Best buddies: superintendents and mayors are no longer adversaries. These days, especially in urban districts, many of them work together to make their schools--and city--better.They have a lot in common. They have constituents. They struggle with budgets. They grapple with transportation problems. They have to manage big staffs and human relation issues. And they both have governing boards Noun 1. governing board - a board that manages the affairs of an institution board - a committee having supervisory powers; "the board has seven members" they have to work with to formulate policy. They are superintendents and mayors. And educators say that now more than ever, these top chief executives have to work together or neither will thrive. In the past, mayors ran their end of government and superintendents ran the schools. Sometimes they interacted. Sometimes they didn't. Often, they found themselves on different sides of complicated political and financial issues. But with increased federal pressure on schools to perform, and cities struggling to revitalize re·vi·tal·ize tr.v. re·vi·tal·ized, re·vi·tal·iz·ing, re·vi·tal·iz·es To impart new life or vigor to: plans to revitalize inner-city neighborhoods; tried to revitalize a flagging economy. , mayors and superintendents say they are increasingly realizing that their success often depends on their cooperation. In some cities mayors are appointing school boards and superintendents. In other areas, mayors are becoming members of school boards. And even in small rural districts, superintendents say they are checking in with their counterparts in their towns or counties more often than in the past. "The relationship has really changed a lot over the last 10 years. It used to be defined by indifference; the two sides really not paying much attention to one another because they moved in different orbits and worried about their own issues pretty much to the exclusion of each other's challenges," says Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools. "But over the years the relationship has changed to one of more collaboration and cooperation. I think people finally realized that they need each other." It almost seems obvious. Mayors need strong school systems to attract residents and businesses to their communities. Superintendents need the help of mayors to build schools, provide affordable housing to attract teachers to the district and even provide services like police and security. In some areas, schools are dependent upon city approval of the education budget. But instead of supporting each other, mayors and superintendents can be pitted against each other in politically charged environments rife rife adj. rif·er, rif·est 1. In widespread existence, practice, or use; increasingly prevalent. 2. Abundant or numerous. with opportunities to lob (1) See BLOB. (2) (Line Of Business) Refers to people, job titles and product lines, all of which pertain to a specific product or service area of the business. criticisms and blame. If a mayor has some control over a school district budget, school leaders can argue that budget cuts caused lower test scores or overcrowded o·ver·crowd v. o·ver·crowd·ed, o·ver·crowd·ing, o·ver·crowds v.tr. To cause to be excessively crowded: a system of consolidation that only overcrowded the classrooms. classrooms. If a mayor doesn't have any connection to a school system, he or she can blame school leaders for failing to improve the schools and hurting the city's economic prospects. Sometimes, mayor-superintendent relationships fray fray 1 n. 1. A scuffle; a brawl. See Synonyms at brawl. 2. A heated dispute or contest. tr.v. frayed, fray·ing, frays Archaic 1. To alarm; frighten. 2. under turf battles and power struggles. "Superintendents tend to have egos and so do mayors," says Paul Houston, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators The American Association of School Administrators (AASA), founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders across the United States. . "So sometimes the this-town-ain't-big-enough-for-the-both-of-us mentality becomes a problem." But many educators and politicians are saying that mentality just isn't working any more. And there are so many areas where school interests and city responsibilities overlap. These include affordable housing, public transportation, bonding, economic development, social support services support services Psychology Non-health care-related ancillary services–eg, transportation, financial aid, support groups, homemaker services, respite services, and other services , health issues and safety. "The relationship has become a necessity," says Casserly. In some areas the changes have been drastic with mayors being given direct control over education budgets and the hiring of major school staff. In other areas, the changes are more subtle, with superintendents intentionally in·ten·tion·al adj. 1. Done deliberately; intended: an intentional slight. See Synonyms at voluntary. 2. Having to do with intention. serving on committees with mayors and mayors appointing executive staff members to act as liaisons to education departments. SITTING IN In Stamford, Conn., a school district with a $200 million budget and 145,000 students, voters approved a referendum last November giving Mayor Dannel P. Malloy a non-voting seat on the elected school board. He not only participates in school board discussions, but also can make motions and attend executive sessions. Malloy says he was surprised the referendum passed. He already had experience as a school board member before running for mayor. But he says as mayor he's glad he has the opportunity as a representative of city government to raise issues with the board of education. Still, he says, he isn't seeking more control than that. Now that he has to sit through school board meetings, he quips, he has more work with no additional pay. Malloy says schools and city governments are stepping back historically to a time when towns governed both. And while he says he thinks more cities will want increased financial accountability from schools and more oversight, he's not certain mayoral control over school districts will sweep the nation. "It hasn't played