Current and veteran participants of the start&SPACES™ program will have access to a new program for newly elected school board members. Starting with the 2009-10 school year, new board members in participating districts will be invited to participate in four specialized training sessions where they will have the opportunity to enhance their leadership skills by attending sessions revolving around current issues, sharing ideas and learning from other board members within a structured format led by a seasoned team of current and retired board of education members.

The TRUSTteam™ program is built on the same relationships and model formed through the start&SPACES program for newer superintendents. The start&Spaces program is a MASA Mentor Toolkit participant, offering support networks for superintendents in their first years in the profession. This interactive leadership program has been very well received by new superintendents, and can serve as a natural foundation for the next step of involvement in the MASA Courageous Journey™ Program.

TRUSTteam will start as a "pilot" program and for new trustees who have a superintendent who is or has been a part of the START, START PLUS or SPACES leadership programs.

The programs are underwritten by MASA sponsor Granger Construction Company in partnership with Bill Spargur Consulting, the Michigan Association of School Administrators and the Michigan Association of School Boards.  

According to Spargur, extending the already successful superintendent-focused program to include new school board members will enhance the ability of all participants to share their experiences and reflect on solutions and strategies essential to address the challenging educational issues posed by Michigan’s struggling economy.

“Doing business the way it has always been done is no longer feasible in today’s environment,” says Spargur. “Our program is geared towards assisting K-12 administrators and board members in meeting today’s challenges and doing so in ways that maximize the educational offerings to their students.”

In other news, MASA member and 30-year superintendent veteran, Dr. Emmett Lippe formerly of Novi Community Schools, will be merging his Superintendents’ Emerging Leaders’ Forum with Spargur’s program. Under the new combined program, Michigan superintendents will be able to participate in five START PLUS™ learning sessions during the upcoming school year.

Prior to founding start&SPACES™, Spargur served as a K-12 superintendent for 11 years working for districts in Ohio and Michigan. He retired as superintendent of Dexter Community Schools in 2005.

For more information on the start&SPACES™ program, visit www.startandspaces.com.

To learn more about TRUSTteam, contact Bill Spargur at bspargur@grangerconstruction.com or 734.476.1312; or Angela Kanazeh at akanazeh@masb.org or 517.327.5938.