepared and knowledgeable. It may be possible to use up remaining vacation days or to take a leave of absence from your currentjob to create the block of time needed for this task. There are all sorts of benefits to such a strategy, especially the comfort level you’ll experience on Day 1 if you already have a sense of what this new district is all about. N. Gerry House, an award-winning former school superintendent in Memphis, Tenn., and Chapel Hill, N.C., and currently president and CEO of the Institute for Student Achievement, recommends this approach. She recalls that once she had been notified of her new position in Memphis, she arranged to go to the district in April and spend three months visiting schools, meeting with community leaders, and making personal contact with staff. “These were three months when I didn’t have to run the place,” she points out. “I would encourage any new superintendent who can, to do that. I was from a small suburban district, so there was a big change in store for me when I went to Memphis. If you wait until July 1 (or whatever your start date is), you’ll just be bombarded with the management component-you won’t have time to think and to plan.” Mary Nebgen, former school superintendent of Reno, Nev., and now an attorney with Orrick, Hamilton & Sutcliffe in Sacramento, Calif., maintains that a retreat with the board prior to the first day is imperative. “You’re now privy to all they discussed during the hiring process,” she notes, and suggests: “You need a facilitator for such a retreat-someone you trust, a neutral person who can bring out into the open what the perceptions are, what the problems are. You’ll end up with a lot of information.” 8

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Nebgen continues: “I also told the board members that I would take each of them to lunch personally for a one-on-one conversation. I understood that they might not be getting along with each other and would have things to say that they couldn’t share at an open retreat.” “Also, consider a retreat with the leadership team for the same reasons, again with a facilitator so you aren’t leading the process. I uncovered a lot of diverse opinions and learned that the people in the schools often had no idea how the community perceived them. We then went on to form community and staff groups to come up with a strategic plan and goals. It was so thorough that everyone in the school district was touched by it in some way. Because of that, there was buyin to the agenda we had set.” It’s possible that your new district will pay you as a consultant for the transition time. That was the case for Geraldine “Gerry” Harge, superintendent of the Berryessa Union School District near San Jose, Calif. “My first district was in Nevada. It was very small and very rural, and there was very little transition. In California, however, they asked me to spend three weeks in transition, shadowing the interim superintendent.” She spent the time going everywhere the interim superintendent went and sat in on some organizational meetings where personnel changes were being made. “I went to a board meeting and sat in the audience and just listened,” she recalls. “People in the audience were quite angry over a change in a principalship about which they felt they had had no input. T h e lesson learned was that when I had to move principals a year later, I made sure there was plenty of community input!”

HAVE A PLAN Steven Walts, superintendent of the Greece (N.Y.) Central School System, relates that while he didn’t have a formal, written transition plan, he certainly had one in his head. It very much focused on high visibility, openness to the press, and “setting up many, many meetings 9

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with a variety of stakeholders in the community, making sure that they knew I was interested in what they had to say. I tried to listen much more than I talked, and I asked lots of questions. I asked them what they saw as the issues and what I could do to address them. Then I spent a lot of time reflecting on this and brought it back to my staff, sharing one person’s insight and perceptions with another. In this way I was able to triangulate people’s perceptions on things and get a truer picture of reality in the district.” Rosa A. Smith recalls that for her first superintendencyin Beloit, Wis., she decided she should know what she would be doing the first 30 days. “I really charted it out, every single day. It was a smaller community, and I was sort of a novelty (the first Afiican-Americanwoman superintendent in Wisconsin). It was also my first superintendency, so I was learning as I went. Fortunately, I had a good board and a wonderful chair who was doing all she could to make me be successful. It was truly a conducive environment to come into a new superintendency.” Robert S. Peterkin who, as director of Harvard University’s Urban Superintendent’s Program,* has helped a number of educators enter a new superintendency successfully, is a former superintendent himself (Cambridge, Mass., and Minneapolis, Minn.). He has special praise for a handbook titled Entry: The Hiring, Start-up G Supervision of Administrators (Jentz and Wofford, 1982). Peterkin feels that the advice is as topical today as when it was first published. Of particular interest to new superintendents, he suggests, is the chapter by Daniel Cheever, Jr., “A Good Beginning as Superintendent,” in which Cheever, having just been hired as a school superintendent, relates his decision to develop an “entry plan.” “Entry design was a period of time when I developed a carefully orchestrated sequence of events in order to identify and interview key 2. The Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) offers a doctoral program designed specifically for those who wish to transform education as superintendents of urban school systems. The Urban Superintendents Program (USP) is a rigorous course of study designed for professionals who have worked in metropolitan school districts as teacherleaders, school principals, or central ofice administrators.

