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I am a public school superintendent. I will be starting a new superintendent position on July 1st - that is 4 months away. With such a long time between the hiring decision and official start date, what advice to folks on the forum have for using this time well? Any specific advice from school superintendents would be especially appreciated! 

AKM2000's picture

Congrats on the new position. Three years ago I had the same transition, but I am a director for a cooperative that services school districts. Here were some of the things I did with the transition time:

 - Keep an eye on newspapers in the area so you konw the issues occurring.

 - Get copies of the collective bargaining agreements and other key documents, so you are familiar with these pieces to hit the ground running.

 - As the current superintendent if you could follow him/her for a few days (if your current job allows). At least go to a board meeting or two in the evenings.

 - Be aware at this time that you are only observing. Do not step on any toes by making statements or decisions.

 - Make a 90 day transition plan. Who will you interview when you come in? What will you ask them? What people do you need to see? Where do you need to go?

 - If the opportunity arises, perhaps you could start doing some interviews with key stakeholders.

 - Keep in touch with the current administrators. I had bi-weekly phone calls with the previous director so I knew what was happening and why those decisions were being made.

 

Good luck!