Boardroom Mistakes Superintendents Make

When it comes to working with school boards, the author has observed 12 missteps over time. He offers alternative actions.

In over 30 years of working with school boards, I’ve had the privilege of working with many incredible superintendents. While I have nothing but the greatest respect for them, I’ve seen some struggle when they should have been very successful.

Based on my professional experiences inside boardrooms and observations of many other governance situations over the years, I’ve developed a Top 12 list of common mistakes that too many superintendents commit when it comes to working with boards as a whole or individual members.

Many of these mistakes cause conflict between boards and their superintendents, slowing down progress on actions that could support districts’ students and staff and occasionally costing superintendents their job. (Note: My list does not appear in order of importance.)

No. 1: Accepting a new position when the vote to hire is not unanimous.

To ensure disaster, accept the offer of a new superintendent position on a split vote. Those who opposed your hiring will work diligently to prove they were right by constantly criticizing your work. This undermines your credibility with staff and the community. Don’t assume you will “win them over.” It rarely happens.

If the board chair votes against you on the hiring vote, you will have a particularly difficult time. Think twice about taking the job.

While not specifically related to a split vote, the hiring process is important to your future success. Do your homework. Be prepared to walk away if the vibe is wrong.

Think of your candidate interview as a two-way street. It is as important for the board of education to win you over as it is for you to be their choice for the job. Be clear about what you expect of the relationship between you and the board. Let them know your expectations and what to expect from you in operating style.

No. 2: Underestimating or stereotyping school board members.

I was a plumbing and heating contractor when I served on my local board of education. Other board members were K-12 and higher education professionals, attorneys, engineers and a nuclear physicist. I often was stereotyped as a “blue collar” member of the board. When that stereotyping came from my superintendent, I was particularly disturbed. He obviously thought less of my profession and made no attempt to hide his feelings. Because of that, we often butted heads.

Treat each one of your board members professionally and with respect, whether they reciprocate or not.

No. 3: Acting with dishonesty.

I will never forget a time when our superintendent deliberately misled our board. He immediately lost all credibility with me, and I never trusted him again. Sadly, the issue at hand was not even that serious. If he had admitted a small mistake, he wouldn’t have garnered a raised eyebrow.

Dishonesty doesn’t just include lying. Do you give your board members all the information they need to make an informed decision, or do you cherry-pick the data you share with them to make your case?

Give the board the pros and cons and highlight why you are making a particular recommendation. Trust the members to make the right decision. You will better serve the school district.

No. 4: Enabling chaotic board meetings.

Your community often judges the board/superintendent team’s leadership by how well your board meetings are run. After all, this is where the decision making takes place. If your meetings are chaotic and ineffective, it reflects badly on the district and makes it difficult to focus on the priorities of the district.

Controlling the flow of board meetings is the responsibility of the board chair, but the superintendent can play a big part in ensuring productive meetings.

Focus the agendas on decisions that only the board can make. Set time limits for presentations to the board and strictly enforce them. Place those limits right on the agenda. If board members’ eyes are glazing over, the presenter has gone on too long. Some superintendents have presenters rehearse before meetings to ensure they are adequately prepared.

Consider a meeting presentation template with specific questions the board will expect to have answered as part of any presentation.

Make sure you and the board chair are on the same page. It is the board chair’s responsibility to manage the board. It is the superintendent’s responsibility to manage the district. If your meetings become problematic or the board loses focus, encourage the chair to ask for assistance. Your state school boards association can provide your chair with resources to help him or her become a more effective leader.

No. 5: Focusing on the wrong things.

The purpose of your work and that of the school district is to provide a quality curriculum delivered by quality instruction to each child. Keeping the board focused on that is critical. This is not always within your board’s comfort zone, but members need to be persuaded that it is their priority.

Make sure the district work is driven by a clearly defined vision. Whether a strategic plan, long-term goals, or another framework for establishing purpose, this must not only drive your work but your board’s.