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personnel, analyze the interview data, feed back these data to groups within the system, visit schools for several days at a time, and meet with community groups and leaders. This plan was written in chart form, including time lines for conducting and completing these activities. In effect, it pictured how I would spend my time during the first few months on the job.” “After developing this entry design, getting the Board’s sanction for these entry activities, and informing all staff, I began to gather information about the school system, analyze it, and feed it back to the organization in a systematic way.” For Cheever, the information gathering process included school and staff visits and interviews with key community stakeholders. 66 School visits gave me an opportunity to present myself, test some of my impressions and assumptions, and acquaint the faculty with my ideas about leadership in a time of declining resources.” However, Cheever soon encountered the challenge that faces any new superintendent: how to handle transition in addition to the dayto-day tasks. He continues: “My commitment to use the entry plan was tested right from the outset. When I began work I found a list of 71 unfinished tasks on my desk. The school board chairman and acting superintendent had developed the list ‘to help you know what you should do in the first few weeks.”’ He got the list done, in part by delegating some of the chores to subordinates. He remained convinced that “interviewing key personnel, analyzing the interview data, and discussing the implications of these data are the most important steps in the entry process.”

CONTACT EACH BOARD MEMBER PERSONALLY Without exception, every single superintendent advised calling or e-mailing members of the board on that first day “just to touch base.” Education Week reported in its May 15,2002, issue (quoting a national School Boards Association survey) that 80 percent of board 11

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members thought staff and student morale was an important issue to consider when judging the performance of the superintendent. Only 62 percent mentioned student outcomes. One superintendent comments, “You have to figure out what your board wants, and usually they want you to keep people happy. In large urban districts they also want you to do something about student outcomes, but they want you to do it without offending any advocacy group. How do you get around that? Is legacy or survival your goal? Some people are smart enough to do both, but they are a minority.”

CONTACT AS MANY SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS AS POSSIBLE-IF NOT TODAY, THEN WITHIN THE WEEK. YOUR SECRETARY IS ONE OF THEM. THE DISTRICT’S FINANCIAL OFFICER IS ANOTHER.

If there is one single piece of advice on which every superintendent agrees, it is this: You cannot be too visible in those first days on the job. While they differ about who needs to be contacted on that very first day, all agree that getting out and meeting people is imperative. Yvonne Katz, superintendent in Beaverton, Ore. (and on her way to Spring Branch, Texas), has this first day plan: “Walk around. Have an administrator with you to take you through the central office and introduce you to everyone. Be able to carry on a light conversation-how honored you are to be in the district, etc. They’ve worked hard: honor what they’ve done. Tell them how happy you are to be working together.” “After that, try to go out and meet with people in the district. T h e next day, get out and start visiting schools.” North Clackamas, Ore., Supt. Ron Naso wholeheartedly agrees: “Take an inordinate amount of time to talk with and get to know the immediate office staff,” he says. “Talk with them, get to know about their roles, their families, their dreams. The t i e spent pays great dividends.”

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Gerry Harge agrees that meeting people is paramount but notes that superintendents who begin on July 1 may find, as she did, that much of the central office staff is on vacation! Developing listening skills is one area that highly verbal superintendents sometimes find difficult. Steve Walts recalls that he had to concentrate on really listening. Daniel Cheever reported that he had the same problem. He found he had a “jump reflex” that sent his mind ahead to “solving” whatever problem was being aired, rather than trying to ferret out the underlying issues. He related in the Jentz and Wofford book: “In my first meeting with a staff member, she complained about lacking adequate materials to individualize instruction. I followed the complaint immediately with a commitment to get new materials and find out if other teachers had the same problem. My error was in not inquiring whether deeper concerns existed. In this case, for example, the teacher felt inadequate in her work with many of her students. She felt it was more legitimate to complain about a lack of materials than it was to talk about her lack of professional adequacy.” Beware, as well, of those who are telling you what they feel you want to hear, rather than the real situation. Each superintendent, and each superintendency, will have a slightly different take on which constituencies merit preference on that first day. Many cited the chief financial officer as an important interview on Day 1; several suggested that an update from the district’s attorney or legal firm should be a high priority, especially if there is pending litigation. In Providence, R. I., Diana Lam focused on the principals. “I knew that if we wanted to be successful, I’d need the principals to be my allies. They needed to be recognized and rewarded as instructional leaders. Therefore, my schedule, public comments, and allocation of resources were aligned to that major concept. And Day 1 in Providence was for the principals.” She structured meetings with all of the principals, in groups of five or six, so everyone’s voice could be heard. “I wanted to know their

