LM Aug.2018

Hit the Ground Running NewSuperintendents Prepare for First Year on the Job By Jason Nevel

IASA Assistant Director of Communications Formulating a game plan for your first year on the job as a superintendent was much simpler 30 years ago, says Dr. Rich Voltz, IASA associate director. “In the old days when I was first going into the superintendency, I had my own ideas of where I thought the district should go, and the board members had an idea,” Voltz said. That’s no longer the case. “You have to talk to your teachers, parents, students, important community members—police chief, fire chief and chamber of commerce—to find out what they think the school is and what they think the school should be,” Voltz said. To help superintendents prepare for that first year, IASA annually holds a New Superintendents’ Conference, a two- day event aimed at helping superintendents transition to their new role. This year’s conference was held in Springfield August 1-2. Forty-six new superintendents from across Illinois attended the event. Creating an entry plan is one skill superintendents learned at the conference. “An entry plan teaches you to be focused on obtaining information from a variety of constituents,” Voltz said. “It keeps you from going out and saying, ‘I want to do X, Y and Z.’ Because, in reality, what you should be saying is, ‘What does the community want the school to be.’” This year’s conference featured a session on Illinois’ new evidence-based funding model, led by IASA Executive Director Dr. Brent Clark and IASBO Executive Director Dr. Michael Jacoby. Clark and Jacoby reviewed how the law came to be, what it entails and what expectations superintendents face.

Other topics included legal issues administrators could face, how to balance work and professional life, handle a media crisis, as well as a discussion about the importance of reviewing policies before making decisions. “Every superintendent should have certain handbooks readily available,” Voltz said. “They should have the “Illinois School Code,” their district’s own policy manual, Brian Braun’s “Illinois School Law Survey” and their employee/student handbook. All of those things need to be within an arm’s reach, so when they have an issue, they can easily go back and reference these important resources. “A lot of people make decisions and don’t look back at the policy. If you’re wrong, you could get fired for that.” Four Ignite sessions—five-minute speeches intended to be enlightening and thought-provoking—were also included this year. The speakers were: Dr. Jill Griffin, Bethalto CUSD #8; John Price, North Chicago SD #187; Tip Reedy, Williamsville CUSD #15; and Dana Smith, Flossmoor SD #161. “No surprises for the board. Communicate all the time,” Smith told the attendees during his Ignite speech. “The last thing you want is for a board member to learn from a community member at the grocery store about a crisis. It will not go well.” Mike Denault, who began his superintendency this year at Summersville SD #79, a preK–8 district in Mount Vernon, said the conference exposed him to a lot of the challenges he will face in his first year on the job. “I left Springfield confident in knowing that I had learned numerous strategies that would lead to a successful transition to my new position and with the assurance that I would have all of the support of, not only the IASA, but also its distinguished membership to lean on when the need arises,” he said. 23