Patient, Persistent Leadership

A sentiment we all too often hear come election time is the need for new faces and fresh ideas.  It is a “Throw the Bums Out” sort of attitude.  While that approach might have its place at the state or federal capital, it is detrimental to a school district.  It is clear given the attention public education has received at all levels of government that education reform is needed.  At the local school district level, this reform can only come from patient, persistent leadership.

An in-depth understanding of the dynamics of how a school district functions is not learned by attending a few school board meetings.  The funding formula is complicated.  The layers of regulations are mind numbing.  The political environment is messy.  And the line between the board and management’s responsibilities is drawn differently by the administration and board than by the public being served.  A word picture I’ve used in trying to describe the role is one of attempting to push a giant water balloon up a hill.  Regardless of where you push, you make little progress and it can quickly engulf you.

In recent years the ISD 197 school board has had significant turnover.  Four new members were voted on to the board in 2007.  Three new members joined the board in 2009.  And again this year there will be at least 3 new members elected to the board.  Couple with that a superintendent turnover every 6 years or more frequent.  Is it any wonder some would observe that our district lacks focus?

A few members from our current ISD 197 school board have read a book by Donald R. McAdams titled What School Boards Can Do: Reform Governance for Urban Schools.  The author provides a readily accessible framework for achieving sustained reforms.  He, like I, argues it will take patience and persistence.  He concludes the book with a final charge that reform-minded boards need to include succession planning in the work of the board.  Too often meaningful reform gets aborted when individuals who are not committed to change get elected.  I encouraged all of our current board members to run for reelection because I do believe experience matters.

These comments are not intended to be a poorly disguised endorsement of the lone incumbent.  The message is much more important:

1. Reform is hard.  Change is painful.  Some must lead.  Others must follow.  Wise discernment is needed to be careful always to give support to those who must lead.  The school board is nonpartisan.  Statements or actions accusing the board’s motives as politically motivated will likely drain the board of resolve, keep the election door revolving and perpetuate the status quo.  Remember – we get what we deserve.  We reap what we sow.
2. The more defined and transparent budget process introduced last year, the advisory committee () examining strategic redesign options, and a levy referendum that buys a one year reprieve from budget reductions are all components of this patient, persistent leadership.  Given that we will be hiring a new superintendent this spring, it is especially important that our direction and priorities be set without the distraction of yet another round of cuts before we seek in earnest our next chief administrator.
3. Voters who support the need for reform must carefully assess each candidate’s commitment to long-term change.  A question I have of each candidate is whether they support the need for redesign and whether they are committed to see it through.

First, the state government gave us the Minnesota Miracle.  Then the federal government gave us No Child Left Behind.  But neither group hires teachers, assesses superintendents, or balances district budgets.  Those elected officials can be voted out of office if you disagree with their politics.  But our children deserve a community that supports its school leaders and creates a climate that puts excellence in our schools as its highest priority.  This will require patience and persistence.

This blog is the sole responsibility of Dewayne Dill.  It does not represent any official opinions, statement of facts or positions of the ISD 197 School Board or School District. Its purpose is to contemplate the broader context of issues the board considers.