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challenges, their sense of mission. I asked what they were most proud of in the job. What part of the work they would throw away. I took really good notes.” “Of course you can’t leave out the other constituencies,” she acknowledges. “Everyone is looking at what the superintendent does on the first day. Create a schedule that allows you to talk and listen to everyone, if not the first day, then soon after. We had a number of community forums-teachers, union leadership, and the community. I spoke to hundreds of people. In the end, all the different constituencies were reflected in the work plan, the strategic plan that resulted. All their thoughts were heard and reflected.” Mike Riley, superintendent of the Bellevue, Wash., schools, also placed primary focus on the principals. “Overall they are the most important people in the school system and do more to make or break the quality of a school than anyone else,” he says. “Meet with them early on in as many one-to-one sessions as possible. Make sure they understand you, make sure you understand them, give them the authority and resources they need to do the job; be clear about how you plan to make them accountable, pay them what they deserve, and provide training.” “If a superintendent has the right principal team, he will be able to bring about the changes he wants at a pretty rapid pace.” A college mentor was the first to alert Washington, D.C., Supt. Paul Vance to the importance of visibility. “I really hearken back to the Dean of the School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, Bill Castetter. Bill said that on the first day, the first week, you have to be out of your ofice. You have to be a visible presence. You have to be visiting the schools.” The central office staff should be out in the field as well, Vance continues. “Word gets around; it spreads like wildfire and establishes you as a hero. When I sent the folks in the central office out to the schools, they were so delighted. When we got back together, they would regale each other with tales from the field. It’s contagious.”

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“My first appointment on that first day was the head of a booster club,” explains Steve Walts of Greece, N.Y. “I did it as a symbolic gesture-to show that I was accessible. Moreover, I took great effort to make some small improvements that were suggested and followed up to make sure they got done quickly. I wanted to dispel the prevailing belief that ‘nothing gets done.’ This was a new era, and things most definitely would get done.” Berea, Ohio’s, Jim Connell points out that the person at the top of his list for Day 1 was his secretary. “Even though I knew her, she was entitled to quiet, uninterrupted time. Her procedures were going to be uprooted-she needed a sense of continuity.” Dennis Allen, superintendent of the Rocky River (Ohio) City School District, suggests that this conversation with your secretary or administrative assistant should include how your schedule will be handled. “Guard your schedule carefully,” he suggests, “or you will get nothing accomplished. Review it periodically as well to see if your goals are being met.” Diana Cubbage, former superintendent in Moline, Ill., suggests that cabinet members also need individual time and then may want some of their comments to be “off the record.’’ This is fine, she believes, as long as the superintendent is careful with such oral information: “When the going gets tough, these items will disappear.” Shape your message carefully as you talk with these various constituencies, advises Mike Riley, superintendent of the Bellevue (Wash.) School District. The bigger the system and the broader the media coverage, the more the superintendent needs to be careful about his or her language and to use the same phrases over and over again. For example, when I first arrived, I talked about how important it was to base all our decisions on the world of the classroom, for principals to be in the classroom frequently, for the focus of all of our efforts to be on the daily interactions between teachers and students. The

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community at large liked this message, because they translated it into accountabilityand quality control. The teachers, on the other hand, interpreted my comments as implying that something was wrong with them and that they needed “watchdogging” from higher up. And the principals worried because they were unsure if they could get all of their regular work done if they were to spend all their time in the classrooms. What I learned is that a simple message that comes as close to mom and apple pie as possible is examined from every angle like a crystal to see how it reflects on the observer. Had I to do it over again, 1 would have included in my “get into the classroom” message the need to support teachers and principals through the central ofice to allow them to be “instructional leaders”-that sort of thing.

MOVE UP, NOT OUT: SOMETIMES IT’S EASIER IF YOU WERE ALREADY IN THE DISTRICT-BUT THEN, SOMETIMES IT’S NOT In a not uncommon scenario, Jim Connell basically moved across the hall when he went from assistant superintendent to the top j o b in Berea, Ohio. “In my particular case, I knew everyone who is physically located in this building. Even so, there was a lot of uncertainty. I also made it a point to call the administrators who were on dutythe transportation supervisor, building supervisor-key people who were not in the building. I asked them when they wanted me to come out and meet with them-they had a lot of information to share, and I needed that information.” “I also physically helped with the moving, even though it was just across the hall. I didn’t like the image of the maintenance staff doing that.” Betty Rosa, superintendent of Community School District 8 in New York City, was already in the district when she assumed the top administrative job. But this didn’t preclude her need for some 16

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serious research and data analysis to develop a quantitative profile of the district.

I brought a team of about seven people from outside the district and placed them in key positions-in pupil personnel, in finance, in professional development. They were to identify the problems: This is a problem, this is a problem, this is a problem. I positioned people to be my eyes and ears. They were my foot soldiers . . .. Then I began to visit schools, and I began conversations with politicians, community leaders, parents. Now I had the information I needed to put together the qualitative profile as well. Where the quantitative and qualitative matched, I went “Aha!” If they didn’t align, I asked questions. That’s the researcher in me. Not everyone will agree with me, but I think superintendents need to research, reflect, know where things line up and why. You need to have both qualitative and quantitative data and understand them. What do the numbers say? What does the story say? Why don’t they match?

