With all the social, financial and academic challenges facing schools today, the potential for strain between the board of education and the superintendent is heightened, meaning a good board president/superintendent partnership can do more to determine the effective governance of schools than perhaps any other single factor. Trust is the cornerstone to the success of any relationship. A key to the building of trust between the superintendent and the board president is ensuring that the board president is never blindsided by an issue or decision in public that might trigger a controversy or create a bigger problem. The board president should never find out about a critical incident from someone in the community. The board president should find out from the superintendent, and the board president then should decide how to best inform the rest of the board. This article offers suggestions on how to build an effective superintendent/board president relationship.