Focus on high expectations. Place a report on goals on every agenda. It doesn’t have to be a major presentation, but sharing publicly how the work is related to goals maintains attention on the right stuff.

No. 6: Aligning yourself with a political entity, either on or off the board.

I’ve seen some superintendents, selected by a highly political board, instinctively cater to that majority’s expectations. I served on a board like that. I was very much in the minority — and treated accordingly. Two years later, a new election brought new board members and a new majority and the superintendent was promptly encouraged to announce his retirement immediately.

Some superintendents bypass the relationship with the board by aligning themselves with other community leaders, hoping they will make life easier. That almost never works. Remember, other community members don’t evaluate you or renew your contract.

No. 7: Staying too long.

I’ve seen excellent superintendents work in a district, sometimes for years, only to start getting pushback from their board members. Keep your finger on the pulse of your community and board. If you get a sense the wind has shifted, don’t be afraid to consider other alternatives.

I recall one great superintendent who had strong support from eight of her nine board members, but she decided it was time to go. She knew one board member was not going to be happy until she drove her out of the district, so she left while at the high point of her career in that district. She quickly found a new home in a neighboring district.

On the other hand, I’ve known more than one situation where the board had to change the locks on their office doors because the superintendent didn’t get the message it was time to move on. If things seem like they are not working right, start with an honest assessment of where you are. Consider a heart-to-heart conversation with the board chair.

Needing a change doesn’t have to be a negative experience. You can reach a point where your particular set of skills has brought the school district as far as you can bring it, and you’ve reached a natural place for a change in leadership style. Another board in the state undoubtedly will need your skillset. Go find them.

No. 8: Contributing to micromanagement.

The biggest complaint I hear from superintendents is that their board micromanages them. It often is a valid complaint. However, on more than one occasion, I have observed that the superintendent might unintentionally (or intentionally) encourage this behavior.

One superintendent bragged to me about how he used the “mushroom theory” to get his board to do anything he wanted. (Mushrooms are grown in the dark and buried in manure.) His goal: Confuse the board by burying them in minutia. That did not work well for him in the long run.

Understand that board members often are more sophisticated than you might give them credit for.

No. 9: Playing favorites with board members.

Treat all board members the same and work to encourage good communication with each of them. Have an open-door policy and (within reason) have your board members reach out when they have concerns. Make a habit of replying to one board member’s request for information by sharing that information with all of your board members.

Also, don’t badmouth a board member or try and embarrass a member publicly. If you are having issues with a board member, reach out to the board chair for assistance. If you feel it’s you against the board, it may be time to move on.

No. 10: Being right no matter the cost.

I have known a few superintendents who, as a matter of conscience, stood up and gave their board this ultimatum: “If you don’t approve this, I will leave!” In many cases, they were right and in most of those cases the board backed down. These superintendents fully understood this was not a tool you can use more than once.

A superintendent friend of mine was confronted with a serious issue that spilled over into the community. It was a trivial matter and his persistence in the matter threatened his standing as the superintendent. He finally acknowledged it was more about pride than needing to be correct and dropped the matter.

No. 11: Being indispensable.

I have attended many group meetings and conferences with superintendents over the years where at least one of them has had to dash out of the room to take an emergency call, often followed by an immediate return to the school district.

I’m sure many of those calls were important, but I suspect many could have been resolved by another administrator if they were given the proper authority and guidance. Delegate, delegate, delegate! Hire the right people, trust them to do what is right, and let them handle it.

No. 12: Concentrating the board’s work fully on solutions.

Boards of education can spend hours debating solutions without first agreeing on the problem. If people don’t agree on the problem at hand, they certainly won’t agree on the solution. They also will disagree on how effective your work has been in resolving that issue.

Change the conversation at the board table to allow the board to reach consensus on the actual problem. Only then, when you present them with a solution or alternatives, will the members be more likely to reach consensus and support your action plan. 

Nicholas Caruso is associate executive director for field services and technology with the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education in Wethersfield, Conn.