Board-Savvy Superintendent
Are They Really ‘Difficult’ Board Members?
BY STEPHEN F. MIDLOCK/School Administrator, December 2021

IT’S CHALLENGING for any superintendent to keep seven board members (or even more) with differing motives focused, but does it have to be?

Board of education meetings go awry because of personal agendas, resulting in an erosion of public confidence. Needless to say, this can have a negative impact on future referenda and school district initiatives. Do members with disparate personal agendas have to be difficult to work with?

Board meetings can be opportunities for the public to see a coordinated group of effective leaders. Despite personal differences, board members share a common value with the superintendent, an orientation toward service. 

Members willingly give countless hours and energy as they prepare for meetings, serve on committees, attend events and participate in governance. Having strong personal views on particular subjects does not necessarily equal being a “difficult” member. Often, it is another view of service.

Continuously Critical

The savvy superintendent recognizes this shared commitment to service and uses it to help the board focus on the mission, especially when emotions overtake reason. When members become so attached to a personal agenda that they are blind to the mission, the super-intendent must help the board refocus on the mission and the shared value of service.

One superintendent I came to know in central Illinois led the school district for 10 years. As board members came and went, he trained the newcomers to be effective board members and to park their personal agendas at the door. He kept meetings focused and sometimes guided the board as they wandered away from the planned agenda.

At one point recently, it became more difficult to maintain focus because one member thought of himself as a technology expert and criticized every purchase. While the superintendent politely reminded him that the district had a lean budget and that other area school districts were wealthier, the member persisted.

Having served on the board for several years, he was respected by other members. He was employed by a wealthy school district known for having the latest classroom technology. The superintendent knew his district couldn’t compete with others. The district was making the most responsible use of funds, and students had access to appropriate technology.

Channeling Passion

Ironically, the complaining member was a custodian, not a technology expert, in the other district. Not wanting to embarrass the member by questioning his expertise, the superintendent had to find a way to refocus the member.

He knew that the more a superintendent exhibits understanding and affirmation of members’ personal agendas and shows how to channel that passion toward mission and service, the greater the superintendent’s credibility. He had to develop a rapport with each board member by recognizing their commitment to service. When viewed as passionate people with differing ideas of how to serve, members are no longer viewed as difficult.

Rather than shutting the member down by claiming the district could not afford alternative technology, the superintendent affirmed the member’s good intentions by asking him to provide cost information. The superintendent shared this with the board and asked for ideas about how the current budget could cover it. 

As the board saw actual numbers, they collectively recognized the reality. The superintendent thanked the member for his ideas and information. This saved face for the board member but also helped him to see things from a different perspective.

Respectful Disagreement

When board members are viewed as leaders dedicated to serving the district, doors to understanding are opened. If members are viewed as difficult, the relationship will be strained. If viewed as passionate, service-oriented members with different views, the opportunities for effective and shared leadership are endless.

Respect for differing agendas can build strength and unity among board members. The superintendent is the key to building and fostering that respect, ultimately resulting in effective and shared leadership.
STEPHEN MIDLOCK, a former assistant superintendent, is a professor in the College of Education at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Ill.