Leadership Matters April 2015

manuals, and post secondary programs do not have the answers. This was one of those times where I had to use moral judgment and my humanistic skills to execute decisions. As a new superintendent I felt that I had let my child down because no one was there to protect her from this sexual predator that is still at large today. I had to work quickly to inform the communities I serve so I used our School Reach phone blast system and I sent a scrolling email alert across our website and sent letters home with every child in the district. The police worked with me to put a flyer on the district website. After doing all of these things, I still felt like I needed to do more to assist the family. At our June board meeting I asked my board if we could pay for counseling for our child who was raped, all of her siblings, and her mother because they were all impacted and traumatized by this horrific incident. The board voted yes, unanimously. The next day I worked with my central office team to find a counseling agency to assist the family. I shared real life stories with the aspirants because it truly takes a caring individual who is made of tough skin to serve in the seat of the superintendency. Our job consists of more than completing reports, evaluating principals, serving on various committees and managing the day-to-day operations of the district. I wanted the aspirants to walk away understanding that superintendents are on call seven days a week, 24 hours a day. We must use moral guidance and use moral judgment in our decision making. I closed with a renowned quote by the late great Ron Edmonds, a pioneer of effective schools, who said in the mid-1970s: “We can, whenever and wherever we choose, successfully teach all children whose schooling is of interest to us. We already know more than we need to do this. Whether we do it or not must finally depend on how we feel about the fact that we have not done it so far.” By sharing my stories it was my hope that every candidate left the Aspiring Superintendents Institute with a clear understanding of the many hats that superintendents wear and that there is joy and passion in making a difference in the lives of children.

me in contact with an organization called the Lans 53. It was the Lans 53 that gave my family a down payment on a home to rent with an option to buy. I shared with the aspirants all of the wonderful things my board of education has done for the students in my school district. We provide uniforms for children who are in need and breakfast in the classroom after the regular breakfast program ends to ensure all children eat. We also serve dinner at our Middle School in the evening before after-school activities. On June 6, 2014, I was informed that one of my students at the Middle School was raped on her way to school. I was devastated because it was on my watch. I reached out to the family and informed my board of this travesty before the media reported the incident. I wanted the aspirants to know that many times superintendents are faced with challenging situations for which school board policy, district

I closed with a renowned quote by the late great Ron Edmonds, a pioneer of effective schools, who said in the mid-1970s: “We can, whenever and wherever we choose, successfully teach all children whose schooling is of interest to us. We already know more than we need to do this. Whether we do it or not must finally depend on how we feel about the fact that we have not done it so far.”

--Dolton School District Superintendent Dr. Shelly Davis-Jones

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