– Wesley Smith
Restrictive earning limits and co-interimship
Two retired ACSA superintendents lead creatively in SoCal
Marc Winger wrote the following article with Joel Shawn , following a unique cointerim superintendent partnership that may be a model for the future .
After retirement from long and successful careers as school administrators and superintendents in a number of Southern California school districts Joel Shawn and I decided that we wanted to continue to serve public education . When Chris Walters , president of the Glendale Unified school board , called us individually to talk about our availability for an interim superintendent position , both of us indicated interest .
When Walters described the district ’ s search and placement timeline and then shared that the district had already brought in one interim retiree for the summer months , we each cautioned her about the STRS earnings limit and its effect on the amount of time any single interim superintendent would be able to serve . Given that Chris was calling in September and the board did not expect a new superintendent to start until April , we pointed out that a succession of up to three or four interims might be necessary .
In a serendipitous twist , Joel and I had been talking about working together on another project . During a phone call about the project we discovered that we had both received the call from Glendale , and we were both interested in taking the interim position . We decided to propose a co-interim superintendent partnership that could provide Glendale consistent leadership over a longer period of time rather than a succession of individual interim superintendents .
A proposal for concurrent co-interim superintendents that described flexible work schedules and extended , cohesive and coordinated leadership through the six-month
Test survey deadline extended ; win a VISA card
ACSA and the statewide working group Promoting Authentic College , Career and Civic Readiness Systems ( PACCCRAS ) are urging principals and assistant site leaders to participate in a brief survey designed to collect information about the types of performance assessments used in California schools .
Anonymous responses will be used to inform stakeholders , educators and policymakers about the range of assessments used in schools in addition to state-mandated standardized tests . The deadline for participation has been extended to Sept . 15 . Survey respondents will be entered to win one of four $ 250 Visa gift cards . Take the survey at http :// eepurl . com / cbt2gb . superintendent search and transition process was presented to the Glendale board . The total cost of the co-interim superintendents was far less than the compensation of the superintendent for a like period of time .
“ I got some skeptical looks when first proposing this idea to my board colleagues and key staff ,” shared Walters . “ The major concerns were about communication and accountability . Fortunately , we chose a pair of superintendents who understood these concerns and addressed them well . Having the continuity of a six-month period allowed us to get much more done than if we had needed to switch interims mid-way . We also got the added benefit of ‘ two brains for one .’”
Duties and responsibilities
Joel and I served as co-interim superintendents for the Glendale Unified School District from October 2015 to April 2016 . The contract between each co-interim superintendent and the board looked like a standard superintendent ’ s contract , but “ Duties and Responsibilities ” were unique :
“ It is understood that two co-interim superintendents will serve the district concurrently during the term of this agreement in order to provide extended and cohesive leadership .
“ In order to ensure the optimum leadership and management of the school district and support to the board , the co-interim superintendents will jointly determine areas for which we will have primary responsibility and communicate these areas to the board and staff .
“ The co-interim superintendents shall :
• Devise a “ coverage calendar ,” including opportunities for coordination between the two superintendents and board meeting attendance . Days of service will be flexible
For the purposes of this survey , performance assessment is defined as :
A type of assessment that taps into students ’ higher order thinking skills to perform , create or produce something with transferable real-world application in order to develop a deeper understanding of content . Higher-order thinking skills include evaluating the reliability of sources of information , synthesizing information to draw conclusions , and using deductive / inductive reasoning to solve a problem .
The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete . If you have any questions about the survey , please contact Alicia Ausara at aausara @ acsa . org .
The PACCCRAS working group formed
as necessary .
• Jointly determine areas of district operation for which we will have primary responsibility .
• Jointly determine attendance at community and educational organization events and meetings , as needed .
“ The co-interim superintendent shall perform all of his powers and duties in accordance with the laws , rules and regulations set forth in Education Code Section 35035 . All powers and duties legally delegated to the co-interim superintendent are to be executed in accordance with the policies adopted by the board .”
The work schedule
Glendale Unified has 26,000 TK / K to 12th grade students and more than 3,000 employees . As in all districts , the position of superintendent is challenging and the “ co-interims ” found that our partnership made the job more manageable . For years Glendale has conducted Monday meetings with senior staff , district office personnel , and community and employee representative groups . For most of our shared assignment we worked together on Mondays so that we were aware of and involved in all aspects of the district .
We each worked two additional days per week , or the equivalent half days , every other week , so one of us was always in the office in a given week . Some weeks required more work days , some less .
We agreed from the start that both of us would attend every board meeting . Joel staffed the lead position the first five regular meetings of our interim term , and I took the lead position for the second five . We did not work during vacation periods .
While our work schedule was part-time
See INTERIM , page 6
in 2015 to become a visible and influential voice for assessment and accountability systems in support of positive shifts in California schools .
Specifically , the working group focuses on promoting innovation and the continuous improvement of schools and district systems to effectively and equitably prepare students for college career , and civic life .
The working group includes district and postsecondary leaders , research experts , policymakers , teachers , students , and funders . Co-directed by Brad Stam at ConnectEd and Jennifer O ’ Day at the California Collaborative on District Reform , PACCCRAS meets quarterly , with monthly committee meetings .
September 5 , 2016 EDCAL 3
FROM THE
Executive
Director
Education leaders enjoyed a victory last week , when Assembly Bill 2835 failed to pass through the Legislature by the Aug . 31 deadline . As EdCal was going to press , we learned the employee orientation mandate legislation did not have the governor ’ s support , and we thank you , the members of ACSA , for making your voices heard .
Our position is and always will be that the focus of schools should be on providing quality educational opportunities , closing the achievement gap and positioning our students as the future leaders of our great state . We accomplish that by keeping students in the classroom with teachers and support staff who ensure their safety and success ; helping students grow ; and ultimately strengthening California ’ s future .
AB 2835 would have permitted public employee unions to take time – on every campus and in every school district – away from student learning for union orientations .
AB 2835 would have forced school districts to provide new employees – regardless of job and within four months of hiring – an in-person orientation during the school day that would have included 30 minutes for union organizers to speak . Authored by Assemblyman Jim Cooper , an Elk Grove Democrat , the bill ultimately was seen as a solution to a problem that does not exist .
There is nothing in state law that prohibits school districts from providing union access to their staffs . In fact , many districts already provide union representatives the opportunity to meet with members before or after school or during lunch , as long as it does not disrupt student learning . We applaud those unions and districts that have come to agreements that are advantageous for their employees , while keeping students ’ best interests in mind .
Placing the details of employee orientations in statute , especially one that potentially takes time away from the classroom , creates costly burdens for schools , counties , cities and special districts . That ’ s taxpayer money that should be used on students , not going into the pockets of union organizers .
We agree that all public employees should understand the role of their union and what their annual dues mean for representation . But it should not come at the expense of student learning . AB 2835 was clearly bad policy , but also a litmus test for all of us in education . Do we embrace our No . 1 priority – our students – or is that just lip service ?
Student needs should always come before adult interests , and AB 2835 was clearly about adults . Students would not have benefited from this proposal , and California lawmakers learned why from school principals and superintendents who opposed the bill .
Our amazing Governmental Relations team is also to be commended for carrying your message to the Capitol every day !
– Wesley Smith