DON’T COME WITH A SILVER BULLET-BUT DON’T COME UNPREPARED EITHER Should you come into the new job with an agenda? Perhaps, if you have acquired enough data about the district to formulate one. Of course, if you inherit an existing five-year plan, you will have to implement that and work your changes into that structure. During those first days and weeks of endless conversations, you’ll also be seeking to uncover hidden agendas. Ron Naso’s Day 1 message to the administrative staff was succinct: his job as superintendent was to honor the past, challenge the present, and envision the hture. “What I wanted to convey to a largely veteran staff was that I was not the new sheriff in town who was sent to clean out the saloons,” he points out. “Instead, I wanted to pay high praise to what had been accomplished by the previous superintendent and by many of the existing staff.” I /

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But this was no Pollyanna approach. “I also wanted to make clear that while I valued the past, I was concerned with the current program and how it could be improved. Since this was a district that had been trying unsuccessfully to pass a large bond issue for new schools and renovations, and since this was a district with an aging administrative group fast approaching retirement, I also focused my remarks on planning for the future. This latter focus had two important impacts: (1) It clearly said that we would not rest on our laurels, no matter how proud we might be; and (2) I intended to be here for more than a few years to see that future vision through.” Betty Rosa is a fervent disciple of planning but also cautions new superintendents to keep it simple. “Take on just one or two major projects for the year,” she advises. She relates how one of the two projects she chose was both symbolic and a source of healing for the community. “We were losing all our students right after elementary school. I had to figure out how I could capture the flight. Moreover, the district was split down the middle. My district talked north and south as if the Civil War was still on. So I started a middle school magnet for very high performing kids. I created a school on the north end and asked every elementary school to identifjr five ambassadors. That school hit the bulls’-eye. Ninety-five percent of the students at that school are in the top 5 percent in NYC. For every available seat, I now have four or five applicants.We’ve made it very competitive. We’ve made it a very unique place.” “That was my first success story-my first effort to build trust and confidence. It was my way of telling the community: I’m your partner.”

REALIZE THAT THE PRESS HAS A JOB T O DO, AND, TODAY, YOU’RE IT: DON’T ARGUE WITH SOMEONE WHO BUYS INK BY THE BARREL It’s hard to imagine coming into a worse situation than that faced by Paul Vance in the nation’s capital. “This school system had the

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world’s worst image, and the folks in the school system had developed a bunker mentality,” he recalls. “It was unimaginable how hostile our relationships were with the media. I knew I had to do some dramatic things.” What he did is a strategy advocated by many superintendents: be proactive and schedule a meeting with the editorial board of the local paper-if not on Day 1, then very soon thereafter. Says Vance: “I immediately met with the editorial board of the [Washington] Post, the Washington Times,and the local papers and took with me two of my new appointees. We assured them that we would return phone calls. We would be accessible. We would make the district transparent. That opened the door for us and put a great responsibility on us as well.” “I spent a lot of time that first year on T V and radio. That’s what we had to do. Many of the people I am in the process of replacing are being replaced because they couldn’t make that adjustment to being accessible to the media.” “The other thing I did was hire a very high energy communications director from the private sector. She had worked in city government and had many press contacts; she has been invaluable.” Vance believes he was successful to the point that relations with the media are no longer confrontational. However, he still feels the “good news” gets buried on occasion. Case in point: the release of test scores showing improvement on the part of D.C. students. The story ran on page 4. Had the scores gone down, it’s likely the story would have been on page 1 . Vance immediately scheduled another meeting with the editorial board of the paper in question. Steve Walts recalls that the local paper sent a reporter to shadow him from the day he was appointed, and interviewed lots of people, including former associates. “One person told them I always kept my shoes shined. Someone else told them I liked M&Ms. I wasn’t happy about it, but it ended up being a very positive article.” While the press paid little attention to Gerry Harge in her small suburban San Jose district (“We were just a little fish in a big pond”),

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in most districts the arrival of a new superintendent is page 1 news. Recalls Mary Nebgen: “In a place like Reno, you’re the only game in town, and the press can be very difficult. Be careful what you say. You have to be honest. . . ,but not too honest. When I was in Tacoma, the press immediately called and asked: ‘What’s your vision?’ That’s the worst question you can answer. So spend time thinking of how you will respond in a way that won’t make you look foolish. I answered that I was coming into a fine school district, and while I was sure there were areas to improve, it would certainly be an inclusive process.” Rosa Smith nearly made a major mistake when she was planning her first day as school superintendent of the Beloit, Wis., school district. “I happened to be talking to a mentor about how I planned to spend the first day getting my office in order and she exclaimed, ‘What!? You’re doing what!? Impossible. The press will want to record every minute of your first day.”’ So instead of arranging books and photos, Smith visited a full-year pre-K program and met with the assistant superintendent. “Then I had an ‘in the yard’ conversation with the person in charge of grounds, and a conversation with parents. They were good photo ops, and the story was a positive one.” When she moved from Beloit to Columbus, Ohio, it was quite a different experience, Smith recalls. First, the district was much larger (65,000 students compared to 7,200). I was the first woman superintendent in Columbus, so there was a lot of excitement about that. My first day was highly orchestrated by my special assistant, who had a communications background from Ohio State University. I arrived September 29-school had already started-and I went to one school after another after another. Who knows how many? I then held a meeting with my cabinet. What I had learned in Beloit was that all the major networks would be there, and they followed me all day long. Before I even left Beloit, the Columbus Disfiatch did a full-blown profile of me, complete with photos. 20

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Before her first day in Columbus, Smith had her communications assistant working full time with her on entry plans. “The entry plan must reflect the personality of the superintendent, who must be involved in the planning of the entry,” she points out. However, there is also value in working with someone who is part of the community, as her communications assistant was. “Coming from the outside you may not be sure what is best for you. You must have someone working on this, especially someone who understands the politics of the community that no one talks out loud about. This speaks to the fact that no matter how you study the new district, there are ALWAYS surprises about the hidden politics of each community.”

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED-AND IT WON’T BE GOOD NEWS Despite your best planning, sometimes the first day on thejob can present some pretty confounding situations. Linda Murray recalls coming into a hornet’s nest on her first day on the job in the San Jose (Calif.) Unified School District. The Latino community was in my face en masse, protesting my appointment. It seems the board had a tremendous disconnect with the community. There was a real neighborhood sense of need for leadership to address the large Latino community. I asked them to meet with me and bring their 10 highest concerns so we could all work together and find solutions. Still, there was a tremendous learning curve. I had to embrace the challenge of a large segment of the community greeting me with anger and fear and distrust. I was ready to go home .. .,but I didn’t, and I have been able to establish these relationships. Now three of the five members of the board are Hispanic, and only one original board member remains.

Stuart Berger arrived in the tiny Clearview (Ohio) City School District on July 1 to find that all of the principals had quit. “That immediately became the first order of business,” he notes. 21

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Superintendents suggest these additional tips to make the first days go a little easier: Establish a routine as fast as possible. People are uncomfortable with change and uncertainty and won’t be doing their best work until the initial upheaval has settled down. Beware of board members’ hidden agendas. Many of them have higher office in mind, not kids. Notes Diana Cubbage: “Board members will ask what they can do to help get you started. Be sure you share what individual members are doing for you to other board members so there are no surprises and no hurt feelings.”

THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL-YOUR SECOND MAJOR TEST-IS ALMOST UPON YOU Gerry House, former superintendent of the Memphis School District, suggests directing your early focus from Day 1 on the upcoming first day of school. “If you don’t get things right on the first day of school, it can derail your superintendency early on,” she says. “Tremendous planning must go into making sure on that first day that everything will go well.” That process, she explains, includes anticipating, strategizing, monitoring with accountability, and following up. “Buses must run on time. Teachers must be hired and in the classroom. Things need to be done to pull off a smooth opening. Have as your goal-the first major task for July 1- to open school smoothly. Decide what will constitute a smooth opening and share this with the leadership team. Identify the tasks that need to be done. We actually had a task chart. Anticipate all the things that might happen. Leave no stone unturned.” She reviewed the plan with her leadership team on a regular basis, reviewing what had been done and what hadn’t. She and her team set up contingency plans to minimize risks and shared each development 22

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with the board. “If it turns out that there are new schools that won’t open or renovations that can’t be finished, let the board know. The last thing the board wants is to be surprised by the media on the first day of school!” When that first day came, the entire leadership team divided up the schools and went out to visit them. “We knew what our standards were, and we spread out to make sure they were met,” House recalls. “At lunch we convened to compare notes so we could address problems if any had arisen.” In Providence, R.I., Diana Lam also focused early on the first day of school. Among the questions she was asking of her new staff were inquiries about the first day of school and the kinds of problems that might be anticipated. “It turns out,” she says, “that registration is simply chaotic; everyone just waits until the first day.” She devised a plan to have all central offce staff deployed to the schools to help with registration tasks, including herself. There were refreshments and day care activities for the younger kids. What was normally a stressful situation became much less stressful with a bit of planning. Of course, in the following year, Lam and her staff turned attention to getting registrations accomplished before the first day of school. Also on the first day, I arranged to go to the home of a family with children who walk to school. I went to pick them up. There was a set of twins. The entire apartment building came out. Immediately, I had started building a constituency. I stayed with the twins through the entire opening ceremony. It was a small gesture that showed I was interested in families and students, so instruction became the focus. Instruction has to be in the forefiont on Day 1 and every day. I have my critics, of course, but all agree I have a relentless focus on instruction and learning. This is the image you want to convey rather than forwarding an agenda. Steve Walts recalls taking on a huge challenge on the first day of school. 23

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I told my staff that I was going to go to each of the 21 buildings on opening day to greet the teachers, parents, and students. The former deputy superintendent said, “It can’t be done.” And so it became a challenge. I told him, “Yes, I am, and you’re going to work out the routing and come with me since you know where they are.” I started at 7 A.M. and by 4 P.M. I had, in fact, visited 21 schools. It got very extensive and very positive press coverage. It sent a message that I was not an armchair administrator,and I would be out and about with a lot of positive energy. I’ve done it since for four years . ..only now I can find the buildings by myself!

