Interviewing the Lions in Their Den.

Two former superintendents lend advice on what to expect in the way of questioning when you face a school board in the course of a job search

Someone once said that a person never receives a second chance to make a good first impression. This axiom never has been more true than when interviewing with a school board for the position of superintendent.

Veterans of this experience even have expanded on the axiom with a metaphorical reference to Christians and lions. Certainly, such an interview is a challenge for the job-hunting superintendent.

School board members are, by definition, amateurs at selecting school superintendents and often make hiring decisions based on gut feelings in the interview. They may like the looks of the successful candidate, his or her prior work experience or geographic availability. Most often, however, it is the candidate's presence and demeanor in the interview that influence the school board's selection. In fact, one successful Midwestern superintendent was overheard to claim: "I might not be the best superintendent in the world, but I can certainly knock a school board off its feet in a two-hour interview."

Thorough Research

Of course, the first contact any applicant has with the hiring board is on paper. Be sure your application materials are neat and professional looking. If invited for an interview, the applicant should be well prepared and never go into an interview cold. Your goal is to present yourself in the best possible light.

Prior to the interview, you should research the school district to learn the name of each school board member, his or her profession and whether the member has school-age children. Look also for current political issues, school district demographics and even local intergovernmental relationships or lack thereof.

Do not drive your restored Corvette to the interview but arrive punctually in the most conservative automobile you own. Dress professionally but do not overdress. If you are interviewing with a conservative school board (is there any other kind?), do not wear cuff links and a tie bar. A conservative suit or sport jacket probably will suffice. Female candidates likewise should appear conservatively professional. Be aware that some object to women wearing slacks.

In addition, during introductions, avoid a wet-dish-towel type handshake. Shake hands firmly, though try not to take all the board members to their knees. Remember their names from your research and place them with faces. Thereafter, call each by his or her name. To do so is impressive, particularly if the school board did not have enough foresight to provide name placards.

Be prepared to answer questions that may not be legal to ask. Both of us have been asked questions in such interviews about marriage, church, children and even personal finances. When asked where you intend to live if offered the position, you must answer that you intend to purchase a home within the school district. To answer otherwise is a career-limiting response.

If asked a question about salary, avoid giving a figure. Instead, say something to the effect of "My current package includes family health benefits with dental, use of a school district-owned automobile, a retirement annuity of ____ and a salary of _____." Adjust this statement to meet your situation but understand that the school board already knows (or should know) your present salary, so do not stretch the truth.

Finally, in your preparation try to anticipate some questions so you can formulate answers. This practice not only helps you maintain your interview demeanor--looking each board member in the eye and calling each by name--but also helps develop a productive mindset.

What follows are questions that the authors and other candidates for superintendencies have been asked during interviews. Included also are some sample responses that may or may not be appropriate for you. They are offered as a catalyst for your thinking and preparation.

Sample Queries

0: What kind of working relationship you would like to see between the superintendent and the board?

A: One of close communication where the superintendent is the educational leader. He or she must have only one direction from the board.

Q: How should the board evaluate the performance of the superintendent?

A: By the end product. Does the school district function smoothly and within financial constraints? is the district moving toward the goals set by the board?

[Nota bene: Too often the superintendent's evaluation is little more than a list of complaints submitted by each board member--many of which conflict with others. The superintendent must have a single message from the school board acting as a single unit.]

0: What administrative structure would you provide to work with fellow administrators in the school system?

A: Team administration. All of the administrators must feel part of the total administrative team. However, because the ultimate responsibility lies with the CEO, the superintendent must be the captain of the team and make the final decision.

[Nota bene: In this instance the school board will probably know what they are looking for. If the last superintendent seemed a little lax in supervision so that some obvious problems developed, the school board might be looking for a candidate who is more assertive in his or her administrative style. The reverse, however, may also be true. Hopefully, your prior research revealed the situation. Just be careful not to view school administration through the eyes of a drill sergeant. Few school administrators who approach the job with such an attitude are successful.]

Board Interference

Q: How might you handle a situation where a board member becomes involved in executive and/or administrative matters?

A: This is a difficult situation and depends largely on my relationship with the board member. Very tactfully--informally and privately, if possible--I would advise the board member that he or she is extending himself or herself. If that does not work, I would inform the board president and ask for help.

[Nota bene: This problem probably has occurred on the board you are facing, although you may not know to which member the question refers. Be careful--the lions are touchy!]

