Superintendent/Cabinet and Leadership Operating Procedures
Purpose
To effectively meet the district's challenges, the Superintendent/cabinet & leadership team must function together as a team, articulating a common vision and communicating that vision. To ensure unity among team members, effective operating standards must be in place. There are general standards and those that are specific for the Superintendent/cabinet and for the leadership team.
The Goal
For the Superintendent, cabinet and leadership team to interact in a positive & professional manner, and to establish organizational structures that identify and prioritize responsibilities and create efficiencies.
General - The Superintendent/Cabinet and Leadership Team will:
1. Keep learning and achievement for all students as the primary focus.
2. Value, support, and advocate for public education.
3. Operate openly with trust and integrity.
4. Administer in a dignified and professional manner, treating everyone with civility, dignity, and respect, while honoring the right to disagree with each other.
5. Define and respect the difference between administration and policy-making and respect the roles.
6. Keep confidential matters confidential.
7. Each member will respect the policies, roles and decisions of the district and fully implement them.
8. Periodically evaluate its own effectiveness by reviewing its standards once every two years.
The Leadership Team will:
1. Communicate a common vision.
2. Recognize and respect differences of perspective and style in the Superintendent/cabinet and among students, parents, and the community.
3. Focus on implementing policy, planning and evaluation for student success.
4. As an individual administrator not make a decision that contradicts a decision made by the leadership team.
5. Ensure opportunities for the diverse range of views within the leadership teams' communities to inform the superintendent/cabinet deliberations.
6. Understand the distinctions between Superintendent, cabinet and leadership team roles, and refrain from performing functions that are the responsibility of the superintendent and staff.
7. Acknowledge individual request for reports, projects, as well as questions about issues will be directed only to the superintendent by individual leadership team members.
8. Objectively evaluate the Superintendent's performance and provide appropriate feedback as adopted by the board.
9. Take collective responsibility for the leadership team's performance.
10. Communicate directly to the Superintendent/cabinet when a question or concern is raised by a staff member, student, parent, or community member.
11. Contact the Superintendent/cabinet whenever contacted by the media regarding an incident, event, or agenda item.
12. Communicate directly with the superintendent/cabinet prior to leadership team meetings to address questions and/or concerns about agenda items; honor the "no surprises" rule with the Superintendent/cabinet.
13. Communicate one-on-one with the Superintendent/cabinet when an individual concern arises; will not allow a matter to fester.
14. Participate in open and candid conversations about policies and decisions to help the group come to an informed consensus that will be supported.
15. Participate in professional development and commit the time and energy necessary to be informed and effective leaders.
16. Recognize the individual role of constituents and special interest groups, while understanding the importance of using one's best judgment to represent all member of the community.
The Superintendent/Cabinet will:
1. Work with all members of the leadership team.
2. Recognize that the Superintendent/cabinet relationship requires support by the district's leadership team.
3. Understand the distinction between the cabinet and the leadership team's roles, and respect the role of the leadership team as the representative of their constituents.
4. Accept leadership responsibility and be accountable for implementing the vision, goals, and policies of the district.
5. Prepare preliminary goals annually for the board's consideration.
6. Provide data to the leadership team so data-driven decision can be made.
7. Make personnel recommendations and changes in consultation with the leadership team.
8. Communicate with all leadership team members promptly and effectively.
9. Inform the leadership team prior to critical information becoming public; apprise all leadership team members in a timely manner of any major incident or when they may be called on to answer or explain.
10. Distribute information fully and equally to all leadership team members.
11. Distribute the leadership team agenda in a timely fashion and with enough time for leadership team study, and clarify information prior to scheduled meetings.
12. Never bring a matter to a public meeting that is a surprise to members of the team.
13. Present major decisions initially as a discussion item, to encourage informed consensus then place it on the next leadership team agenda for action.
14. Treat all leadership team members professionally.
15. Keep the leadership team informed regarding issues and/or situations that could possibly concern parents, students, staff or community.
16. The Superintendent/cabinet will uphold and support the leadership role of each team member and their responsibility to operate within the scope of their responsibility.
17. Superintendent/cabinet are encouraged to visit school sites and attend school functions at least once a year per site, avoiding interruption of instruction or employees at work.
Regulation FALLBROOK UNION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT
approved: May 17, 2004 Fallbrook, California
reviewed: September 6, 2011