Birth of a superintendent.

As a rookie superintendent on the way to a state meeting with two school board members, I asked, "What could make this year very interesting?" They guessed right away--a pregnancy. Little did I know that within a few weeks I would be sharing even more exciting information: I was expecting twins.

Superintendent colleagues joked that enrollment at my school district must be declining because the superintendent needed to have two babies at a time.

Just a month after the school board promoted me from elementary school principal to superintendent of the 450-student school district, I was preparing an annual budget, revising school improvement goals, hiring staff--and preparing a nursery. I was two years out of a doctorate program and still holding to the notion I could continue to write and research while working full time as a superintendent.

As my stomach expanded, so did my concerns about preparing the school district to function in my absence. I had a trial run when I traveled to Germany during my second trimester to teach a five-day course for the University of Oklahoma. I figured that if everything went as well during my maternity leave as it did during my time abroad, things in the school district would be fine.

During my pregnancy, I spent up to three evenings each week in prenatal monitoring. My school board and faculty members were extremely supportive. (It didn't hurt that two board members had twins themselves.) I continued to work throughout an uneventful pregnancy. One fine April day I told the women in my office that I did not feel quite right. I drove myself the 30-some miles to my doctor who promptly admitted me to the maternity ward.

Dubious Timing

The twins could not have chosen a busier day to arrive. It was the day of a regularly scheduled school board meeting so I had a lot on my mind. As I drove to the hospital, I contacted the state school boards association to put them on alert in case members of my board had questions during the meeting. I also called the school board president from the labor and delivery suite to remind her that I had left information addressing each agenda item, just in case such a situation arose. I wanted to be sure everything was ready on the workfront so I could focus completely on the twins.

Both the board meeting and the delivery went well. Thirty minutes after the start of the meeting, I delivered two healthy baby girls, weighing almost eight pounds each.

I checked in at the office the next week, babies in tow. The girls slept while I spoke with teachers and addressed emergencies. I extended my six-week leave of absence by working partial days while my daughters slept in my office.

When I returned to begin my second year in the superintendency, my former elementary school secretary resigned to baby-sit in my home. My daughters, now 16 months old, remain happy and well adjusted.

Transition Tips

My experience suggests that women school administrators can balance both career and family, though it might seem impossible at first. I know I had my doubts during days of consecutive sleepless nights. But one day my fog lifted. The twins started sleeping through the night (for the most part), and I realized they were a year old.

Though I was a part-time presence in both locations, the school year had gone well and the girls were thriving. The world had not ended because the superintendent had twins. As I leave the superintendency this summer to teach graduate school full-time, I plan to share with aspiring administrators that women can have both a successful career in the superintendency and well-adjusted children. My key advice: Get organized. It takes lots of planning.

Additionally, these tips worked for me during my maternity leave.

* Assign specific duties to other administrative team members. Make sure everyone knows his or her tasks and that students are supervised at all times.

* Leave emergency contact numbers for the state education department, school boards association, attorney's office and trusted administrators. Let the contacts know where you'll be and for how long. Let your administrators and faculty members know help is available in case you can't be reached.

* Complete paperwork at home. Unless you want to return to stacks of junk mail and forms that need completion, drop by or have someone bring you mail and faxes.

* Check your e-mail from home. You can answer questions at your leisure.

* Visit the school district but know when to leave. I learned this one the hard way. Make sure to have someone in your office come find you at a specified time. If not, you will find leaving difficult. Announce over the intercom system that you will be in the building for 30 minutes and anyone who needs to see you should do so in that allotted time.

* Prioritize. Everyone thinks his or her situation is an emergency. Deal with what's most important first--students' needs.

* Be visible to students when you check in. Students need to see that their school system's leader is still at the helm.

* Don't procrastinate. Complete all possible reports and committee meetings before you start your leave. It will make your return much easier.

Being away from school is sometimes more stressful than being there. My hope is that, sometimes like babies, opportunities will come two-by-two for others.

Coming Next Month in

THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR

* Ethics in school system leadership

* School food services: To contract out or self-operate?

* Can school culture change? A commentary by Paul Kelleher and Marya Levenson

* Jim Parsley on Tech Leadership and Don McAdams on the BoardSavvy Superintendent

Casey Brown, formerly superintendent in Maysville, Okla., is an assistant professor of educational administration at Texas A&M-Commerce, P.O. Box 3011, Commerce, Texas, 75429. E-mail: [e-mail]