Working Toward Success: Board and Superintendent Interactions, Relationships, and Hiring Issues

The importance of positive board/superintendent relationships cannot be understated. The need to balance competing political pressures to create the best possible learning opportunities for students is ever present. Most importantly, board/superintendent relationships should be cultivated with openness and transparency among each other and the public.

This book is a resource for both board members and superintendents, and explores issues related to the board/superintendent relationship and superintendent hiring practices. The book includes contributions from experienced and new superintendents and board members on a wide range of topics that boards and superintendents must navigate together successfully in order to move districts in a positive direction for students, staff, parents, and communities.

This book is unique in that the intended audience is both boards and superintendents. It is not a resource wherein “experts” tell board members how they should conduct board business, nor a resource that informs superintendents how to “manage” school boards. Instead, the book promotes and encourages a productive working relationship and partnership that moves school districts forward in a positive manner.

Amy E. Van Deuren, Ed.D., J.D., is the principal at West Allis Central High School in West Allis, Wisconsin. Prior to her appointment at West Allis, she served as the Wisconsin Director of Education Programs for National Louis University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, working with aspiring school principals and superintendents. Dr. Van Deuren has co-authored several books in the fields of educational leadership and music education.

Thomas F. Evert, Ph.D., is a former public school superintendent of fourteen years. He served in three school districts over a 38-year career as a high school principal and director of student services prior to the superintendency. Dr. Evert is currently serving as a dissertation liaison, advisor, and instructor in the doctoral educational leadership program at Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin.

Bette A. Lang, Ed.D. served as a superintendent for fifteen years in four school districts. Prior to her superintendency, Dr. Lang served as a middle and high school principal and director of instruction. She currently serves as a dissertation liaison, advisor, and instructor in the doctoral educational leadership program at Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin.