Most Important Skills for a Superintendent
- People Skills: Must be able to maintain a positive relationship with community and stakeholders. Must adopt the "never meet a stranger" personality and attitude.
- Reasoning and decision-making skills: The superintendent has the final say so, and is also the end of the line in conflict resolution. He/She must take ownership in all facets of the district.
- Ability to multi-task: A superintendent must juggle many tasks simultaneously. This can be very stressful and prioritizing is a must.
- Communication Skills: Good communication is vital. Stakeholders, employees, and the general public should be kept informed and up to date. This can be very difficult at times, but must be made a priority.
Most Difficult Experience(s) as a Superintendent
- Managing an out of control board member: Must make sure that board members, new and experienced, do not attempt to operate outside of the board guidelines. This is very touchy.
- Disciplining, reassigning, and terminating an employee: All of these things are very difficult, no matter how many times you are forced to do it.
Greatest Accomplishment(s) as a Superintendent
- Implementation of new programs, procedures and personnel: Book study for administrators, administrative walk-throughs, Friends Helping Friends (sick leave donation bank), addition of a middle school curriculum coordinator, addition of co-enrolled classes at the high school, cosmetology partnership with Lamar Port Arthur.
Vision of The Future
- On-line courses will eventually be added to the district curriculum.
- More emphasis will be needed for drop out recovery programs at the high school.
- Technology innovations, such as a computer for each student and educational uses for cell phones.
- The district MUST find a way to update and improve facilities: Our district qualifies for Quality School Construction Bonds , but only in the amount of $7 million. Each project needed in the district requires more money than these types of bonds will provide.
I think good communication is going to be a common theme. On-line courses seem to be the wave of the future. The topic keeps popping up in a lot of different conversations. Something that our generation will definately have to deal with.
ReplyDeleteWhen I heard her talk about cell usage as a part of classroom instruction, I was a little shocked. But after thinking about it, maybe it is something we need to look into. Most of them have it anyway.
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