itself through all the big cities. It has a ways to go and has to prove itself," says Malloy. "I'm a believer that the mayor should have a real active role in the public school system," says Superintendent Anthony L. Mazzullo. "I've always kept him appraised of the details of the school system so we can work together to benefit the kids. His role on the school board will just further that relationship." Mazzullo says mayoral cooperation is essential. Schools and city government can merge departments to save money in many areas, he says. He worked with Malloy to merge technical support staffs to help with school and city computers. They also worked together to hire one firm to take care of both city recreational facilities Noun 1. recreational facility - a public facility for recreation recreation facility facility, installation - a building or place that provides a particular service or is used for a particular industry; "the assembly plant is an enormous facility" and school grounds. They also hired a grant writer for the city and schools. "We share resources and try not to have the philosophy that schools and the city are separate," says Mazzullo. (Mazzullo, head of Stamford's school district for six years, is leaving this June when his contract expires.) Sometimes, Malloy says, that is easier said than done. Much of the tension that does arise comes in the spring, he adds. "We have a July 1 fiscal budget, and spring becomes a miserable time. People aren't getting along," Malloy says. In Stamford, the education budget represents 60 percent of the city budget. The budget has to be approved by the Board of Finance and elected Board of Representatives. The school board is asking for a 9 percent increase for its 2005-06 budget and Malloy says ' that is a tough sell to taxpayers. "I think most people in the city think we can't afford that so there will be gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair. At some point the budget will be established and ... as soon as you can go back to a good relationship and forget, the better," says Malloy. Mazzullo says it's imperative he and Malloy leave their egos at the door. "Some people have strong egos and feel they are in positions of power and have turf and territory to protect. But it's totally absurd," he says. "You have to humbly leave your ego at the door when you have issues to resolve." URBAN AND RURAL In the Midwest, St. Paul St. Paul as a missionary he fearlessly confronts the “perils of waters, of robbers, in the city, in the wilderness.” [N.T.: II Cor. 11:26] See : Bravery , Minn., Mayor Randy Kelly Randy C. Kelly (born August 2 1950 in North Dakota) is an American politician. He is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). Kelly was the mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota from January, 2002 through January, 2006. has forged just the same type of relationship with schools Superintendent Patricia Harvey as Mazzullo has with Malloy. "We know that high performing schools are critical elements of the city's quality of life," says Kelly. "People won't move in if they don't have confidence in the schools." Kelly says he sees an opportunity as mayor to use his bully pulpit bully pulpit n. An advantageous position, as for making one's views known or rallying support: "The presidency had been transformed from a bully pulpit on Pennsylvania Avenue to a stage the size of the world" to advocate for schools, not criticize crit·i·cize v. crit·i·cized, crit·i·ciz·ing, crit·i·ciz·es v.tr. 1. To find fault with: criticized the decision as unrealistic. See Usage Note at critique. . To foster a good relationship with the schools, Kelly appointed an education director within his staff to work with school administrators. After attending meetings with the school district staff and asking them how the city could help, the director, Penny Harris-Reynen, focused in on an effort to boost literacy and computer technology in the schools. The city and schools applied for a federal grant to bring 1,300 VISTA and AmeriCorps volunteers to 22 schools to work with elementary school elementary school: see school. children to improve their reading skills. The city has also been soliciting donations and funds from the business community to secure computers for schools and parents. But Kelly has stopped short of trying to run the schools through the mayor's office. "I have 3,000 employees and 15 directors and I find running the city to be a full-time job," says Kelly. "I can't imagine having the responsibility of running a school district on top of that. It just consumes so much time and energy that I don't feel it is wise to overburden o·ver·bur·den tr.v. o·ver·bur·dened, o·ver·bur·den·ing, o·ver·bur·dens 1. To burden with too much weight; overload. 2. To subject to an excessive burden or strain; overtax. n. 1. the mayor with overall control." In St. Paul, a city of 230,000 and which has 44,000 students in its public schools, the superintendent and school board have sole control over the education budget. The $500 million budget is almost the same amount as the city's budget, Kelly says. "Pat and I take the same approach. We are strong advocates for the city and the school district. We make our needs known and we advocate for change, but we do this as a partnership," says Kelly. While most of the formal collaboration occurs in cities, the trend has reached suburbs and even the small rural district of Jackson R II in Missouri. In Jackson, which has 4,600 students, the mayor has no control over the schools. But Superintendent Ron Anderson Ron Anderson could mean any of the following people:
Anderson says only 25 percent of the Jackson population currently has children in schools. That means the majority of taxpayers have to really understand school issues to be supportive of school projects or bonding initiatives, making a close relationship with city officials even more important. "You really need to approach it like you are not the only business in town," says Anderson. There are a lot of other choices people have. A lot of stretching of the tax dollar." Anderson says serving on committees with the mayor helps foster good communication. Anderson and Mayor Paul Sander are serving on a joint committee studying a community center. Anderson also serves on the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club. "I go to every community event that I can because that is very important," he says. "You learn a lot, you listen." Anderson says he talks frequently with Sanders San´ders n. 1. An old name of sandalwood, now applied only to the red sandalwood. See under Sandalwood. by phone and they email each other often. "We make it a high priority to share information," says Anderson. He has worked with Sanders on community use of school fields, school usage of public parks and the hiring of school resource officers through a city grant. "If there are any issues," says Anderson, "we find a solution." MAYORAL CONTROL In some cities, mayors are taking much more control. In New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has gained more control over the city schools than any other mayor since the 1870s. In addition to appointing a new chancellor, Joel I. Klein-an attorney without an education background-he pushed to end social promotion and introduced an ambitious plan to overhaul the schools, including changing the way reading and writing is taught and opening small secondary schools. In 1998, the mayor of Cleveland became one of the first in the nation to get the power to appoint the school board. In concurrence CONCURRENCE, French law. The equality of rights, or privilege which several persons-have over the same thing; as, for example, the right which two judgment creditors, Whose judgments were rendered at the same time, have to be paid out of the proceeds of real estate bound by them. Dict. de Jur. h.t. with the board, the mayor also appoints the school CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. . "School districts are really part and parcel of the government of a city," says Cleveland Municipal School District CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett. "It just seems natural to me that the highest elected official should have some level of responsibility for that school system." Four years after Byrd-Bennett started in Cleveland in 1998, the city had a vote to decide if the school board would remain under mayoral control. The superintendent stated she would resign if the school board went back to being elected. Seventy percent of voters agreed to keep the board under mayoral control. But Byrd-Bennett says school leaders must retain control over their budgets and their policies. And sometimes tensions and misunderstandings do surface when it comes to education funding, she says. "Very often the finances of school districts are governed by very separate sets of legislation than the city budget. Sometimes there is not a clear understanding of how we operate under the state regulations," she says. Byrd-Bennett says overall, the mayor's powers have benefited the district. "It's a double-edged sword, but it is a good one," she says. "The more ownership the broader community has over the school district, the better the public schools are." Philadelphia school CEO Paul Vallas Paul G. Vallas is the new superintendent of the Recovery School District of New Orleans in Louisiana. He first gained fame as CEO of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). , who once worked in city government in Chicago, is a strong proponent One who offers or proposes. A proponent is a person who comes forward with an a item or an idea. A proponent supports an issue or advocates a cause, such as a proponent of a will. PROPONENT, eccl. law. of mayoral responsibility for schools. Three years ago the state stepped in when Philadelphia schools were practically bankrupt. The state established a School Reform Commission to oversee the schools. The commission appointed Vallas. "If you are the mayor of a city and you don't have responsibility over the schools, you don't have the incentive to mobilize mo·bi·lize v. 1. To make mobile or capable of movement. 2. To restore the power of motion to a joint. 3. To release into the body, as glycogen from the liver. city resources for schools. When mayors don't have direct responsibility or political responsibility, it allows them to sit on the sidelines On the sidelines An investor who decides not to invest due to market uncertainty. on the sidelines Of or relating to investors who, having assessed the market, have decided to avoid committing their funds. and criticize and not become constructively engaged. When they are given the legal responsibility of schools, they are now on the hook Adj. 1. on the hook - caught in a difficult or dangerous situation; "there I was back on the hook" dangerous, unsafe - involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm; "a dangerous criminal"; "a dangerous bridge"; "unemployment reached dangerous ," Vallas says. Before coming to Philadelphia in 2002, Vallas served as CEO for Chicago Public Schools Chicago Public Schools, commonly abbreviated as CPS by local residents and politicians, is a school district that controls over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago, Illinois. and before that served as budget director for the city. In 1995 Illinois state lawmakers gave Chicago Mayor Richard Daley Richard Daley may refer to:
In Philadelphia, the authority rests both with the mayor and the governor. The mayor appoints two members of the School Reform Commission, the governor three. Much of the resources the city supplies for the district are statutory, such as property tax allocation. Vallas and his staff work closely with the Mayor John F. Street's education liaison on such issues as school construction, housing policy, family health, economic development and after-school programs. For the past three years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time school district worked closely with the city health department to test teenagers and educate them about sexually transmitted diseases Sexually transmitted diseases Infections that are acquired and transmitted by sexual contact. Although virtually any infection may be transmitted during intimate contact, the term sexually transmitted disease is restricted to conditions that are largely . Even with mayoral participation, city and school relationships can