Supe and Crackers

FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2011

I think about public school superintendents in the summer. Kids are out, teachers are summering, principals are scheduling, but supes are in the pressure cooker from now until September. These folks are rare and slightly bizarre. There are slightly more than 1000 supes in the entire state of Texas - less than the number of doctors in Houston alone. I know a lot of supes, and there is no good stereotype. Part educator, part politician, part CEO, part manager - and, as far as I'm concerned - part crazy. Supes may control the agenda but they do not control the action. The authority to act comes from the Board. Folks elected by lay people who are lay people who set district policy, control the purse strings and hire and fire the supe. Scary.

The median sized district in Texas is just under 900 kids. Wow. Picture each of those school boards and the superintendents they hire in the lower 1/2 of the state. Most board members in this group do not have a college degree, an associate’s degree and many do not have high school diplomas. The big systems get all the play, and when the legislature passes bills they picture places like Houston, Dallas, Austin or San Antonio. They ought to picture the 500 systems with fewer than 900 kids! In each of those systems the supe has at least a master’s degree and has passed a certification test. But those supes report to a board of lay people.

So, it's summer. Supes are scrambling to put together a budget for next year. The board expects as much. They do not know their property values, they do not know what state funding will look like, and they do not know what their enrollment will be. They have to guess. It is crystal ball work. If they guess enrollment low, property values low and state revenue low they will be accused of padding the budget. If they guess high they will be considered morons because they will have a deficit budget and in conservative Texas, that is a romper room no-no.

Boards do not want to make anyone mad. Supes don't either, but must say "no" if they are to propose a balanced budget. Can we have more coaches, more band directors, more salary increases, more, more, more? No. Unless you have a political contingency that shows up at the Board Meeting and campaigns for funding for their sacred cow, then the Board will direct the supe to fund it. The superintendent job description is to be the bad guy, or girl as the case may be.

Yep, it's the supe and crackers who make decisions for most school districts in Texas. A pro supe and a lay board. Most employees hate the supe because they have been told "no." Most boards abide the supe only as long as they can make the system highly successful for a lot less money. Supes must make the board look good. Most supes drink.

Pray for your supe. And pass the crackers.

POSTED BY EILEEN GOOD AT 8:30 PM


1 COMMENTS:



Anonymous said...

I pray for my supe, but also for anyone involved in education in TX. Legislators also get my prayers that they might some day realize the importance of funding education, revisit testing and the accountability attached to it, and believe in the power of public education for all.