Lessons Learned
by Dr. Troyce Fisher, SAI Executive Director
A superintendent friend of mine recently
encouraged me to read a small book published last year by AASA
entitled, "The Anguish of Leadership" written by Jerry
Peterson. Based on interviews with 14 superintendents who were
about to retire, the book provides all sorts of insights about
the highs and lows of leadership, and lessons learned through
what the author calls the good, the bad and the ugly of school
administration.
The last chapter summarizes why these educators endured the struggles
of the job for so many years. In a nutshell, it was because they
were able to look back and know that they "had devoted a
professional lifetime to being a champion of children." They
also acknowledged the importance of a set of core values which
drove them to push ahead with what they believed was right and
just.
Beyond the idealistic though, the book also gives some practical
bits of wisdom that are worth thinking about. Some highlights:
"- Know that other people will attribute motives to you that
never crossed your mind, so prove your trustworthiness by your
actions.
- Be able to laugh.
- Be able to articulate your vision and help other people come
to believe in that direction, too.
- Realize that to be effective you are going to annoy people,
so ask yourself if you are willing to stand your ground based
on your core principles before taking a stand.
- Define yourself on your own terms, not other people's. You will
need to be self-reliant to get through the tough times."
In our January Representative Council meeting, SAI members were
asked what was the best advice they received their first year
as an administrator. Many commented on the importance of finding
a mentor and developing a network of other administrators who
had similar jobs and could act as sounding boards, especially
during the first couple of years when the feelings of isolation
and loneliness are the most intense. Others noted the importance
of admitting when they didn't know, listening more than speaking,
not taking oneself too seriously, being willing to ask for help,
and not over-reacting-clearly themes about not letting one's ego
get in the way. Some were reminded about lessons in the change
process like not assuming that everyone is on the same page with
an issue just because you've asked them for their opinions, or
realizing that there are no long-range solutions to part-time
problems, and that patience and timing are everything. And more
than once the importance of having a sense of humor surfaced,
as summarized by this comment: "Just remember-don't wear
polyester pants with a nylon zipper." (There's probably a
really good story there!!)
All of these words of wisdom have huge implications for programming
at SAI, particularly in the context of the conversation about
new ways of compensating teachers, new standards for accountability,
and the administrator shortages we're facing. We need to have
comprehensive mentoring and induction processes for our newest
members; we need to learn best practices concerning the role of
evaluation in improving teacher effectiveness; we need to find
ways to utilize the experiences and knowledge of our retiring
administrators, and we need to continually promote our profession
as a worthy one. Most of all we will need to take our cue from
something attributed to Ghandi: "We have to be the world
we want to see."
The SAI staff recently developed its list of beliefs and values
based on the question, "What do SAI's members deserve from
us?" You will find those reprinted on page 3 of this month's
newsletter under the SAI Member Services heading. We're pledged
to operate from a perspective of principle-based leadership and
we welcome your feedback on the work to date. What do you think?
Top
Spending for "Public Purposes"
by Kathy Lee Collins, J.D., SAI Director of Legal Services
Someone's going to figure out that hell has probably frozen
over; Collins' CYA column is about a school finance issue. How's
this for a disclaimer: There isn't enough malpractice insurance
in the world to cover me in writing this column. Consequently,
this will be a ventriloquist act for the most part. I type, but
the words that come out will be those of the A.G, D.E. and State
Auditor's Office.
The Iowa Constitution requires that public money be spent for
public purposes only.
We school folk can get pretty creative when it comes to money.
(I've always been amazed at the myriad of items we can be come
up with that fall under the term "school supplies" when
it comes to charging fees.) But in this case, the term at issue
is "public purpose." That is to say, "public benefit."
That is to say, your spending must not benefit only an individual
or selected individuals.