LEAVE T H E FURNITURE ALONE This seems like old news. Everyone knows to leave the furniture alone by now, right? Well, yes and no. It’s natural to walk into the office of your predecessor and have the urge to make it yours. If you actually have time after attending to all the other tasks confronting you, go ahead and move the desk. Situate the chairs differently. Arrange your family pictures. Just don’t do it on Day 1. But what if the office you’ve inherited is truly inadequate? One superintendent reports that his office was so small, there was room forjust the desk and one other chair. That extra chair had to be moved in order to close the door for privacy. It was impossible to invite two or three people into the office without asking one or more of them to stand. Moreover, the boardroom had been cited for fire code violations, and there were chairs that were actually unsafe. Following renovation of the boardroom, board members were amenable to new furniture and expansion of the superintendent’s office. Unfortunately-and predictably-the new superintendent’s critics jumped on that expenditure immediately and hammered away at it for three years. His advice? If the accommodations are really bad, negotiate with the board for changes before you arrive. Orjust live with them. 24

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IF YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED A L I S T . .

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.

As the preceding anecdotes and recommendations make clear: It’s hard to predict what might be thrown your way on Day 1 of your superintendency. But if it’s a quiet start, the following guidelines should hold you in good stead and give you plenty to do.

1. Call board members individually and let them know you’re on the job. 2. Walk through the central office. Introduce yourself to everyone. 3. Sit down with your secretary and see what’s pressing. Determine how you’ll take calls and whether they will be screened. If you are only taking some, which ones? Who will keep your schedule? 4. Get an update on how planning for the first day of school is going. 5. Read whatever has been left on your desk. 6. Find out the status of any litigation the district is involved in. 7. Have your secretary set up meetings with athletic boosters; special education interests; community and business leaders; former board members, if appropriate; all elected officials; and other community stakeholders. Make plans for visiting schools, meeting teachers, and talking with all principals. 8. Schedule briefings by people handling each division to learn what’s going on. 9. If summer school is still in session, visit a school. 10. Be prepared for calls from the press; if there is one major newspaper, meet with the education reporter. Schedule a meeting with the editorial board. 1 1. Spend time with your predecessor. 12. Meet with the heads of the various employee organizations. 13. Call neighboring superintendents and introduce yourself. 14. Avoid offering too many solutions at the start. 25

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15. Establish what people should call you. 16. Put your personal stamp on the day!

MORE USEFUL STRATEGIES AND HELPFUL TIPS Study maps of the immediate areas and the extended area of the district. Have maps handy in your possession at all times. Ask your secretary to outline meeting places and direct by narrative how to get to meetings. Later you will be fine but don’t count on memory in the beginning and risk being late to important first-impression meetings. If the appearance of a “driver” isn’t too negative, you might have a district staffer assigned to drive you. Your top assistants are or should be too busy to help in this area, but you should find balance in getting help but not creating too many problems for your team.

Sometimes it’s the small things that make all the difference. One superintendent was alerted during a community meeting that the main office staff of one of the high schools greeted parents and visitors with a complete lack of respect . . . or ignored them altogether. He sent some “undercover” staff to check out the situation and made sure the principal and office staff understood that such behavior would not be tolerated ever again.

Advises Mary Nebgen: Constantly praise the teachers. They’re on the front lines. If you as a superintendent turns them off or focuses on the negatives, you probably won’t get very far in reaching your goals for the district. Take every opportunity to promote the teaching staff; for the most part, in every district, most of them are very good. If you

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make it clear that you value teachers, you and your principals will have an easier time terminating those who aren’t up to snuff.

Yvonne Katz has this suggestion for those who are not technologically challenged. Consider placing a popup video on everyone’s computer -a short video message about how honored you are to be the new superintendent and how you are looking forward to meeting everyone and visiting the schools. “Add a few key points about what you will be focusing on,” she says. “And then get out there!”

Ron Naso suggests that your first administrative hire is one of the most important first tasks that you will perform. “Everyone in the district will be watching to see how and whom you hire into that first big job. That first hire will send a message about who you are and how you think, which no amount of talking will match. In my case, I had the opportunity to hire a director of education (K-8). By the time I arrived, there were three finalists: a current principal well liked by the rank and file, the personnel director who was looking for a new life, and an applicant from outside the district. They had been through the district hiring process awaiting my final decision. I hired none of them, because none met the criteria I was seeking: high respect as an instructional leader and a principal in the district.” “It took me two weeks to identify the candidate I wanted and needed. I found her by making a simple request of a variety of people in the district: Name the three best principals in the district and tell me why. T h e person I chose showed up on every list for the right reasons. My biggest task was to convince her to leave her building and become part of central oflice. That one action sent a message that I valued instructional leadership, that I wanted the best possible people in

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central ofice roles, and that I was not afraid to make decisions based on my instructional philosophy.”

