Delivering on the dream: a former investment banker embraces the Seattle community, helping its people through a tragic time and promoting positive education reform. (administrator profile).

Among the handful of non-traditional superintendents in the U.S., Joseph Olchefske says he stands out. "I'm a second-generation, non-traditional superintendent," he explains. "I'm probably the only one in the country." And he's also probably the only administrator who got his job offer on a Stairmaster.

In 1995, Olchefske met John Stanford, the then recently appointed superintendent of Seattle Public Schools, in a gym elevator. Stanford was a former U.S. Army major general and one of the earliest non-traditional superintendents. Olchefske had worked with local governments as an investment banker, and he longed for a career in public service. A month and several workout chats later, Olchefske was asked to be the district's chief financial officer. With the standards movement at the forefront of education, this was the kind of dynamic environment in which Olchefske knew he would thrive.

The new administrative team transformed the district into a market-based system with four pieces: school choice (meaning schools must sell their individual strengths); the weighted student formula, which takes funding for a student and moves it to the school of choice (with disadvantaged students allotted more money); greater flexibility for teacher assignments, so seniority no longer restricts opportunities; and freedom for each school to shape its own curriculum and achievement plan. Achieving results through good customer service was the focus, and Stanford was respected and well-liked by Olchefske and the city as a whole.

During this time, the district went through a $35 million (10 percent) reduction in spending over the course of three years. Olchefske led the district through this financial crisis, helping it gain credibility as a steward of public funds. The future looked bright.

Then Stanford fell ill with leukemia. Olchefske was named acting superintendent, which he did for the next 10 months, until Stanford's death. "It was certainly the most difficult year of my life," Olchefske says. "I was working 80-hour weeks, probably gained 20 pounds and raised my blood pressure. Plus, I had to deal with my own grief about John's illness and death, as well as the grief of thousands of people in and outside of the district."

After Olchefske officially stepped into the superintendency, he delivered a set of speeches from which a district slogan formed--"Delivering on the Dream." This dream has multiple meanings: First, all community members have dreams for public schools. Second, parents have a dream for their child's future. Lastly, Seattle has a collective dream for its schools, which "John more than anything else gave ... to our city," Olchefske says.

Olchefske has focused on delivering the dream through school transformation. A Gates Foundation grant helped create an international school with foreign language immersion and an arts high school in the heart of Seattle's cultural center. Change is about allowing school leaders to have their own vision, Olchefske believes. Walter Trotter, former principal of Sanislo Elementary School, says Olchefske was supportive and excited about his school's efforts. "And it was always sincere," Trotter notes. "[He] sets the parameters and then identifies the `what' and the schools identify the `how.'"

This leadership style also helps administrators to realize their personal potential. "He has challenged me to look at my own skills and what I want to do with them," Trotter adds. This contributed to Trotter's pursuit of one of the district's five elementary education director positions, an appointment that he won.

Olchefske makes it a point to know the public's desires, too. "I see my role as superintendent to be very vocal and visible," he says, explaining that he participates in about 50 PTA meetings a year and two call-in radio programs a month. When Trotter's former position opened, Olchefske organized a public forum to get input before hiring a replacement. Whether it's hearing what parents want from a kindergarten program or about the weaknesses they perceive in school leadership, Olchefske listens. Our world is far from static, he says, so "it's very important to have your ear close to the ground."

VITAL STATS

Name: Joseph Olchefske
Title: Superintendent, Seattle
Public Schools
Age: 43   Salary: $168,000
On non-traditional superintendents:
"It's a very difficult
job, and ultimately it's a
leadership challenge. We all
know that good leaders come
from a variety of places."
Favorite book: Flow: The
Psychology of Optimal
Experience by Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyi. "It has
helped me focus on how you
can confront any challenge
in your life." He first read it
10 years ago and sees it as
an ideal gift. "I've probably
bought 50 copies over time."

Melissa Ezarik [e-mail], is features editor.