Normally in my research I would find at least a handful of cases
where the Iowa Supreme Court has interpreted the term. However,
despite the fact that this two-word phrase comes from the Iowa
Constitution (and has, therefore, been around quite some time),
most of what we have in the way of guidance are Attorney General's
opinions. Those have typically focused on specific items or situations
and whether money spent in those circumstances would be money
spent for a public or merely private purpose. That's excellent
guidance - on those specific issues.
The dearth of Iowa case law indicates that this is not an issue
that gets districts or individuals sued, but it can get you in
hot water with the auditor and professionally, with your board
or community. (Having said that, it's important to note that intentional
abuse of public funds for personal purposes would be grounds for
criminal action against the person. No room for forgiveness there,
and there's a criminal statute saying so.)
What follows is the available guidance on what's a legitimate
expenditure for public purposes and whether specific items should
be paid from the General Fund or the Student Activities Fund,
the latter being the one most likely to get "raided,"
from what I can tell in talking with our members.
As I write this, I have more questions than answers. I know
how frustrated you must feel. Some simple rules to follow:
1.Just ask yourself the question "What public purpose is
served by this expenditure?" and "Is our board on record
as authorizing this expense?" (I think this means more than
approving the bill when it comes in; it means pre-authorizing
it by approval in a board policy or by adoption of a plan for
recognition, etc.)
2. Document the "public purpose" specifically in board
minutes.
3. When in doubt (a) check with your auditor or the State Auditor,
(b) imagine it on the front page of your local paper: Will it
play to the general public? or (c) don't do it. It's difficult
to imagine getting criticized for not spending public money for
arguably private purposes.
Keep Those Calls and Letters Coming!
by Dr. Marcus Haack, SAI Associate Executive Director
One of the most
difficult things about writing a column, especially regarding
the status of legislation, is to keep it current given the delay
between my writing and your reading. Although no bill has emerged
regarding the teacher compensation bill as this column is being
submitted, I'm sure a draft bill will "be out there"
sometime before this issue of the SAI Report is in your hands.
As I do every month, I'll remind you again that you can receive
daily up-to-date legislative reports via your e-mail by registering
for SAI's legislative listserve on the SAI webpage . Simply follow the instructions.
Since I can't comment on a bill that's not seen the light of day,
I'd like to offer some pointers this month about communicating
with your legislators. As I've stated in the past, the strength
and the impact of SAI's lobbying efforts rests with each of you.
Legislators do listen when I visit with them about SAI's beliefs
and positions on various legislative issues. However, almost to
a person, they tell me that the message is even more influential
when their school administrators "back home" talk to
them about the issues.
So what can you do to help with shaping the legislative actions
of the General Assembly? It's really not that hard.
The most important thing you can do is to concentrate on relationship
building with your senators and representatives. While it's easier
to do during the interim between legislative sessions, you can
still have a major impact on what emerges from the 2001 session
by starting your relationship building efforts today.
If you haven't taken the time to introduce yourself to your elected
officials, there's no better time than right now to do so. Most
legislators hold town meetings in their districts when they go
home for the weekends. Find out when and where their next meeting
is and plan to attend. Yes, it'll take up part of your Saturday
morning, but it'll be worth it in the long run. Listen to what's
being said about education issues, and don't be afraid to express
your opinions. When the opportunity presents itself, introduce
yourself to your legislator and see if you can set up a time to
meet privately regarding the education issues that the legislature
is debating and the issues that are most pressing to you in your
local school district.
Strive to build and maintain a strong working relationship, one
that's built on mutual respect. Be honest and straightforward
when talking to legislators. They're often on a tight time schedule,
so you need to get to the point, identify the issue(s) you wish
to discuss and what specific action(s) you'd like to have take
place. Remember that it always strengthens your position if you're
able to provide concrete information, data, relevant anecdotes,
etc. If you're able to prepare a handout, keep it brief and to
the point so that it's more likely to be read.
Avoid contacting your legislators only when you want or need something.
