Superintendent Interview (a super-original title)

To begin, I am appreciative to our associate superintendent, Dr. Soileau, for working with me. I have been away on military orders since before the school year began. I sincerely appreciate him being willing to work with me in regards to a phone interview as face-to-face was not possible. Additionally, this is a busy time of year and many times hectic so again a special thanks for him being willing to clear out a spot in his schedule.

Although he has only been with our district for a short time, I have much respect for the job he is doing and the philosophy he has thus far relayed to me. Many of his responses were affirmations to strategies I already knew, and common philosophies we both share.

The first that sticks out in my mind was his definition of leadership. Dr. Soileau referred to Robert Greenleaf, and the concept of servant leadership. He stated that he believed it was his role to serve others, provide resources for campus leaders, and ultimately to make every decision in the best interest of kids. If he adhered to this principle then he would be satisfied with the job he did.

Additionally, he bridged in to another of our competency areas when within servant leadership he emphasized ethics and integrity (question 5). He summed it up by speaking to “the golden rule” of treating others as you would care to be treated. He stressed modeling both at school, and in our personal lives. Just this morning there was a retired San Antonio area principal arrested for solicitation of sex. Although we both agreed that this was an extreme (although sadly not altogether uncommon) example, it epitomized many of the problems associated with our profession. When incidents like this occur, people lose faith in schools and school personnel- and rightly so. We are held to, and must maintain the highest standards of honor.

One of my need areas was competency area 7, dealing with superintendents improving the performance of all staff members. I asked Dr. Soileau were he sees his role in this. He believed that it begin with both the board and he working together to develop measurable, attainable goals. He said it was important to understand need areas and to facilitate staff development that would pinpoint these areas in order to benefit students. He made a particularly profound statement to me in regards to his position on teachers. He said he believed most were not curriculum experts, but rather instructional experts. It was important for him to facilitate putting all the pieces together and to “find ways to lower anxieties while raising production.” This really spoke to me.

According to my practice exam, my second highest need area dealt with competency three, effective communication strategies (question 7). Dr. Soileau emphasized that he liked community surveys. According to him, visibility was the key to everything. He reminded me that you seldom have to go out asking the questions. Most times the communication would come to you. He believes it is very important to be involved in civic organizations within the community. He believes this is one of the best ways to keep communication lines open, and to get a measure of the pulse of the community.

In response to question 10, dealing with the superintendent promoting and sustaining culture that emphasized student learning, Dr. Soileau believes the role certainly starts at the top. It is his responsibility to ensure that it filters down to all campuses. It requires the hiring of good people and putting “the right people in the right seats on the bus.” I couldn’t agree more.

I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with Dr. Soileau and, further, enjoyed the assignment. Additionally, I look forward to reading the other interviews and hearing what other area superintendents have to say. As far as manning that bus- I believe I am already on it. J