still be strained, Vallas says. The schools are always hoping the city can provide more funding, he says, though the city is often struggling under the weight of its own financial constraints. "About 84 percent of our students are eligible for some kind of free or reduced lunch, so sometimes there is some tension as we try to secure more resources for social service support and the city tries to balance its budget," says Vallas. City leaders and school officials have also clashed over school safety issues. Vallas is in favor of uniformed city police officers in the schools, but the mayor and police commission feels the schools should rely on their own security staff. Still, Vallas says the key to maintaining a good relationship is perspective. "You always need to empathize em·pa·thize v. To feel empathy in relation to another person. . Anytime you are dealing with other elected officials you have to understand what their responsibilities are and what pressures they have," says Vallas. "Decisions the city makes are not made in a vacuum." In pastoral Christianburg, Virg., Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to:
"That means we need to have an ongoing dialogue, cooperative and collaborative discussions. We need a relationship with our county administrator and board of supervisors that allows them to believe in our credibility in promoting school needs," says Sellers. A few years ago, to promote a better relationship between the school district and the county government, the superintendent and chairman of the school board started meeting monthly with the chairman of the board of supervisors and its appointed county administrator. Each week, Sellers meets with the county administrator. "Over the last five years, I believe the relationship between our two boards has been so much better," says Sellers. "They are talking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" lecture, speech rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to us and they are listening. When issues crop up now we are face to face and they are generally handled much more effectively and quickly." SAINT PAUL Saint Paul, city (1990 pop. 272,235), state capital and seat of Ramsey co., E Minn., on bluffs along the Mississippi River, contiguous with Minneapolis, forming the Twin Cities metropolitan area; inc. 1854. , MINN. Patricia Harvey Superintendent Since: 1999 Salary: $169,600 Number of students: 41,000 Previous position: Senior fellow, Natl. Ctr. on Education & the Economy Web site: www.spps.org CLEVELAND, OHIO "Cleveland" redirects here. For the Cleveland metropolitan area, see . For other uses, see Cleveland (disambiguation). Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. Barbara By Bennett Chief Executive Officer Since: 1998 Salary: $278,000 Number of students: 71;000 Previous position: Administrator, New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. Public Schools Web site: www.cleveland.k12.oh.us Randy Kelly Mayor Since: 2002 Salary: $96,900 Number of residents: 230,000 Previous position: Chairman, Senate Transportation Committee Web site: www.ci.stpaul.mn.us Jane L. Campbell Jane L. Campbell, (born May 19 1953) is an American politician of the Democratic party who served as the 56th and first female mayor of Cleveland, Ohio from January 7 2002 to January 2 2006. Mayor Salary: $109,000 Number of residents: 500,000 Previous position: Commissioner, Cuyahoga County (Ohio Ohio, state, United States Ohio, midwestern state in the Great Lakes region of the United States. It is bordered by Pennsylvania (NE) West Virginia (SE), Kentucky (S), Indiana (W), and Michigan and Lake Erie (N). ) Web site: www.city.Cleveland.oh.us PHILADELPHIA, PENN. Paul Vallas Chief Executive Officer Since: 2003 Salary: $225,000 Number of students: 205,000 Previous position: CEO, Chicago Public Schools Web site: www.philsch.k12.pa.us John F. Street Mayor Since: 2000 Salary: $165,000 Number of residents: 1.5 million Previous position: President, Philadelphia City Council The Philadelphia City Council, the legislative body of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consists of ten members elected by district and seven members elected at-large. The council president is elected by the members from among their number. Web site: www.phila.gov/mayor 7 Relationship Strategies Strong relationships between school superintendents Noun 1. school superintendent - the superintendent of a school system overseer, superintendent - a person who directs and manages an organization and mayors have become a necessity in this age of increasing pressure for school performance and shrinking municipal budgets. But fostering those ties between leaders isn't always easy. Superintendents and mayors say these steps can help maintain these crucial relationships. 1. Keep each other abreast of developing issues and needs, even if neither leader has any say or responsibility over the issue. 2. Meet and talk regularly just to touch base so that neither side is hearing about the other's opinions only from media reports. 3. Serve jointly on city and educational committees, especially ones where schools and city services The examples and perspective in this article or section may represent an unduly geographically limited view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. can overlap like security, social services social services Noun, pl welfare services provided by local authorities or a state agency for people with particular social needs social services npl → servicios mpl sociales and transportation. 4. Appoint staff members to serve as liaisons to the mayor's office or superintendent's office. 5. Involve city staff and educators in important issues and allow them to participate in the decision-making process. 6. Identify areas where both city and schools could work together on a project, such as after-school programs, community events, special celebrations and recreational services. 7. Work together to reach out to business leaders who can help provide funding, mentors, equipment and volunteers for school and city initiatives. PHOTOS BY RICHARD FREEDA Fran Silverman is a freelance writer based in Norwalk, Conn. |
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