Life Lessons From Tough Officiating Calls

My View

You don't have to be a politician to understand politics. In my 27 years as a superintendent, that critical understanding has helped me navigate the complex issues involved in running a public school district.

When I started out as an educator, I taught government for seven years and spent some time as a high school basketball referee. Both experiences provided great life lessons, which are valuable today.

Many superintendents make the mistake of feeling they have to be a politician, and that’s not really the role, but there should be an understanding of how politics works.

Governors don’t make the laws, the legislature does, and the executive branch enforces them. Of course, superintendents know this, but do they really understand what it means? The superintendent’s role is to bring knowledge of the work to lawmakers to inform and impact the laws they make regarding schools.

So, yes, Dallas ISD took a stand on the mask issue during the coronavirus pandemic and temporarily required them in our schools and facilities. Given the conditions in the county at the time, it was the right decision for our students, and the data supported it. As a result, positive cases in our district dropped dramatically. Sometimes it takes a tough call.