My Superintendent Interview

Interview with Dr. Archie Blanson

Deputy Superintendent of Aldine ISD

What is your definition of leadership?

Leadership is something you are either good at or not.  In a school district, a Superintendent has to balance and prioritize tasks and issues quickly, efficiently, and proficiently.  You are constantly balancing needs of students’, needs of staff, concerns of parents, and community feedback.  To be a successful leader, one has to work with all stakeholders while leading the school district toward greater student success.

What are the positive aspects of being in a leadership position, like Superintendent?

Being in the Superintendent’s seat allows you to make the final call on all issues and to truly make a real impact on the direction of the school district.  You are involved in long-range goal setting and resource allocation at the district level. As Superintendent, you can really guide and direct the overall learning environment.  However, you also are responsible for ensuring that there are excellent campus leaders in place.  These leaders are expected to ensure student success.  To ensure student success, you must build your relationship with these leaders.  You must have solid communication with them, and you must have high expectations for them.  This will help drive change in your district.

What are the negative or difficult aspects of being in a leadership position?

A Superintendent cannot be all things to all people, they need to make choices that help the most students.  Decisions that you make that appease one group may irritate another, that is why we must always have the students in mind.  To be an effective leader, you have to keep your eye on what is truly important and ask yourself, “Is this the best decision for our kids?” If the answer is yes, then you can sleep at night, even if you are criticized by some. I have no issues sleeping at night because I know I am doing the best I can for the students of Aldine.

Another difficult aspect in today’s environment is funding.  Where are we going to get the funding to run the programs we have and need. School districts are being asked to do more with less. This makes it difficult for a Superintendent to meet the needs of all stakeholders while balancing the budget and still giving students what they need and what the community expects.

What do you believe are the attributes of a good Superintendent?

Honesty—The leader of the district is held to a high standard, and must model the behavior he/she desires from everyone in the organization.  The Superintendent must be seen as transparent and above-board on all fiscal matters, accountability issues, community concerns, etc.

Integrity—Going back to the statement about asking, “Is this the best decision for our kids?”, you have to balance that within what is legally acceptable and is in line with the community’s expectations.

Flexibility—A Superintendent has to be flexible.  Every day is a new day with new challenges.  You may go into the office with a list of things to do, and once you hit the door, the day takes you in a million different directions.  You must be able to adjust through the issues as they arise and adjust where you spend your time accordingly.

Hard Work Ethic—Leading a district is not an easy task, and it certainly is not an 8-4 job.  Deadlines must be met, staff members need the resources necessary to ensure student success in a timely fashion, and the expectation of visibility demands that you attend a great deal of evening events.

Good Communicator—Poor communication has been the downfall of many well-intentioned administrators.  Keeping all stakeholders informed is the best way to ensure support.  Even when the information is not necessarily positive, it is best to be up-front with those involved and did I say honest?.

Positive Attitude—The Superintendent sets the tone for the district.  He/she has to relay a positive attitude to other staff members so that they see the tasks at hand as possible to achieve and meaningful.  To get people to believe in your vision you must sell all positive aspects.  People respond to positive things.

Superintendent Competency 1 emphasizes the importance of integrity, fairness and ethical behavior. What does ethical leadership look like?

Ethical leadership is basing all decisions and actions on honesty and integrity.  It looks like somebody who is out-front when things are going poorly.  This is highlighted when the staff and the community don’t necessarily agree with all of your decisions but most people respect your decisions.  A leader who approaches decision-making by being honest and forthright, will always be trusted because people know that you are choosing what is best for all of your students. By approaching decisions with impartiality and by being brave enough to implement those decisions, you set a track record.  Doing what is right isn’t always easy or popular.  That is ethical leadership.

REFLECTION:

I chose to interview Dr. Blanson not only because of his Superintendent experience, but also because of his experience moving up in Aldine ISD without ever running a building as a principal.  This is something that may happen to me because of my current role.  In his current role, Dr. Blanson is responsible for working directly with all departments on finance templates, legislative requirements, training, board relations, etc.

During our discussion, Dr. Blanson mentioned how rewarding being a Superintendent is, and how it is a position suited for individuals that enjoy tackling a challenge. He said that challenge changes daily.  He also mentioned that he likes to seeing a project through to completion.  His expertise in the fiscal aspects of being a Superintendent has made him a mentor for many people in Aldine ISD.  Dr. Blanson, as Deputy Superintendent, has the pulse of Aldine ISD.  He knows what is happening before most people do.

I will continue to learn from his experiences not only through this interview, but also as I work with him in Aldine.  I have asked him to help provide Superintendent and board training/goal setting.  My expectation through these experiences, is that he will demonstrated the type of leadership described in his interview responses.