Choosing a Superintendent
July 20, 2009 Filed in: Schools
The Englewood Board of Education, having finally
started a search process for the crucial post of
Superintendent of Schools, has requested public input
to assist them in making their decision. This
newsletter commends the Board for doing so, and would
like to weigh in with its own suggestions.
Ideally, the superintendent should be a person with vision, leadership qualities, and political skills. He/she should be able to develop objectives for the school system, achieve board and public support for them, and have the management skills to make sure the plans are implemented. The person chosen should make a multi-year commitment to the district, since meaningful objectives are likely to take time to reach. The Englewood Public Schools have in recent decades seen excessively frequent administrative turnover, which may have bred cynicism among the staff which will need to be overcome.
We hear a lot about the need for our schools to give children the skills they will need to survive and prosper in the competitive global economy. And at the same time, of course, we have to motivate the children to want to acquire these skills. We need committed and capable teachers, but we also need school leadership which respects and supports them, and educational organization which maximizes their effectiveness.
And it is the organization which is the main responsibility of the superintendent. Considering its budget and staff size, the Englewood Public School district has many of the characteristics of a small-sized business corporation, and the responsibilities of the superintendent resemble those of the chief executive of such a corporation. Management skills, which may not always be sufficiently valued by persons trained in education, are crucial for success.
Dr. John Grieco, who served as superintendent from 2002 until his death in 2005, had many of the qualities to be sought. His creation of the Academies@Englewood and his successful initiative to modernize the system’s physical facilities have left a permanent mark on Englewood. We are unlikely to find another Grieco, but we should seek someone who is equally unafraid to challenge the status quo and equally successful in achieving his goals.
Ideally, the superintendent should be a person with vision, leadership qualities, and political skills. He/she should be able to develop objectives for the school system, achieve board and public support for them, and have the management skills to make sure the plans are implemented. The person chosen should make a multi-year commitment to the district, since meaningful objectives are likely to take time to reach. The Englewood Public Schools have in recent decades seen excessively frequent administrative turnover, which may have bred cynicism among the staff which will need to be overcome.
We hear a lot about the need for our schools to give children the skills they will need to survive and prosper in the competitive global economy. And at the same time, of course, we have to motivate the children to want to acquire these skills. We need committed and capable teachers, but we also need school leadership which respects and supports them, and educational organization which maximizes their effectiveness.
And it is the organization which is the main responsibility of the superintendent. Considering its budget and staff size, the Englewood Public School district has many of the characteristics of a small-sized business corporation, and the responsibilities of the superintendent resemble those of the chief executive of such a corporation. Management skills, which may not always be sufficiently valued by persons trained in education, are crucial for success.
Dr. John Grieco, who served as superintendent from 2002 until his death in 2005, had many of the qualities to be sought. His creation of the Academies@Englewood and his successful initiative to modernize the system’s physical facilities have left a permanent mark on Englewood. We are unlikely to find another Grieco, but we should seek someone who is equally unafraid to challenge the status quo and equally successful in achieving his goals.
