I found the superintendent interview to be very interesting. I chose to interview my superintendent at Leggett ISD, Ms. Vicki Jones. Even though she is entering only her fourth year as superintendent, she actually took the superintendent’s certification exam more than fifteen years ago. One of the most obvious things I learned was that even though the terminology may have changed, Ms. Jones was very familiar with the knowledge and skills required to fulfill the duties of a superintendent. I found our interview to be an excellent opportunity to discuss some of the things that educators seldom find the time to talk about in the midst of our daily activities. Even though I have worked closely with Ms. Jones for the last three years, the “formal” interview gave us the opportunity to discuss many of the big issues surrounding education that we had never really talked about before.
To begin, I found Ms. Jones definition of leadership to be very informative. Basically, she defined leadership as the ability to bring about change by bringing out the best in yourself and others and getting each to make the effort to give his or her best in any given situation. I liked the emphasis she placed on change as a vital part of leadership. Encouraging people to do their best is certainly a part of leadership, but to what end are we giving our best? Unless we are working to bring about positive changes, are we really leading? I thought the answer set the tone for the rest of our interview.
The next two questions also brought interesting answers. In talking about the positive and negative aspects of being in a leadership position, Ms. Jones again talked about change. In her opinion, the most important positive aspect was having the authority to put in motion changes that will have a positive outcome for employees and students. As a negative aspect, Ms. Jones mentioned the fact that sometimes there are employees who resent your authority over them and must be convinced of your desire to improve their situation. She also talked about the fact that as the leader, you often have to deal with the problems left behind by previous leaders in your role or position. I think it is very true that as a leader, you have authority to make change, but as she stated, not everyone will be eager to go along with every change you propose. When people decide to throw rocks (literally or not), often it is the leader out front who gets hit.
When asked about the attributes of a good superintendent, Ms. Jones said that a good superintendent must be a good politician. She went on to say that the job is a constant juggling of responsibilities and expectations. In addition, she stated that a superintendent must be knowledgeable, consistent, fair, and open-minded. Finally, and maybe most importantly, a superintendent should always be flexible. I think this is a good set of attributes, and with the next question on ethical behavior, we were able to add a few more characteristics of a good superintendent. Ms. Jones stated that she believes that the SBEC Competency One includes a number of vital attributes for a superintendent. We both agreed that ethical leadership is essential to success as a superintendent.
Because I believe it is one of my weak areas, I was particularly interested in Ms. Jones answers regarding SBEC Competency Eight concerning budgeting, personnel, resource utilization, financial management, and technology application. According to Ms. Jones, a superintendent must work closely with the Region Center, business manager, board, school administration, and staff when designating budget funds. Only when all of these people are involved can funds be used to the district’s best advantage. She also said that a superintendent must then work closely with the business manager to ensure that funds are used properly and that all necessary paperwork is completed for accounting purposes. Finally, as superintendent she stated that she must work to make sure that the district receives all the funds to which we are legally entitled.
The final questions gave Ms. Jones the opportunity to add any additional information or advice for me as I prepare to one day become a superintendent. She advised me to always strive to be versatile and have broad shoulders. She reminded me that in a smaller district the superintendent is expected to be everywhere and involved in everything. He or she must maintain weekly or sometimes daily contact with board members and make every effort to be involved in every aspect of the school’s operations. Most of all, she advised me to remember to be constantly learning and evolving with the district.
Overall, I believe that I learned a great deal through this interview and I enjoyed the chance to sit down with an experienced superintendent and talk about all of the things that I still need to learn before I take on this challenge.