Q: Assume that the board ruled against a policy or practice that you favored. Could you accept this setback in such a way that would not jeopardize your relationship with the board? Have you ever experienced such a situation?

A: The school system belongs to the community and the board serves as the public's representatives. The superintendent, while the educational leader, is an employee of the community.

[Nota bene: At this point you may wish to relate a relevant past experience.]

Q: What are your feelings about the use of school facilities by community groups such as Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and Little League?

A: The more the school facilities are used by responsible and worthwhile community organizations, the better. The community owns these facilities and should be using them. Such cooperation between the school district and community groups is very desirable and relates to community support of the school district and its programs.

Instructional Role

Q: To what extent do you think the superintendent can or should function as an instructional leader?

A: The superintendent is the educational leader. I see the principals as the instructional leaders. The superintendent should become involved as much as is necessary to direct or supplement the efforts of the principals.

[Nota bene: The wording of this question and answer will be dictated by the size of the school district. Larger school districts have assistant superintendents, associate superintendents, area superintendents or directors at the district level who become directly involved with instruction.]

Q: Are some areas of instruction and learning more important than others? If so, which? Why?

A: Yes. Life skill classes are more important. We offer many valuable courses to improve the quality of the student's life as an adult. The most important classes, however, are those that make adult life possible or tolerable.

Q: In which areas of administration do you feel most qualified and comfortable? In which areas do you feel least comfortable?

[Nota bene: There is nothing wrong with identifying your weak areas. To hedge on this question indicates a lack of self-awareness, but be prepared to outline how you are working to improve. What the school board should be looking for in this answer is some indication of humility and self-awareness.]

Q: Describe the system you would implement to evaluate teachers and administrators in the system.

A: I prefer management by objectives in which each employee is evaluated upon goals and objectives that are mutually set by the employee and the supervisor/evaluator.

[Nota bene: Teacher evaluations are probably dictated by the collective bargaining agreement.]

Budget Development

Q: Explain how you might go about developing a school budget in a school system of our size.

A: I would meet with principals (depending on the size of the school district) to determine priority needs with a zero-based budget. I like to work, at least for the first year, from the ground up on budgeting.

[Nota bene: Remember that the superintendent cannot create money that is not there. Most budget requirements are pretty well set before the superintendent begins work. In most school districts, from 80 to 85 percent of the budget already is consumed by employee salaries and benefits, and each employee wants a raise. Other items that are not discretionary for the superintendent include electricity, telephone, other utilities and fuel costs.

Many persons are under the mistaken impression that a good superintendent can bring in outside dollars from state and/or federal grants. The truth is that there is grant money available, however, it is always categorical. That is to say it must be spent for a specific item or purpose which may not be the desire or need of the school district in question. Furthermore, many such grants are in the form of matching funds, which require the school district to spend some of its own money for the item or purpose. Thus, the promise of "free money" from grants is not as bright as many persons believe. The reality is that no superintendent has very much discretion in the budgetary process but is merely trying to make ends meet.]

Q: What is a defensible position for a board and the administration to take relative to collective negotiations with the teachers and support personnel?

A: The school board and administration should be as fair and equitable as possible but within priority confines of the budget. Remember that even though the school board members may personally know many employees of the school district, the collective bargaining process is business. They should not allow themselves to personalize the process.

A Graceful Exit 

These questions are just a few that an applicant for a school superintendency might expect to be asked by an interviewing school board. Of course, there are countless others that you should try to anticipate, some of which may be discovered during your initial investigation of the school district and community.

At the conclusion of your interview, look each school board member in the eye, shake hands and thank him or her for the interview, addressing each by name. Do not appear anxious by asking when a decision will be made or otherwise display insecurity. Simply leave gracefully and reflect on your performance and survival of the process.

Remember, there will be other interviews and even more lions.

Kenneth Murray and Barbara Murray are associate professors of educational leadership at the University of Central Florida, 12424 Research Parkway, Suite 215D, Orlando Fla. 32816-0650.

A Beginner's Steps to the Superintendency

CAROLYN McCREIGHT

Can you wire overhead lights, cook a meal to the liking of school-age youngsters and drive a bus? Can you handle the plumbing and basic carpentry needs?

Those were several of the whimsical questions school board members tossed my way during my interviews for a superintendency. Other questions bordered on the sexist as when one board member asked me: "Does your husband know you are applying for this job?"

As a result of these experiences, I've concluded that if you want to be a local superintendent of schools, not only must you be diligent and determined, you also need to deal with the absurd and unpredictable--before you even land in the job. After 13 years as a teacher and nine as an administrator in K-12 education, I figured I met those criteria. The superintendency seemed to be my logical next step from a principalship.