Berea, Ohio, superintendent Jim Connell has compiled the following set of recommendations for new superintendents:

1. Don’t get into blaming people who came before you. Don’t necessarily defend what happened before you came, but don’t blame it either. Support the good things in the district. 2. Don’t make excuses for decisions you make. Get out in front of it. If in retrospect you would have handled it differently, say so. 3. Everything that happens in the district eventually lands on your doorstep. You might as well accept that responsibility. 4. Take credit when credit is due you. 5. Share the recognition for accomplishments with others. About the only power I have here is to raise up the people in the community and on my staff. It empowers them and helps me get the job done more effectively. 6. Hold subordinates responsible for their actions. You can’t do it all yourself. 7. As much as possible, communicate through the board president. Board relations are so important in every district, but the board president is elected for a purpose. I don’t preclude talking to other members individually, but generally direct it through the president. 8. Don’t tolerate or allow surprises from either side of the table. Public surprises, especially, do not make the district look good. 9. Secure credit for the district whenever possible. Have a written plan that highlights what has happened during the year, so people get the idea that what you’re doing has something to do with the goals and priorities that were set. 10. Develop and plan and document what you’re doing, so people know you’re working on what is important. 28

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A

s is clear by now, the first day doesn’t provide much time to get things done-or even started. Nearly all of the superintendents interviewed were full of ideas for the first week or first month as well. Here are a few of them.

GERRY HOUSE, MEMPHIS, TENN. Something I did very early on-during the first month-was to identify and convene a small advisory group that I could call on to give me feedback on ideas and strategies I was considering and to offer insights and advice on big issues or problems that were emerging. This group was composed of leaders and key opinion makers in the district and community, including representatives from such groups as the teachers’ and principals’ unions, the Chamber of Commerce, the PTA Council, significant nonprofits, and governmental agencies. The size was 12 to 15 members. In convening the group, I was clear that its purpose was to serve as a sounding board and as an advisor to me during my first year on the job. I called the group together as needed, which amounted to weekly during the first couple of months on the job; in later months, less often. At the end of the first year, the group knew it

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would be disbanded, as its purpose had been hlfilled, so there were no expectations of continuation. This was critical so that the group would not take on a life of its own. I found this an invaluable strategy for me as a superintendent in a district and city of which I knew nothing. The group felt privileged to have been asked to serve the hnction as advisors; thus, a lot of good will and buy-in happened early on. I also found the group dialogue beneficial, as I was able to determine where the pockets of disagreement or dissention were around strategies and issues. More important, though, and an indirect benefit of the process, was that the groups themselves were able to find common ground and reach consensus on issues on which they would have been divided had I not brought them together.

STEVE WALTS, GREECE, N.Y.

I decided to zero in on a couple of issues that were high profile and would demonstrate action and our commitment to making decisions based on the well-being of kids. One of these issues-all-day kindergarten-had been floating around for a decade. Another one-a new, safer entrance to one of the high schools-was still in the discussion stages after 20 years. About two weeks before school started we realized we had several extra teaching positions, so I consulted the school attorney regarding a “pilot” all-day kindergarten program. The staff was excited, so I discussed it with the board officers, and they agreed it was a great idea. One even said to me: “I knew you would pull something off that was about kids.” The downside? A couple of board members were inhriated that it was just “done,” although opening it to public discussion probably would have killed it. I did let all of the board members know in writing before it happened, but maybe a courtesy call would have been good as it was such a high profile initiative. Today we have fid-day kindergarten in all the elementary schools, and it saves thousands of dollars in transportation. It also was good for kids-the right thing to do. 30

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The road project-20 years in the making-kept being put off because of the expense. I had staff contact the police department and pull data. Turns out there had been 60 accidents at that location in the past 12 months. I then met with the town supervisor who offered to do the paving and charge it to the district at cost. So, it was a win-win for everyone. The project was billed in the media as a high profile safety issue, and the board got lots of positive press. Any kind of collaboration project that you can do will just deposit goodwill in your bank account.

YVONNE KATZ, BEAVERTON, ORE. I’ve been in two superintendencies, and I’m going to my third. For that first month in both districts where I have been to date, I have had an article in the press for people to call in and volunteer to host a “rap” session with the superintendent. This has been highly successll. I would expect that within the first two weeks of my arrival in Spring Branch (Texas), I will have something similar in the media or posted on the district’s web site. I held 44 of these community forums in my Oregon district. People were very interested in finding out who I was, my history, my experiences, areas that I felt we needed to work on. And I was interested in hearing from them. People are always very considerate of the fact that you are brand new. The people who attended these sessions wanted to let me know what their fears were. Here in Oregon we were faced with cutting $32 million out of the budget. I had to do a lot of listening and provide a lot of assurance that we would still be a good district.

