Difficult times, difficult decisions…

Based on the recent reductions in Saline Area Schools per pupil funding that opened a $1,600,000 hole in our budget – I feel I will need to communicate effectively with staff (and community) about the steps we are going to need to take to remedy the budget and provide a stable financial future for Saline Area Schools.

In reflecting on the last two years as Superintendent, I feel like I am increasingly prepared for what lies ahead.  I’ve learned that I have to understand the context in which I am leading. School systems are places with enormously distributed authority and many different types of stakeholders, all of whom have important roles within the district.  This presents a challenge when communicating information, but it is also a strength in difficult times.

I feel like I have a solid sense of the district culture and I perceive that the staff and community has a understanding of who I am.  I encourage both staff and the community to share their thoughts with me – I will listen. Many know I’m not a touchy-feely kind of leader, but I am thoughtful in my approach to working through complex issues. I do tend to be very decisive and take the responsibility of making decisions seriously. But I think it’s incredibly important to realize that relationships define everything that we do, and it’s all about the quality of those relationships that makes an organization work.

It is time to roll up the sleeves….