Early Impressions

I began applying for top district positions in January 1994, shortly after completing my doctorate in educational administration. I selected six superintendencies in various parts of Texas and sent my application to each school board. In that first round, I secured an interview at a small school district near Waco, Texas. The board was sufficiently impressed with my initial interview to consider me as one of the top two candidates among the 60 applicants.

Ultimately, the board selected the district's high school principal for the superintendent's job. Rather than feeling disappointed, I was elated to have an opportunity to interview with a school board.

My second interview was in Amarillo, in west Texas, 450 miles from my home at the time. Although I felt the interview went well, I could tell the board was looking for someone other than me. I was not selected as one of the final five candidates to continue the interview process. Tired and a little discouraged, I returned home, convinced I had given my best shot.

The third district that offered an interview was in a tiny town south of Austin, the state capital. It was during this interview that a male board member asked me if I could wire lights, handle myself in a kitchen and drive a bus. Wiring lights hadn't been part of my educational experiences and I admitted to being an extremely poor cook, but I could drive a bus!

The board, perhaps concerned over my admitted shortcomings, was unable to come to consensus to select me or the other finalist, so they turned instead to an applicant they had eliminated initially and hired him for the job.

All was not lost in the failed pursuit. I learned that school board agendas for hiring a superintendent were as different as the personalities and composition of each school district.

Eye-Opening Experiences

In April 1994, I interviewed with the board of trustees of the Como-Pickton Consolidated Independent School District in northeast Texas. That interview spurred the Como-Pickton board to visit the elementary school where I was the principal and speak with my superintendent. The board offered me the job the day of their visit and I accepted. I spent the next four years discovering what the position of superintendent really meant.

My time as a superintendent was spent running the day-to-day operation of the 689-student district and attending athletic events--not an unusual duty for a superintendent in the Lone Star State. Most of my days ended after 9 at night and began by 7:30 each morning.

I am proud to say that with board encouragement and approval, the principals, teachers, staff and I made many positive changes in the instructional environment for students. We were particularly proud of the curriculum improvements.

While overseeing progress in the instructional area was the most exciting part of my superintendency, most of my time frankly was spent on maintenance. The school facilities in Como-

Pickton were 30 years old and in need of constant repair. Fortunately, we had funding to replace old light fixtures and wornout flooring and to remodel several classrooms. In the course of handling these tasks, I learned endless legal requirements for removing underground diesel tanks, laying sewer lines and repairing school roofs. While I never had to handle one of these jobs myself, much of my time involved securing appropriate contractors and overseeing their work.

Prepared for Anything

After four years as superintendent and with my doctorate in hand, I decided to pursue my ultimate career goal--teaching at the university level. I accepted a position at Texas A & M International in Laredo, Texas, a rapidly growing university with international ties to Mexico.

Today, I teach prospective principals and superintendents the foundation knowledge they will need to be successful in school administration. My own experiences shine some light for them on what they can expect as they pursue and land such work. At least the women in my classes will be ready with an answer the first time a board member asks them about fixing a light fixture.

Carolyn McCreight is an assistant professor of educational administration at Texas A&M International University, 5201 University Blvd., Laredo, Texas 78041.

Lessons on Landing a Superintendency

Some of the lessons I learned in the process of securing a superintendency are the following:

* Be persistent in your search. Be prepared to apply as often as it takes to secure a position in which you will be comfortable. Don't give up, you most likely will get your chance.

* Be willing to relocate. Leaving familiar territory and a secure position takes courage. Be sure you want to take the risk. Be prepared for feelings of disconnectedness that come with living in a new area with new people.

* Be prepared to do tasks you have never done. School maintenance and repair may be one of the biggest parts of the job in districts with aging facilities.

* Recognize that landing a superientendency is only the initial step. To keep the job, one must have social skills, knowledge in educational practice and physical and mental endurance. The biggest challenge is staying on top of the gossip and speculation that occur in the community. Putting out brushfires can be a daily task.

* Be prepared to get credit and blame for all that occurs during your tenure. You will be held responsible for the bad as well as the good events. This goes for. events that you may have had something to do with and those you knew little about.

If you want to follow my path, I suggest you do so with a positive attitude, faith in your ability and tenacity to pursue and persist. The journey to and through the superintendency was one of the greatest learning experiences of my life.

Carolyn McCreight