Lessons in Political Readiness

Working out at my local fitness center, I remember the precise moment I knew our public education environment had gone beyond common sense.

A fellow exerciser, just back from vacation, said he was shocked to be sitting in a European café when my image appeared on a news broadcast. The story linked Lincoln Public Schools with “the face of moral decay in American schools.” He asked if we had truly banned teachers from calling children “girls” and “boys.”

Of course, this wasn’t anywhere near the truth. Like all public school districts, the goals in Lincoln, Neb., are simple: All means all when it comes to welcoming and accepting students regardless of poverty, race, special needs or refugee/immigrant status. Because that list also includes gender identity, our district wisely decided to provide educators with information to better understand this population of kids.

One of those lessons included vocabulary and the consideration, in appropriate cases, of using terms like scholars. That innocuous suggestion was distorted and misrepresented, creating a hornet’s nest beyond imagination: Hateful e-mails and phone calls from around the country, hours of public testimony at school board meetings and questions consumed our energy and resources.

Charged Climates

In this case, like most controversies in K-12 education, the heat eventually dissipated. But I believe the transgender issue serves as a glimpse of things yet to come. Our school district’s experiences addressing the needs of transgender students generated the first signs of aggressive political opposition now playing out across the state and country — budding anti-public education sentiment rooted in a movement that goes to the core of our mission.

Almost every superintendent can share a similar opportunity to stand up for what we believe in. I sense we will have many more. But living in the center of the country often provides an opportunity to first watch national events unfold.

In Nebraska, we also are often cushioned with long-term, historic community support of public education, as well as general high achievement. Nonetheless, a highly charged political climate is emerging in our state, an interesting battleground with a nonpartisan state legislature serving as the backdrop in a place where voucher/charter movements are brewing, local watchdog groups are scrutinizing budgets and national anti-tax organizations are arriving. These groups generally believe education is broken and must change, but they don’t credit the tremendous academic and social gains in this rapidly changing demographic environment.

The truth is, all political debate eventually falls at the doorsteps of our public schools. And please realize I’m not new to this game. I have spent 32 years as a superintendent handling volatile bond issues, immigration raids, challenging personnel decisions and administrative buildings burning down. I’ve had dark times in my career when I wasn’t sure I would survive despite having confidence I always was focused on doing the right things for kids.

A Committed Fight

To prevail under fire, each of us must commit to our students — and we must be prepared for the fight. As such, I offer the following strategies that have served me well.

• Recognize there is no normal.

While I long for the times when we argued about student dress codes and starting school too early, I must prepare for intense political debates of who gets public education, what we teach and who we teach — knowing that, at any moment, a minor skirmish or all-out battle can bubble over.

A little healthy paranoia can help you prepare for the inevitable conflicts looming.

• Advance work means everything.

This is perhaps the most important lesson in political readiness: To be politically savvy, you must be a relationships builder by developing authentic connections (school board, staff and community stakeholders) far in advance of any potential crisis or catastrophe. This investment will build political capital and good will and can catalyze support groups for when the boardroom is packed with people.

You can be liberal or conservative in your political leanings, but it’s hard to be an extremist when it comes to children. Everyone has a connection to kids, and most everyone understands that communities need strong public education systems.

• Start internally and work outwards.

When the sky is falling, you better have your own people with you. Your colleagues are your best ambassadors, so keep them informed and keep them affirmed. Be visible, accessible and acknowledge the great work happening in your schools.

This effort always begins with your board of education, as well as each and every person who works in your school district. During the transgender conversation in Lincoln, we provided consistent information and messaging for our board members and our staff. In fact, when we held a press conference about staff development on transgender issues, I stood in back of a podium with my board members and executive team standing right behind me — and staff members filled the audience.

• Calmly engage your community.

During the intense national attention back in the 2014-15 school year, I must admit our school district was momentarily distracted. However, we quickly came back to remembering the importance of engaging our own community — which means using resources efficiently and effectively. That means our responses to news media, social media, e-mails and phone calls focused on a common message and were directed toward community members who had a genuine interest, not just a political agenda.

In addition, the leader’s responses to hostile questioning and comments must be calm and considered. At the end of the day, our schools’ parents, staff and public want to see a composed superintendent. They should never see you sweat.

I vividly remember the night the Lincoln Public Schools administrative offices were burning down in May 2011. It was 2 a.m. and I was driving from my house to the scene of the fire, sleepy and wearing sweats, with lightning and thunder all around. And all I could think about were the words I needed to share that night. Our staff and our community needed to hear the voice of hope. The reality was I didn’t know what was going to happen, I just knew the only way you can expect people to be resilient is if you are resilient.

• Thinking smart and thinking ahead.

We survived the immediate crisis, but there was and is no time to rest. School districts need to be considering broader strategies, mobilizing at the local level, marshaling forces statewide, staying smart in legislative and political advocacy.

The Lincoln Public Schools has been working with an organization called Nebraska Loves Public Schools, a nonprofit statewide group designed to both provide our citizens with accurate information about our public schools — and to counter the anti-public education campaigns.

We also are involved in discussions with statewide education groups about becoming more aggressive in stepping up and speaking to the power of public education. We cannot afford to be quiet.

• Hold to your principles.

Mark Edwards, the former superintendent in Mooresville, N.C., and the 2013 National Superintendent of the Year, often asks: “Who will stand up for kids?” We know that strongly opinionated individuals who are not in the education trenches will continue to stir up contention over budgets, curriculum, staffing and gender. But, as Edwards says of the superintendency’s most critical function, “If not us, then who?”

When we do things the right way, for the right reasons, when we stand up and stand tall for what matters, then our community will be there to support public education — no matter what the media is reporting halfway across the world.

In the end, educators need to make certain they stay true to their principles. Good leadership must rise above contentious debate and remain authentic. We must stay centered on our belief that public education is without question the backbone of American democracy.