Interview reflections

Interview Response

I interviewed Mr. Ned Burns, Superintendent of Teague ISD. He has been in Teague for 10 years and was Superintendent in Dalhart for the 10 years prior.

Mr. Burns has been doing this for quite some time and has some good insight that has been learned along the way.

He had several responses that I feel are worth talking about. To begin with, the positive aspects to the superintendency are what we expect. There is an intrinsic duty to make sure that we are doing what we can for kids. Seeing their success tends to validate what we do. Knowing that we are providing a safe, effective place for them to spend their day makes this worthwhile. We are helping shape society and the future. This does come with a downside, though. Being the boss is lonely. Because we are under the microscope, and because we control the two most important things to people (their kids and their money) we tend to be isolated. We can’t have the relationships that other professions allow.

Ethical leadership is just that. We need to lead ethically. As mentioned, we control the things that are important to our constituents – kids and money. When we lead ethically, we take this into consideration. Our kids must be safe. We can’t do anything to jeopardize this. Our money must also be safe. We have to be prudent stewards of this money. It is our ethical responsibility to make sure that each dime is spent in a responsible manner. When we act unethically, it becomes about our wants and gains, and not about the kids. Just is just and right is right. When we do the right thing for kids, and we do it justly, we are leading ethically.

The last thing that I found interesting deals with Competency 8 and 9. These two questions were actually answered as one. In order to manage so many things from budgets to facilities to curriculum – all I can say is hire good people. Delegation is the key. You have to be able to count on your employees to do the right thing, and you have to hold them accountable if they don’t. As the school leader, you have to set the example and set expectations. And, in all actuality, the things mentioned, safety, facilities, curriculum, budget – go hand in hand. There has to be crossover between the systems and you have to make sure that each player understands that they all work together for the common goal, success for our kids.