When an Ex-Superintendent Lands on the Board

Board-Savvy Superintendent

Former teachers and administrators who are elected or appointed to school boards, especially in the school districts where they once were employed, fall into one of two categories as school board members. They are either very good — or very bad. There really is not a middle ground of performance in my experience.

When they are very good, you will discover they draw upon their career experiences to complement the board’s collective understanding of educational or administrative issues facing the school district. When they are really bad, they act as if their board role is merely an extension of their teacher or administrative position.

Every superintendent realizes a certain trepidation when discovering that a former teacher or administrator has landed a seat on their school board. But that apprehension is carried to new heights when the new board member is a former superintendent. Talk about bad luck!

Not only is the new board member a fellow educator, but he or she formerly worked as a superintendent, and if that person was once employed in the same district where he or she now functions as a board member, the circumstance goes from bad to worse!

How does the current superintendent begin working with the superintendent-turned-board member?

Speculating Motives

That preparation begins long before a new board member is seated. Superintendents are keenly aware of the dynamics surrounding board elections or appointments. These might include major decisions that divided the community, personnel appointments or dismissals, fiscal issues and so on. This awareness is crucial to understanding possible motives that lead individuals to seek board seats, and it’s especially true of former superintendents.

Speculating upon what may have motivated someone to seek a board seat is not responsible and can be detrimental to building a professional, long-term relationship. Even if you think you know, you don’t want to jump to conclusions regarding motive. Rather, understanding and anticipating possible hot-button issues will enable the current superintendent to prepare adequately for the initial orientation program and subsequently for building an effective working relationship.

Actually, even though the superintendent-turned-board member may know your job, having a person with that experience on the governing board can work to the benefit of the savvy superintendent as a built-in advocate, a person who is in a better position to understand and appreciate the responsibilities of the school district’s CEO.

Minimally, a former superintendent’s familiarity with the job enables the sitting superintendent to anticipate and prepare for those questions that might be more specific than those usually asked from other board members. Those potential questions should not necessarily be anticipated as gotcha questions. They can prove to be excellent opportunities for building confidence and respect for the superintendent from board members whose career experiences are outside of education.

Additionally, having a translator on the board can prove beneficial for issues where another experienced interpreter can contribute to the equilibrium between the superintendent and those responsible for governance.

Equal Treatment

However, most importantly, the savvy superintendent, while aware of each board member’s strengths, passions, interests and intentions, must treat all equally. A former superintendent is never treated with more deference than other board members. The former superintendent on the board may rightly deserve respect for career contributions, but not necessarily above those of other board members.

A former superintendent as a board member is no different than any other member, other than his or her particular skill set. The roles of the superintendent, individual school board members and the entire board are distinct, although they complement each other in an ideal board/superintendent relationship.

Michael Adamson is director of board services with the Indiana School Boards Association in Indianapolis, Ind.