Offers superintendents several tips for establishing sound relationships with their school boards, including clarifying roles, understanding the political and professional nature of the superintendency, avoiding close identification with specific board members, educating board members, avoiding provincialism, cultivating good administrative staff…

Merit pay plans for administrators do not work in school systems in which the governing board is elected from among lay people. In 1979, the Brewster (New York) Central School District developed an administrator merit pay plan. The goal of the plan was to implement changes and programs which would reflect the needs of the community as interpreted…

When replacing the 35,000 to 50,000 principals who will change jobs or retire during the next five years, school boards need to follow certain steps to ensure that the best executives are hired. The search committee should consider proven leaders in other fields and learn effective ways to evaluate the candidates, narrow the choices, and support…

Data indicate that principals' unions will continue to grow because principals see the bargaining table as a place to improve their lots and their professional positions. As an alternative, management teams are a sound idea but might not work in practice. (Author/IRT)

Superintendents explain methods they have used to introduce new school board members to the nature of the office they hold. (IRT)

Tipsy board members and administrators lose on two levels; they forgo the confidence of those above them and give power to the next person eager to seize their office. Executives are advised to keep apprised of others' blunders. A colleague who has fallen into the fireplace at the district's Christmas party lessens competition for the next…

A superintendent outlines a three-phase, wide-ranging search strategy for new principals. Included are a list of do's and don't's and a list of questions for use in the interview. (MD)

The key to succeeding in superintendent-board relationships is fitting the school board into a three-part framework of policies, meetings, and goals. Advice is also provided concerning budgeting, becoming acquainted with board members, and handling disagreements. A sidebar classifies board members as builders, shopkeepers, mechanics, cheerleaders,…

Niccolo Machiavelli's buddy Louis made a big mistake in his unsuccessful takeover of a neighboring kingdom: not living there. It is better for school executives to live in community where they work than to live somewhere else. Community members have to feel school leaders share their values, traffic problems, and water. Ways to bypass these…

Two new American Bar Association rules can help school executives determine whether to use the board's attorney or hire their own private attorney. Various situations are cited to show the advisability of choosing one over the other. (KS)

Describes an Ohio school program that awards honorary high school diplomas to outstanding and distinguished Ohioans. (MD)

To establish good working relationships with their school boards, superintendents should (1) be willing to be vulnerable, (2) be open and accurate, (3) be consistently civil, (4) seek compromise, (5) avoid complacency, and (6) remember that the relationship with each individual board member is unique. (PGD)

The Michigan School Boards Association holds workshops to teach board members how to make policy, exercise the necessary oversight of their policies, and hold administrators accountable for what happens in the district. Six checkpoints are presented regarding board policy expectations, legal review criteria, and operational concerns. (MLH)

Guidelines to help school superintendents identify and benefit from sound legal advice. (Author/MLF)

The Wilkinsburg (Pennsylvania) School Board's decision to hire Alternative Public Schools, a private company, to manage a failing elementary school has alienated the teacher union and many town residents. If teachers lose their court challenge, Turner School will become the only U.S. public school to be both privately staffed and managed. (MLH)