Interview Reflections

For my interview, I met with Huntsville ISD Assistant Superintendent for Learning and Accountability, Dr. Juneria Berges on January 28, 2011 at 7:00 AM.  Since our days are so busy, we both agreed that we needed to meet outside the official work day.  Dr. Berges has been the Assistant Superintendent in Huntsville ISD for 1 ½ years.  She is a dynamic, positive, humble leader with a variety of leadership experiences at the campus and district level and within state executive organizations.
When I met with Dr. Berges, she was easy to talk to and willing to help me through this process.  She defined leadership as the ability to communicate vision while honoring the input of all the stakeholders. This is something she models all the time.  The meetings that she leads are organized and collaborative.   She continued  by stating  that the superintendent leader cannot think too highly of their own ideas.  A shared vision is developed by understanding the work of the system so that all the participants have an opportunity to come together with their valued ideas.  Dr. Berges commented that a good leader can never sacrifice being liked for what’s best for all children.  But the comment she made that was the most insightful to me was, “ The role of superintendent is different from the other campus and district leaders’ roles in that a superintendent must do what is best for all children today and 25 years from now. “  I had never really considered that before and it gave me cause to stop the interview and talk with her about it.  How true that statement is!  The building projects, financial decisions, hiring decisions, etc. all have impact on the school district long after the superintendent (who averages 3 years in a district in Texas) has gone.  The influence and responsibility is enormous and can be a legacy of good or bad for years.
In our discussion of the evaluation of communication, Dr. Berges talked about the necessity of all evaluation being data-driven.  She talked about the data helping us keep focused on the realities and the effectiveness of changes made.  She said, “ We can never let excuses be acceptable reasons.”   She continued to cause me to think when she said, “Morale never stands alone.  It can always be measured through various means.”  By utilizing data from surveys, focus groups, attendance, discipline, finances and assessment, the leader can keep a gauge on effectiveness of communication.
When we talked about the working relationship between the school board and the superintendent, she was quick to say that Dr. Johnson would have more insight in this area than she does.  She has been able to learn a lot, though, in the last two years working with the HISD board.  Three points she made were: 1) the superintendent’s job is to train the board and help them understand their job; 2) the superintendent must work to unify the team of eight so that they work together FOR children; 3) the superintendent must exemplify confidentiality and help the board do the same.  I agree with her observations.  In the 4 years that I have worked in Huntsville ISD central administration, I have watched the school board and superintendent function in both cooperative and uncooperative ways.  An effective school board/superintendent relationship must be professional with both parties working together in their proper roles.  When the roles relax, I have observed that problems develop.
Lastly, when discussing the superintendent’s role as an administrative leader, Dr. Berges that the superintendent must be able to delegate to capable people.  There is no way the superintendent can be personally involved in all decisions; therefore, she/he must hire well.   The people a superintendent surrounds himself/herself with are essential in decision making.  Capable leaders in Curriculum and Instruction, Finance, Human Resources, etc. provide the superintendent with the information and expertise needed to make research-based decisions.  She further stated that a superintendent must build an atmosphere that allows these capable leaders to share honest information in a risk-free environment.  That is certainly a quality that she exemplifies.