LIBIA GIL, CHULA VISTA, CALIF. Overall, the most important role I played as a brand new superintendent in a brand new community was that of listening. I also did some 31

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very specific things that were planned. I immediately set up assessment sessions-one-on-one meetings with principals, community stakeholders, leadership organizations, and so forth, to get a perspective on what was going well and what needed more attention. “I’m new to this role-what is your advice to me as a new superintendent?” I would ask. “Tell me the top three strengths that you see in the organization, and three areas I should be paying attention to.” Through this process I was able to identify a really strong pattern-much of it converged. Another formalized process involved listening forums across the community. We sent out flyers and announced the sessions in the local press to appeal to parents to come out and meet the new superintendent. Out of these meetings emerged several things that people were pleased with-the success of the bilingual program was one. But it also became clear that people thought our schools existed for the convenience of the central ofice, rather than the other way around. These forums and individual meetings were a very powerful tool, and, as I look back, it was really data-driven decision making that I was modeling. After I did my listening for six to eight weeks, I summarized it all and gave it back so there were no secrets. It was anonymous, but it was all out there on the table. Part of this is about communication. T h e message: Don’t make quick judgments or quick solutions. Share information and solicit input. When I summarized the feedback, the stakeholders then “owned” it. This process eventually segued into successful passage of a bond issue and a comprehensive community-based effort to set a common vision for the district. “I told people that my vision for the school district was to have a shared vision. It turned out to be an 18-month process of community engagement that included all constituencies, even the large segment of retirees and private school parents. We ended up with 17 categories of stakeholders. T h e process was about

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engagement and ownership, and the result is a living, breathing document. We did the same for our values, and we’ve aligned all our practices and policies against our shared vision and values. This is important. The test of successful leadership is invisible. They all think they created it . . . and they did. Ultimately, what was published and adopted is “our” vision, not “mine.”

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RE S O U RC E S Jentz, Barry C., & Wofford, Joan. (1982). Entry: The hiring, start-ufi, and sufiervision of administrators. McGraw-Hill. Houston, Paul. Superintendents for the 21st Century: It’s Not Just a Job, It’s a Calling. Phi Delta Kafifian. 200 1. Available online at www.pdkintl.org/kappan/ khou0 102.htm.

PART I C I PAT ING SUPERINTENDENTS Dennis Allen Superintendent of Schools Rocky River City School District Rocky River, Ohio

Stuart Berger, Ph.D. President & CEO Alternatives Unlimited Baltimore, Maryland

Winston Brooks Superintendent of Schools Wichita Public Schools District (USD 259) Wichita, Kansas

Jim V. Connell, Ph.D. Superintendent of Schools Berea City Schools Berea, Ohio

Diana Cubbage, Ph.D. Educational Consultants, Inc. Wichita, Kansas

Tom Fowler-Finn, Ph.D. Superintendent of Schools Ft. Wayne Community Schools Ft. Wayne, Indiana

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RESOURCES

Libia Gil Superintendent of Schools Chula Vista Elementary School District Chula Vista, California

Beverly Hall, Ph.D. Superintendent of Schools Atlanta Public Schools Atlanta, Georgia

Gerry Harge Superintendent of Schools Berryessa Union School District San Jose, California

N. Gerry House, Ph.D. President & CEO Institute for Student Achievement Lake Success, New York

Stephen C. Jones, Ph.D. Superintendent of Schools Syracuse City School District Syracuse, New York

Yvonne Katz, Ph.D. Superintendent of Schools Beaverton Schools District Beaverton, Oregon

Diana Lam Superintendent of Schools Providence Public School District Providence, R.I.

Linda Murray, Ph.D. Superintendent of Schools San Jose Unified School District San Jose, California

Ron Naso Superintendent of Schools North Clackamas School District #12 North Clackamas, Oregon

Mary Nebgen, Esq. Orrick, Herrington, & Sutcliffe Sacramento, California

Robert S. Peterkin, Ph.D. Director, Urban Superintendents Program Harvard Graduate School of Education Cambridge, Massachusetts

Mike Riley, Ph.D. Superintendent of Schools Bellevue School District Bellevue, Washington

Betty S. Rosa, Ph.D. Superintendent of Schools Community School District 8 New York, New York

Rosa S. Smith, Ph.D. President Caroline and Sigmund Schott Foundation Cambridge, Massachusetts

Paul Vance, Ph.D. Superintendent of Schools District of Columbia Public Schools Washington, D.C.

Steven Walts, Ph.D. Superintendent of Schools Greece Central School District Greece, New York

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TT Debbie Demon-Berger was an award-winning education reporter, columnist, and editor for 20 years before starting her own consulting company in 1986. While assigned to cover the then smallest of 617 districts in the state of Ohio, Madison Local, she met the new superintendent, Stuart Berger, who was getting his feet wet in the first ofwhat would be seven superintendencies in Ohio, Kansas, and Maryland. A series of articles about the financial woes of the rural district led to a closer relationship than most reporters share with the top administrator. Marriage ensued, although not before a board meeting in which the only exit door became stuck, trapping the superintendent, the board, and the CambridgeJeJersonian reporter inside. So much for freedom of the press. Demmon-Berger currently edits AASA’s School Governance G Leadership magazine and writes on substance abuse, crime prevention, and school safety issues for several national nonprofit and governmental agencies. She has published books on marketing and facial plastic surgery and handled marketing and public relations campaigns for dozens of organizations. She can be reached at [email protected].

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