If you've done a good job of relationship building, it's much
easier to ask them to support your requests and issues. The more
time and effort you place on building a trusting working relationship,
the more likely legislators will seek you out for information
and assistance as they propose and debate educational issues.
Another key point to consider when making legislative contacts
is that elected officials want to know how your requests will
help kids. Never forget the power of tying your ideas to improving
educational opportunity and academic achievement. By and large
legislators don't respond well to requests that are seen as self-serving.
They want to know, ultimately, how Iowa's youth will be impacted
by their policy-making efforts. That goes for anything from IPERS
improvements to teacher compensation proposals.
Finally, remember to educate your public. When the public starts
demanding policy initiatives that are in line with your needs,
the legislators will be quick to respond. After all, legislators
do have the next election cycle as a motivating force. They understand
the will of the public and the power of the vote. Getting your
constituents to see things your way will ultimately help pass
legislation that improves schools.
I'd be interested to hear from any of you who are making contacts
with your legislators. What has been the response? How "education-friendly"
have they been? What are the trends that you're observing? Drop
me a line via e-mail (marcus@sai-iowa.org). Thanks to all for your
efforts!
A Great Asset!
by Dr. Elaine Smith-Bright, SAI Director of Professional Development
Who is the one support person most administrators just could
not live without? That's right, your secretary! That marvelous
person who acts as a receptionist, answers the phone, calms the
angry parent before putting the call through, corrals the students
sent to the office for discipline, substitutes for the nurse or
acts as the nurse, word processes anything, keeps matters confidential,
and praises you to the community. All that activity, too, in the
space of about five minutes.
In my career as a school administrator, I was fortunate to work
with four of the best school secretaries in the state. They ran
an office like a finely-oiled machine and each did so with an
honest, caring, efficient, supportive demeanor. One of them did,
and still does, have this wonderfully smooth, inviting voice over
the intercom. She could say the simplest message like, "Lunch
has been changed to the late schedule for today," and the
whole building would stop to listen. I always had her call in
the students for discipline; it was like they were responding
to a siren call.
The frontline army of communicators in most schools is the support
staff. They are, most often than not, the first people to greet
children and parents each day. Support staff have a tremendous
credibility with the public, and along with that, a tremendous
opportunity to deliver a good first impression of your school
or district. In a July 2000 Gallup Poll the principal's secretary
ranked fourth in importance in answer to the question, "Whom
do you trust in your school?"
Most secretaries work at schools because they love the special
atmosphere around children, parents, teachers and administrators.
They certainly don't stay in such hectic, time-consuming positions
because of the salary. In fact, last year at one of the seminars
we presented, I shared this cartoon. It got a great laugh from
the secretaries who were in attendance.
We all need to be sure to recognize the valuable contribution
these special people make in our schools. Few can offer a substantial
raise, but you could send them to the SAI's Secretaries Workshop
on Wednesday, April 4, 2001, at the Polk County Convention Center.
It's a great opportunity for them to share with other secretaries
a day of FUN, FOOD, LEARNING, AND NETWORKING! They'll come back
to you happy and refreshed, I promise. They might even win a door
prize!
Getting accurate information out quickly to influential people
challenges every organization. Schools are no exception. Events
unfold rapidly; news, especially the bad kind, travels fast. Your
local media may tell only one side of the story. You want the
full story in the hands of your constituencies before they draw
false conclusions from rumors or media reports.
One effective strategy: harness the power of technology to build
support and confidence in your schools. E-mail gives you the opportunity
to broadcast the full story, right from your desk in a high-tech
variation of the "Key Communicators" network long advocated
as a powerful tool for education administrators. (Note: while
more and more people now have e-mail, this strategy can be adapted
to fax technology, and even a letter is better than excluding
a Key Communicator.)
Enlisting Effective E-communicators
Keep the Information Flowing
Before long, you'll have a far-reaching, almost instantaneous, communication tool for building support and confidence in your schools.