WHEN I FIRST began working with school boards, I was invited to review roles and responsibilities with a school district in northern Indiana. As is often the case, the session began with introductions and I could not help but sense a feeling of tension in the air. It was as if everyone was waiting for the other shoe to drop, and I soon discovered why.

The person who had been elected to be the board president was a former superintendent in the same school district. That was not the worst of it, though. He had also been encouraged to resign just a couple of years before running for the seat on the school board.

At another time, a central Indiana superintendent retired but soon thereafter got himself elected as a school board member in the same school corporation where he had long served as superintendent. He continues to serve as a board member.

More recently, I met with a board in another school district where a superintendent from a neighboring district had been elected as a board member. Admittedly, that was a first for me. I routinely work with board members who hold support staff positions or serve as teachers, principals in other school communities and occasionally retired superintendents, but never had I encountered an individual who was actively employed in another district as a superintendent serving concurrently as an elected school board member in the district of his residence.

Lurking Danger
At first glance, all of these situations had every appearance of a train wreck just waiting to happen, but I soon learned that is not always the case. What appeared to be a disaster in the making in my first example ended up being just the opposite. That former superintendent worked diligently to fulfill his role as a trustee of the school district and did so admirably. The second example has likewise proven to work for that district and the third … well, it is still too early to tell, but so far so good.

Regardless, each situation has the potential to generate conflict within the board and place a strain on the board-superintendent relationship. In each setting, none of the superintendents implied that their motive for seeking a board seat masked an ulterior motive. However, the fear there might be underlying reasons always will present itself as the elephant in the room until proven otherwise.

In each scenario, the district superintendent must be proactive. Managing the school district is the superintendent’s responsibility and one that is shouldered regardless of board members’ backgrounds. The experience that a previous superintendent can offer in regards to district management is experiential knowledge that the savvy superintendent should capitalize upon.

Recruiting an ally by intentionally building a positive relationship with that individual who, better than any other board member, understands the rigors of the superintendent position, is preferable to taking a defensive posture that only invites conflict. Superintendents, whether retired or active, can be huge assets as school board members, especially by contributing to their board’s collective understanding of current programs, issues and concerns.

Proactive Protection
Still, if the worst does happen, remember that the former superintendent is only one board member and do not empower him or her with implied authority beyond the current position. Of course, preventative measures that safeguard the opportunity for problems to develop are always in order. Adopting guidelines that define how board members are to be engaged in their collective and individual roles as school board members and how best they can meet their responsibilities is an excellent preventative.

In addition, a code of conduct is a great way to help get everyone started on the right foot.

Although exercising caution may be initially advisable when a former superintendent is seated, a proactive plan of engagement can build a bridge of opportunity for both the current superintendent and the school board.