National leaders keynote MASA/MASB Governance event

 

Bielang offers “Four Secrets of Success”

On Wednesday, March 23rd, MASA and MASB hosted their annual joint conference focused on building strong School Board-Superintendent relationships. During this event, Mark Bielang, AASA President and superintendent of Paw Paw Public Schools, described his “Four Secrets to Success” in building strong governance teams:

1. Build a base of mutual trust and respect—Without that, it’s hard to develop trusting relationships district-wide.
2. Take the time to draw the line—Thoughtfully defining everyone’s roles and responsibilities is key to strong teamwork.
3. Distinguish the difference between issues—owner issues belong to the board; customer issues belong to the superintendent and staff. (This is what helps avoid micro-management)
4. Be accountable—The superintendent is the only person who is accountable to the board, but he or she needs to take that accountability seriously. Provide regular updates on how the system is working toward reaching the goals of the organization and the shared values of the community.

 

By following these four rules, Bielang has kept relationships strong and his governance team functioning will.

Domenech and Bryant lead interactive discussion

Later, Dan Domenech, executive director of AASA, and Anne Bryant, executive director of NSBA, led an interesting discussion built around audience participation. Board members and superintendents reported anonymously in response to common perceptions—or misperceptions—of the Board-Superintendent relationship. These responses served as conversations starters for participants to share real experiences and discuss alternative strategies for dealing with conflict. You can download the presentation, including survey results.