CASBO School Business Winter 2019

California Association of School Business Officials

Winter 2019 A new way to do business Shifting from transactional to transformational leadership can bring dividends

Diversity is our superpower Benefits abound when modern definitions of diversity, equity and inclusion are applied

Six traits of successful districts The work behind earning respect for your district

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contents

Volume 84 I Number Four I Winter 2019

departments 9

11

Checking in Leaders as builders, developers and cultivators of future leaders Molly McGee Hewitt

13

In focus CASBO guest profile: Megan Reilly

15

56

57

59

In focus CASBO associate member profile: Erica Gonzalez

62

Last words

18

Bottom line Finding inspiration in CASBO Molly Schlange

Book club If change is inevitable, take this book along on the journey Leadership How to get out of a mid-career funk

27

Out & about

interview 27

Jeffrey D. McCausland, Ph.D. Action hero turned leadership consultant offers timely advice for school leaders Julie Phillips Randles

cover story 36

46

A new way to do business Shifting from transactional to transformational leadership can bring big dividends Jennifer Fink

features 18

Diversity is our superpower Benefits abound when modern definitions of diversity, equity and inclusion are applied Jennifer Snelling

46

Six traits of successful districts The work behind earning respect for your district Jerry Fingal

California School Business / casbo.org

5

ABOUT CASBO The California Association of School Business Officials is the premier resource for professional development in all aspects of school business.

Founded in 1928, CASBO serves more than 24,000 members by providing certifications and training, promoting business best practices, and creating opportunities for professional collaboration.

CASBO members represent every facet of school business management and operations. The association offers public school leaders an entire career’s worth of growth opportunities.

publisher editor in chief communications manager features editor contributors

Molly McGee Hewitt Tatia Davenport Joyce Tribbey Julie Phillips Randles Jerry Fingal Jennifer Fink Nicole Krueger

CASBO MISSION

Jennifer Snelling

As the recognized authority in California school business, CASBO is a member-driven association

design/layout advertising art

that promotes ethical values; develops exceptional leaders; advocates for, and supports the needs

Sharon Adlis Tracy Brown

of, members; and sets the standard for excellence through top-quality professional development

advertising sales manager

and mentorship, meaningful collaboration and communication, and unparalleled innovation.

CASBO BY DESIGN For the past 15 years, CASBO has been dedicated to

casbo officers president

the organizational planning discipline as a method for guiding the association into a successful future.

This year, the association embarked on its sixth such

president-elect

plan, CASBO by Design 2.0. This living, breathing document guides the association in its long-term planning process, which is grassroots in nature,

vice president

invigorating in procedure and motivating in outcome.

CASBO has long been committed to organizational

immediate past president

planning because the approach has consistently

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Molly Schlange University Preparatory School Jamie Dial Kings County Office of Education Richard De Nava San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Christina Aguilar Downey Unified School District

helped the association envision its future and determine the clear steps to get there. The road map that strategic planning provides has allowed CASBO to remain focused on its unique mission, goals and objectives and to respond effectively to a continually changing environment.

For more information on CASBO by Design, visit casbo.org > About > CASBO by Design.

www.casbo.org California School Business (ISSN# 1935-0716) is published quarterly by the California Association of School Business Officials, 1001 K Street, 5th Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814, (916) 447-3783. Periodicals postage paid at Sacramento and at additional mailing office. Submit address changes online by logging into your account profile at casbo.org.

Articles published in California School Business are edited for style, content and space prior to publication. Views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent CASBO policies or positions. Endorsement by CASBO of products and services advertised in California School Business is not implied or expressed.

Copyright 2019 CASBO. All rights reserved. The contents of the publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of the publisher.

Published December 2019

6 California School Business / Winter 2019

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CHECKING IN

Leaders as builders, developers and cultivators of future leaders As an association, CASBO has been dedicated for over 91 years to the advancement of the profession of school business and operations. We exist to support and promote strong leadership and efficient and effective schools. Whether it’s our professional development, certifications, mentorship program or legislative advocacy, we’re clear on our mission and vision for the association.

Wherever you are in your educational career, in addition to your daily work, you have a unique opportunity that has a lasting and significant effect on the future. As a leader, at whatever level you serve, you can be a builder of other leaders, developing and promoting talent and cultivating future generations of educational leaders. Those entry-level hires of today can be the executives of tomorrow. The mid-level managers or unit members you coach and mentor, with your assistance and support, can become key players in the future of our industry.

This is an amazing opportunity for each and every CASBO member. We don’t promote closed clubs, cliques or exclusive groups of leaders – we promote and welcome a workforce of diverse leaders who are dedicated to learning and advancing. We promote people who are passionate about their careers and the work we do. We can help colleagues see their potential rather than only their current role. We encourage our members to enhance their career by continuing their formal education, participating in professional development and achieving recognition through certifications.

Behind every formal recommendation or action in leadership development, there’s a personal connection. It’s the wisdom of someone who has been there before and recognizes something special in a colleague. It’s the human touch of a word of encouragement, an honest conversation, a pat on the back or the offer of a helping hand. Building leaders is about building relationships along with professional capacity and expertise.

Each year, hundreds of our members volunteer to serve in a myriad of leadership positions at CASBO. I often refer to them as our member leaders.

They serve on or chair committees, present workshops, support sections or professional councils, or serve in statewide leadership positions. Their involvement builds not only our association, it continues our member focus and member direction and also builds their own leadership capacities.

Through their involvement with CASBO, they become better leaders and better school business officials. They learn outside of their own local education agencies (LEAs) how to lead and manage people and how to create and deliver programs. They gain experience with their colleagues that enhances their careers as well as their leadership.

“CASBO Strong” is my newest favorite phrase. It means that the 679 LEAs and more than 20,000 individual members we serve are the foundation of our association. We have the capacity, today more than ever in our history, to build and develop leaders. It’s an amazing opportunity for the association, for our leadership and for our members. We’re strong because of our members, and our strength united will propel our members forward. z z z

Molly McGee Hewitt CEO & Executive Director

California School Business / casbo.org

9

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BOT TOM LINE

Finding inspiration in CASBO A few weeks ago, I delivered my first invited keynote address. While I’m not a stranger to speaking and have conducted many workshops, there was something about being the keynote speaker that got my attention. Coupled with the fact that the presentation was within my own casbo section, my desire to excel was magnified. As I developed my presentation, it became the inspiration for this article.

By now, you may know that I love stories. I adore hearing about the challenges and successes of others, and getting to know people through stories feels like an amazing gift. For me, stories are the vibrant illustrations of events and activities. They’re how we remember people, incidents, lessons and milestones.

Our stories provide us with windows into the lives and motivations of others.

In school business, when we share our stories, we learn about where we’ve come from, where we are and where we hope to go. Our stories illustrate our careers, punctuate our lives and, in many cases, provide inspiration.

In past issues, I shared that the theme for the casbo 2020 Annual Conference & California School Business Expo, which will be held in Palm Springs from March 29 to April 1, is “Learn.

Inspire. Lead.” The conference registration book is available online, and in it, you’ll find nearly 175 workshops, keynote speeches and events designed to provide you with learning opportunities, inspiration and leadership training.

I’m inspired by the Annual Conference Committee and the Annual Conference Volunteer Task Force as they bring together their amazing ideas to create the ultimate program. Our first conference ever in Palm Springs will be

memorable! I hope you’ll be inspired by the event, by the people you meet and by the information you all share.

What inspires you? Is it the sense of accomplishment you have when a task or project is well done and finished on time?

Is it when you help someone? Is it when you see someone accomplish something and realize that you can do it, too? Do your family or your faith inspire you?

Our inspirations are personal, and what resonates with me – stories – may be different than what resonates with you.

Who inspires you? Are there leaders, authors or people who motivate you?

Do they give you courage and ideas

In school business, when we share our stories, we learn about where we’ve come from, where we are and where we hope to go. Our stories illustrate our careers, punctuate our lives and, in many cases, provide inspiration. or provide you with answers? Do they make you laugh and take yourself more lightly? As I consider who inspires me, I see casbo members, leaders and friends.

I’m inspired by people who strive for excellence, who have passion for their work and who love what they do!

While I wish each of us to be inspired daily in our jobs, I know that at times we face challenges and that the work we do is difficult. Sometimes we work with divergent groups of people and leadership that may not appreciate or welcome our efforts.

I also know that at times leaders find themselves in difficult situations and doing the right thing is far easier to write about than to do. At those times, we need to seek our inspiration elsewhere. I hope that casbo provides that inspiration for you.

My life and my career have been enhanced by my casbo experiences! I come away regularly inspired and motivated! Thank you for being a part of my inspiration. z z z

Molly Schlange President

California School Business / casbo.org

11

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IN FOCUS

Megan Reilly

She hit the ground running and hasn’t stopped since

By Nicole Krueger

Photography by Hope Harris

While teaching English on the southernmost main island of Japan, outside of Nagasaki, newly minted college graduate Megan Reilly learned a few lessons of her own.

“It was one of the most isolated years I’ve ever lived,” says the Baltimore native, recalling her experience as one of a few foreigners in a town of 30,000.

Unable to speak the local language or conduct an in-depth conversation, she learned how much strength and resilience it takes to move to another country, like her Yokohama-born mother did. She learned that although she didn’t want to be teaching in a classroom, she was still drawn to the field of education.

And she learned that a degree in history can take you places you never expected.

“My father told me, ‘Study what you love and don’t worry about the business aspects.’

But what the heck do you do with a history degree?” says Reilly, who is now the deputy superintendent of business services and operations for Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

A lot, it turns out. Even without a business major, Reilly was able to leverage her background to snag a financial management

internship with the Department of Defense.

She spent the next 17 years as a civil servant, earning both a law degree and a master’s in business before returning to K-12 education as chief financial officer for Los Angeles Unified.

Since then, Reilly’s career in school finance has seen no shortage of challenges. She came into the district in the middle of a difficult payroll software implementation. By the time she had resolved those issues, the 2007 recession hit, and she spent the next decade juggling cash flow issues and making painful budget cuts.

“I can’t emphasize enough the growth experience and severity of what education across the state and nation was put through,” she says. “It was one of the most impactful professional experiences going through those years in this district. Education had been cut to such a low standard. What we were going in and what we were coming out was fundamentally changed.”

Thinking the district was stable and on a good trajectory, she left Los Angeles Unified two years ago to take a job with the Santa Clara County Office of Education. But it wasn’t long before she got a call asking her join and support the new team in LAUSD in a new role.

Since rejoining the district in July as deputy superintendent, Reilly has had her hands full with a string of fires plaguing Southern California. From transportation logistics to air quality problems to cleaning and reopening affected schools, she spends a lot of time running as fast as she can.

“How do you keep education going and meet your targets and goals when a crisis occurs?

I visited a school very close to the fires, and one of the families that had just lost their house the night before was there to pick up their son. He wanted to be with his parents in the evacuation center,” she says. “The challenges we have in front of us are very real and very human. I don’t have the answers, but I definitely have heart, passion and dedication to ask the questions, explore and listen.”

Through it all, CASBO has been there to offer guidance, support and community.

“The camaraderie and shared purpose of the finance community is just amazing,” she says.

“In meetings, the group felt therapeutic. They were supportive therapy as much as they were about critical facts and information.

We’re part of one big family.” z z z

California School Business / casbo.org

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IN FOCUS

Erica Gonzalez

Helping districts and students succeed, one bond at a time

By Nicole Krueger

Photography by Hope Harris

Seated in a rural town with deep agricultural roots, San Benito High School District needed help filling a critical gap in the industry’s employment pipeline. So they put it to a vote.

Five years later, the district’s new agriculture building, funded through a $42.5 million public bond, spans 38,380 square feet and prepares students for a variety of agriculture-related careers, from horticulture and agriscience to mechanics and millwork. It also represents a growing trend in California schools, many of which are setting their sights on new facilities to support career technical education (CTE), says Erica Gonzalez, managing director for CASBO Premier Plus Partner Stifel, the nation’s top underwriter of K-12 school district bonds. “We work with several districts that are focusing on CTE programs and facilities that support those programs,” she says.

Working in a state with a hefty backlog of much-needed building updates – and more than 150 school bond measures on the ballot in last year’s elections alone – keeps Gonzalez busy. Between participating in school board meetings and helping schools sort out funding for their facilities projects, no two days are alike.

“I think school districts in California have really taken the bull by the horns and been

active in going to local residents and asking them if they will support local schools by passing bonds,” she says. “To continue to do good work on the curriculum side, they need facilities to match the missions and visions they’re trying to accomplish. We’ve seen that constituents are willing to support their local communities and school districts in achieving those goals because they understand how important education is.”

Growing up a first-generation MexicanAmerican and learning English while attending public school, Gonzalez developed a keen appreciation for education as she witnessed firsthand the impact schools can make when they’re able to provide the right support for students. “It was certainly a challenge.

Thankfully, the school system did a great job and brought me and my siblings up to speed on the English language,” she says. “I was able to thrive in the education system and do very well. I want other kids to be able to have that positive experience and to thrive.”

Gonzalez hadn’t planned on working in municipal bonds when she majored in business at the University of Southern California. After college, she got a job at the San Francisco investment firm of Stone & Youngberg, which later became part of Stifel’s multinational financial services force. Since joining the firm’s

banking team and focusing on the K-12 sector, she has found that working with district administrators gives her the fuel she needs to propel her through the busy days.

As a CASBO partner, Gonzalez enjoys being able to share these success stories with other school business leaders across the state at conferences and symposiums.

“Since we’re involved with so many school districts throughout the state, we come across a lot of different situations that other school districts may take advantage of,” she says.

“If someone is doing something innovative or facing certain challenges, they can find out how others tackled those without having to reinvent the wheel.”

Whether districts want to beef up their CTE programs or just give their buildings a technological update, the key to a successful bond is to be transparent with the community, Gonzalez says.

“The most important thing is that the community feels like it’s a part of the process.

When the community is engaged, they’re more likely to continue to support the district on another bond in the future.” z z z

California School Business / casbo.org

15

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18 California School Business / Winter 2019

FEATURE

DIVERSITY IS OUR SUPERPOWER Benefits abound when modern definitions of diversity, equity and inclusion are applied

By Jennifer Snelling

W

hen California Sen. Kamala

Harris said, “Our unity is our strength and diversity is our power,” she was speaking about our nation as a whole, but perhaps nowhere is this truer than in our school systems.

Diversity in district business offices leads to stronger teams and better outcomes for students. A recent report from the Learning Policy Institute found that “teachers of color boost the academic performance of students of color.” The reason for this is simple, says Orange County Superintendent of Schools Al Mijares, a casbo organizational subscriber, who won national recognition while at Santa Ana Unified School District for successfully meeting the needs of its diverse student body.

When students see people who look like them holding higher-level positions, it permits them to aspire to similar jobs.

Mijares, whose parents were poor and

didn’t speak English, says role models who looked like him were the reason he knew he could hold a superintendent position when he grew up.

Students of color comprise threequarters of the 6.2 million students in California’s public schools, but teachers of color comprise only one-third of the state’s 305,000 teachers.

“It has a cascading effect,” he says.

“If the central office is diversified, then that helps you populate your schools with a diverse workforce. Therein lies the magic of student academic attainment.”

While schools themselves have been steadily improving their understanding of diversity and inclusion, educational leaders on the business side have not had the same opportunities for professional development.

“A diversified workforce creates a stronger workforce,” says Mijares.

“When you have variables that are di-

verse and can challenge the premise, it helps makes your results stronger. You get the contrarian and people whose opinions might not be exactly like yours.

When you have that, the system is stronger, more able and capable.”

CHANGING DEFINITIONS OF EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

While most district offices recognize the value of diversity, achieving true diversity, equity and inclusion is not as easy as wishing it were so. The first step, says casbo Past President Nina Boyd, associate superintendent of Governance, Leadership & Community Partnerships for the Orange County Department of Education, is recognizing that diversity goes beyond race, culture and gender.

Diversity also means inclusion in terms of various educational backgrounds, sexual orientation, age or geographic

California School Business / casbo.org

19

DIVERSITY IS OUR SUPERPOWER

“

We have to be mindful of how we are referring to people and how we are coming across. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are from, but you need to be treated with the same dignity.

20 California School Business / Winter 2019

location, she says. What does diversity in the workplace look like as we head into 2020?

Olivier Wong Ah Sun, Ed.D., assistant superintendent and chief human resources officer at casbo Organizational Subscriber San Diego County Office of Education (coe), oversees the recruitment and compensation of future employees in his county. Wong says that the term diversity is misused a lot, thrown around by individuals with agendas. This misuse can lead to frustration with the term.

“We see our youth using the right terms,” he says. “But our adults need constant refreshers and reminders. We have to be mindful of how we are referring to people and how we are coming across. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are from, but you need to be treated with the same dignity.” casbo’s Diversity & Inclusion (di) Toolkit (casbo.org/DiversityToolkit) provides training resources and videos, as well as examples of how the definitions of diversity, equity and inclusion are evolving.

Whereas the traditional definition of diversity focuses on protected classes, the Millennial definition of diversity is “the blending of different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives within a team, which is known as cognitive diversity.

Diversity also describes the combination of these unique traits to overcome challenges and achieve business goals.”

A similar change is notable in the definition of inclusion, which for Millennials means much more than just being included. It means “the support for a collaborative environment that values open participation from individuals with different ideas and perspectives that has a positive impact on business.”

Finally, equity is about more than being fair and impartial. It now means

“offering roles and opportunities to all qualified candidates; ensuring all voices are heard, making teamwork and connection a priority.”

ACHIEVING DIVERSITY

The discussion of diversity often turns into a box to be checked. This is unlikely to be an effective method of achieving true diversity, says Pedro Noguera, distinguished professor of education at the University of California, Los Angeles.

“It depends on what that office does and how they understand their mission,” he says. “If it’s just bureaucratic compliance, it means very little. If they see themselves as advocates for diversity, it can mean a great deal.”

Wong emphasizes that achieving diversity does not mean compromising standards but seeing the entirety of what a candidate can bring to the position. “We are always looking for outstanding candidates who possess the skill set but also bring a rich and robust background that represents the communities we serve,” he says.

He stresses the goal here is not a quota but equity. To him, equity means hiring people who are representatives of those students who are historically underserved and can speak to that community.

Here are some ways the experts say districts can make progress toward that goal: Prioritize. Diversity must be a priority, says Mijares, but for the right reasons. “You have to believe in its merits and that it is going to make a stronger team. It is about creating a coalition of professionals who are committed to the same vision. With that goal accomplished, you can do great things.” Sharing these values with current and potential employees, as well as

California School Business / casbo.org

21

DIVERSITY IS OUR SUPERPOWER

“

With an in-person interview, we want to help panels understand cultural and generational differences. Some of those preconceived judgments we have do not negate someone’s ability to do the job. We want to make sure we are sensitive to our own biases.

22 California School Business / Winter 2019

the community, can help hold districts accountable for hiring practices.

Widen the net. Wong says his district is careful to advertise job openings in places where underserved populations will see the opportunity. In addition, the district always includes equity-centered language in the job posting.

Grow-your-own programs have been helpful in increasing diversity within the teaching community. For example, California’s Teacher Residency program helps turn paraprofessionals like teacher aides into credentialed teachers. Since 2016, when the program started, more than 2,000 paraprofessionals have become teachers, and half of

them are Latino. Another example is the California Mini-Corps that attracts bilingual students to the profession through a range of activities, including mentoring from master teachers, monthly workshops and in-classroom experience.

Think about your bench. The annual Women in the Workplace study from LeanIn.org and McKinsey & Company says women are left behind earlier in their careers than initially thought.

Men are tapped to become managers from entry-level positions three times more often than women. This “broken rung” on the career ladder affects women of color even more than their white counterparts. Mijares says he looks within his own organization to find people at the entry level who can rise into positions of leadership.

Review the application process.

Human resources is one place to start with unconscious bias training. Raise awareness with those who are reading applications and what information is provided to hiring panels, Boyd recommends. While hr offices are good at being legally compliant, hiring boards should also be neutral about things such as where people obtain degrees, clerical errors when English is a second language and how a younger generation may dress for an interview.

“With an in-person interview, we want to help panels understand cultural and generational differences,” says Boyd.

“Some of those preconceived judgments we have do not negate someone’s ability to do the job. We want to make sure we are sensitive to our own biases.”

The best person has an array of skill sets and a robust background, adds Wong. “I want someone who had to stack shelves, got their hands dirty,” he says. “Those are the people I get excited about.”

SUPPORTING A DIVERSE WORKFORCE

All the best hiring practices don’t mean much if there is not structural change and organizational support for employees.

The casbo di Toolkit provides tools and conversation ideas for supervisors and mid-level managers. Here are some things to keep in mind: Equitable more than fair. Noguera says the key to supporting a diverse workforce is to “create an open environment where people can contribute without any barriers or discrimination. People want to be treated like professionals and have the opportunity to share their talents and grow.”

Sometimes this means going beyond fairness to make sure there are no hidden barriers. When people are brought into a new job and are still in the learning process, they need mentoring. Send

them to workshops and help them seek out professional development opportunities. If these opportunities go beyond the specific skills necessary for the position to include leadership or management training, that person will have a greater opportunity to advance.

Strength assessments. Helping all employees find their specific strengths means everyone finds their place on a team, says Wong. His district asks all employees to take a strengthfinder evaluation to determine if they are a problem solver, an arranger or a person who looks for context, for example.

Team building. Team-building activities can also help set the tone and bring people together. casbo’s di Toolkit links to some suggestions. Encourage employees to be allies and speak up for one another when they see discrimination, micro-aggressions or small

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DIVERSITY IS OUR SUPERPOWER

CONVERSATIONS WITH PURPOSE 2O2O SCHEDULE Workshops are free for CASBO members and include lunch and one (1) continuous education unit. Register online at casbo.org > Learn > Calendar.

January 14, 2020 | 12:30-1:30 p.m. | Twin Rivers USD 3222 Winona Wy., North Highlands | Register by December 20

January 21, 2020 | 12:30-1:30 p.m. | Santa Clara COE 1290 Ridder Park Dr., San Jose | Register by January 6

March 12, 2020 | 12:30-1:30 p.m. | Aquarium of the Pacific 100 Aquarium Wy., Long Beach | Register by February 28

March 13, 2020 | 12:30-1:30 p.m. | San Diego COE 6401 Linda Vista Rd., San Diego | Register by February 28

“

Diversity work takes time, patience and perseverance. People have to become comfortable with the uncomfortable to move this work forward.

24 California School Business / Winter 2019

everyday slights like being spoken over in a meeting.

Climate assessment. Just as we do climate studies with students, similar surveys can be helpful to find out how staff members are feeling. A survey can help managers strategically focus their energy.

Check in with h r to get the temperature of how things are in the office. If there are complaints about a manager or peer-to-peer, it is usually a lack of understanding. Maybe it’s time to bring in a speaker on unconscious bias or introduce a new initiative focused on diversity?

Some opportunities to improve your district’s diversity know-how will be available this winter. In November, Boyd began traveling the state to host free workshops for casbo members on diversity, equity and inclusion called “Conversations With Purpose: Equity &

Diversity – The Importance of Inclusion in School Business.” In January, San Diego coe hosts the Equity Conference for statewide leaders to problem solve around issues of equity.

“Diversity work takes time, patience and perseverance,” says Boyd. “People have to become comfortable with the uncomfortable to move this work forward.” z z z Jennifer Snelling is a freelance writer based in Eugene, Oregon.

How do you achieve diversity, equity and inclusion in your LEA? Share your best practices with us on LinkedIn/CASBO!

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64 California School Business / Winter 2019

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26 California School Business / Winter 2019

INTERVIEW

Jeffrey D. McCausland, Ph.D. ‘Action hero’ turned leadership consultant offers timely advice for school leaders

On paper, Jeffrey D. McCausland, ph.d., is a hollywood action hero. He is a West Point grad who became a u.s. Army colonel and served as the dean of academics at the u.s. Army War College; battalion commander during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm; and director for Defense, Policy and Arms Control on the National Security Council staff in the White House. And, yes, he has Harvard cred, too, as a visiting fellow at the Center for International Affairs.

Those are just the highlights, of course – his actual vitae covers everything from London academia to his current position as a visiting professor of international security at Dickinson College; author of multiple books and articles on war strategy; national security consultant for cbs radio and television; and multiple chairs on leadership, ethics and character development for every branch of the military.

But you can sum up his top mission with one title: Founder of Diamond6 Leadership & Strategy in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Through this channel, McCausland prepares younger generations to embrace leadership 101, walking through topics such as debunking common myths that stop them from becoming great leaders, building courage to be a confident leader during the most difficult circumstances and developing leadership in a media-driven world.

“Self-care means giving the world the best of you, not what’s left of you,” he offers his LinkedIn followers.

It’s not exactly a Rambo-esque sentiment. But it’s pure McCausland.

“The people I had the privilege to meet had several things in common,” he once wrote for The Washington Post. “They all believed they had responded to the bugle call, no matter how faint. None spoke of politics or party. They came even though they did not have to – no one really asked them to – and they represent but a small fraction of their generation. They have served, suffered, sacrificed and endured.

“If we are to survive as a nation with our values intact, then we must find leaders willing to make the call. Leaders who will call us to serve each other, to serve in our towns and cities, churches and schools, and if needed, in the military – leaders who will urge us to care for these young veterans and their families in need of our help for many years to come.

Photography by Diamond6 Leadership & Strategy

By Julie Phillips Randles

“This coming together to meet a challenge has always been one of our nation’s greatest strengths, and we need that strength now,” he concludes.

Through that connectiveness, he offers four profound thoughts that apply to every school business leader: • You can effectively train others how to fight but not why to fight.

• Policymakers too often confuse tactical and strategic successes in their execution of policy.

• War is like a chameleon and changes over time.

Good strategy has to anticipate such changes if it is going to be successful.

• War is a contest of wills. The enemy adapts and always gets to “vote” on your strategy.

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Jeffrey D. McCausland, Ph.D.

casbo sat down with McCausland, a keynote speaker at the upcoming Annual Conference & California School Business Expo, to get a deeper insight on how he approaches and defines leadership.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? Who gave it to you?

One thing I’ve learned is that sometimes the best advice is not the advice itself, but the time when you receive it. To explain that, I’ll share a quick story.

Early in my career after graduating from the u.s. Military Academy, I got 60 days of leave. So I hitched a ride on a c-5 Galaxy cargo plane, and on my way to take a break in Hawaii, I was sitting next to a young medic and we began talking about the Marine company he was attached to. When I asked how it was going, he described the new captain of his company, calling him a “real jerk” and adding, “But I took care of him.”

When I asked what that meant, he said he “lost the captain’s shot records.” Then, after the captain got all the shots a second time, he lost those records again. “He’s starting to come around.

He’s starting to figure out that everybody in the company is important to get the job done,” the sailor explained.

And I got the message. You’ve got to take care of everybody, because they’re all part of the team and each of them have integral roles, and if you’re not careful, someone’s gonna lose your shot records.

Based on your experience in the military and in working with school business leaders, what leadership traits are transferable from the military to the school business office?

I’d say all of them!

If we took a group of casbo members and went to any organization, and we were allowed full access to talk to people, after a couple of days we could get together and talk about how well or how poorly that organization was run.

But if we were there when that organization was in a crisis, how well or how poorly it was run would stick out much more boldly. So I often draw from military experiences having to do with forces in combat, which really are just two organizations that are experiencing a crisis. So I think a lot of it is transferable.

I always come back to a quote I like from John Maxwell, who basically says that leadership is leadership no matter where you go or what you do.

He says, “Whether you are looking at the citizens of ancient Greece, Hebrews in the Old Testament, the armies of the last two hundred years, the rulers of modern Europe, the pastors of local churches, or the business people of today’s global

28 California School Business / Winter 2019

economy. Leadership principles stand the test of time. They are irrefutable.”

I totally believe that, and that’s why I believe military skills are transferable.

I think military people end up in the school industry for several reasons. They have a dedication to public service. Their military experience may have given them unique skills that are also applicable to roles in schools. They’re very comfortable in managing fairly large organizations with a lot of complexity.

In my work with school business officials and school districts, two things strike me.

Superintendents and school business officials are managing a very complex organization that has to do not only with the education of students but also with managing a lot of resources, buildings and grounds, sports facilities, buses, serving meals, etc. And they operate in a political environment because they have to deal with a board and a community.

Military people are used to that kind of complexity and nuance. They have the ability to relate with a lot of different stakeholders and are able to handle all of those things at one time. Often those skills are of equal importance to a detailed understanding of current educational methods.

What’s the most common shortcoming you see in leaders today?

The biggest shortcoming I see is their inability at times to see the difference between leadership and management. Both are very important if an organization is going to be successful.

But management is all about things like work standards, resource allocation, organizational design, controlling complex institutions. And a lot of that is data-driven and fairly short-term. We’ve got to do certain things every day to fulfill our mission and keep the lights on. Those are the management things.

But leadership is about vision, motivation and trust.

Moving the organization and the people in it into the future.

Dealing with change. And I don’t know of another profession that’s experiencing more change than education. Because of adjustments to pedagogy due to advanced technology and the demands of a changing society, there’s more and more pressure on educators.

Management and leadership certainly overlap and both are important for an organization to be successful. It’s easy to get pulled down into dealing with the immediate challenges and management decisions, as opposed to focusing on where the organization is going longer term.

You have to balance the amount of time [when] you’re dealing with the “here and now” with the amount of time you

spend thinking about where the school district is going to be a year from now, two years from now, five years from now.

You have to ask, “What things do I need to start putting in place now that we won’t see a return on for a couple of years?”

But you can get so busy dealing with today that nobody is really thinking about tomorrow.

How can a veteran leader effectively lead a Millennial and younger workforce?

The first tip is you’ve got to learn to listen. I always learn a lot from historical perspectives, so the idea of being a better listener brings to mind a couple of things Abraham Lincoln said.

He said, “God gave us two ears and one mouth because he was trying to tell us something.” We should listen twice as much as we talk.

He also said, “It’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all possible doubt.”

When it comes to Millennials and Gen Z employees, it’s incumbent upon older generations to appreciate that they look at the world and problems differently. The studies I’ve seen suggest they want to do meaningful work that will have an impact.

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Jeffrey D. McCausland, Ph.D.

They like collaboration but they struggle with it because much of their lives is spent in isolation – many didn’t play on sports teams, they played video games. They like staying connected.

And they are interested in social justice issues.

To some degree, their values, and this is a generalization, seem to align with the World War II generation, which is interesting.

One other point is that they communicate differently.

Communication in the workforce often differs by generation.

Baby Boomers like phone calls. Gen X prefers email. Millennials communicate by text. And Gen Z communicates via social media.

You have to understand that if you want to communicate with various generations and you want to do it quickly, you have to be adaptable and deal with their world every bit as much as they deal with your world.

church or working for a nonprofit or working for a charity in your community, but at some point be part of something that’s bigger than you are because when you work with a team that’s dedicated to a purpose, it’s a very uplifting thing. You’ll learn a lot and you’ll reflect on that for the rest of your life.

Also, find a mentor; this point is why professional organizations like casbo are so important. It’s a place to network and find that person who knows what they’re doing and ask them to be your mentor.

It’s fundamentally important because education is a profession, and as sociologists will tell you, there are five professions: education, medicine, military, theology and law enforcement. Professions have certain values and norms that need to be transferred to the next generation. So it’s critically important for those in school business to have that kind of connection.

What one piece of advice would you give to aspiring leaders?

I would actually give two pieces of advice. One thing I say to all college and graduate students is to, at some point in your life, find time to be part of something that’s bigger than you are. It could be the military or going on a mission for your

You wrote a blog post explaining the difference between being a boss and being a leader. Can you briefly describe those differences?

30 California School Business / Winter 2019

A boss is somebody who pushes their employees and depends a great deal on positional authority. They’d say that in the

organizational diagram, I’m up here, you’re down there, so I’m right and you’re wrong just based on my position. These are people who say “I” a lot; they use a lot of personal pronouns.

When things go wrong, they look for someone to blame. They say “go” a lot. They take all the credit when things go well, and they use threats and punishment when things go wrong.

Leaders are coaches. They generate a lot of enthusiasm.

Rather than using personal pronouns, they use “we” a lot.

They’re constantly trying to figure out how to develop their team and how to find ways to invest in them. Leaders are humble.

They’re willing to take the heat when things go wrong and give credit when things go right. And rather than just say “go,” they say, “Let’s go together.”

In another blog post, you use an example from Pearl Harbor to illustrate the benefits of diverse teams. What are those benefits?

This is not an airy-fairy or feel-good issue. I believe fundamentally it’s a profit-and-loss, bottom-line imperative for organizations.

In the book “Team of Teams” by my friend Gen. Stanley McChrystal, he touched on the fact that more and more in the environment we’re operating in leaders are going to have to do just that – lead a team of teams. You might find yourself in a coalition with another organization for a period of time or as part of a particular task and then both organizations move on.

But to summarize the advantages, I’d say they are the following. One is having a diverse team that expands the number of creative ideas that are coming into an organization as you try to chart a future direction. When there is diversity, you’ll have a better concept and understanding of your customers because they’re represented in the organization – in the case of schools, that’s students, parents and other stakeholders.

You also have a wider access to problem solvers with different perspectives. You can kind of reduce and forestall a certain amount of hostility that can occur across demographic or ethnic lines. And you have an increased application and appreciation of different people and ideas, and a general respect for others. All of this is good for any organization.

As far as Pearl Harbor, I bring that up because in World War II, Americans fought a war against two regimes that believed racial and religious purity was the key to national strength – Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. They thought we were weak due to our diversity, and Hitler once referred to the u.s. as a “mongrel nation.”

And yet when you learn about the 4 4 2 nd combat regiment, the most decorated unit in the war, you find out it was made up of Japanese-Americans whose families were American citizens who had been placed in internment camps

at the beginning of the war. And yet they joined the Army and fought in distinguished fashion despite the fact that their families were in camps while they were doing that.

So, if there’s one thing we should have learned from that terrible experience, it’s that diversity is actually our greatest strength as a nation; it’s not a weakness.

What’s the greatest lesson of your life so far?

I’d say it’s that leading yourself may be the most difficult task each of has, but it’s fundamental to our ability to lead others, particularly at difficult moments.

I used to think there was such a thing as balance as you sought to deal with the three things everyone must deal with – yourself, your family and your career. But I finally realized it’s not balance, it’s harmony. This is the lesson.

I realized there’s no magic formula, and conditions change, but as you get out of whack, you have to consciously take time and energy to re-establish harmony.

I often tell young people as they work so hard on their resumes to take a moment and think instead about their obituaries. What do you want to be remembered for? What’s really your goal?

There’s a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson that sums it up for me: He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much; Who has gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children; Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; Who has left the world better than he found it; Who has looked for the best in others and given the best he had; Whose life was an inspiration, Whose memory is a benediction. z z z Julie Phillips Randles is a freelance writer based in Roseville, California.

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Your schools count on you.

Count on us.

32 California School Business / Winter 2019

Teaching through tragedy Did you miss Dr. Joe Erardi’s Sourcewell webinars on school safety? It’s ok. You can watch the recorded webinars on demand or see him in person. Dr. Erardi, retired superintendent from Newtown, CT, shares his powerful story from the December 2012 Sandy Hook tragedy. We are proud to partner with Dr. Erardi to help you keep students safe.

CASBO 2020 Annual Conference: Dr. Joe Erardi School Safety - Lessons Learned from the Sandy Hook Tragedy Monday, March 30 4:15 - 5:15 p.m. in Pueblo Room Encore Webinar Presentation:

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sourcewell-mn.gov California School Business / casbo.org

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California School Business / casbo.org

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36 California School Business / Winter 2019

COVER STORY

A new way to do business Shifting from transactional to transformational leadership can bring big dividends

By Jennifer Fink

Wh e n Da r i n B r aw l e y c a m e t o compton unified school district i n 2 0 1 2 , graduation rates hovered around 60% and the district was slated to go into state receivership. Thanks in large part to his leadership, Compton Unified, a casbo organizational subscriber, avoided receivership and increased student achievement. Today, graduation rates are about 90%.

“We had pockets of success before, but we wanted to have more success in terms of performance,” says Brawley, Compton Unified’s superintendent and the 2019 Los Angeles County Superintendent of the Year. The district’s dramatic turnaround was a “we effort,” he says.

“It really involved getting individuals to understand that our core mission is student achievement,” Brawley says.

“They had to take ownership of our district’s vision, goals and leadership in accomplishing that work.”

Of course, it’s impossible for one person to single-handedly change the

functioning of an organization, particularly one as large and complex as a school district. Yet in the past, many school leaders have used a traditional top-down style of leadership, sometimes called transactional. Transactional leadership relies on rewards and punishments, oversight and performance monitoring; it’s “rooted in keeping things consistent and predictable over time,” according to a 2018 cio article.

Education, however, is not consistent; it’s ever evolving. To effectively meet the needs of students, families and communities, school leaders must rapidly adapt to changing conditions and demands.

So Brawley adopted a new approach: he uses a transformational style of leadership to actively involve others in the process of creating an educational environment that helps students achieve.

“In the education field, we’ve historically been locked into doing things a certain way, but there are better ways to produce outcomes,” he says. “Oftentimes, the individuals who are doing the

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A new way to do business

work have better solutions than those sitting in offices.”

Shifting your leadership style can have huge benefits.

38 California School Business / Winter 2019

Transactional vs. transformational leadership According to a 2 0 0 3 article in the Cambridge Journal of Education, transactional leadership “focuses on management of existing relationships and maintenance of the status quo.”

Transformational leadership “seeks to envision and create the future by synthesizing and extending the aspirations of members to the organizational community.”

A quick reading of those definitions makes clear which style of leadership is best suited to the current educational environment. However, transformational leadership isn’t intuitive, and many superintendents and school business officers came up through the ranks when transactional leadership was the norm.

Although transformational leadership was first described in the early 1970s, it didn’t gain traction in the business world until the 1980s.

The educational community began experimenting with transformational leadership in the 1990s. It’s still not universally embraced.

But according to El Dorado County Superintendent of Schools Ed Manansala, Ed.D., a casbo organizational subscriber, “transformational leadership is the assumption underneath a lot of the bold changes being proposed in California.”

Achieving academic success for all students with equity will require collective ownership and accountability, as well as leaders who can build relationships and inspire trust.

“If you believe you can do it all yourself and that you can be successful without empowering your team, you’re being disingenuous,” says casbo ceo & Executive Director Molly McGee Hewitt.

Transitioning to transformational leadership Shifting your leadership style can have huge benefits. When you involve and empower other team members, you position your organization for long-term success.

Not sure where to start? These five steps can help you transition to transformational leadership:

1. Establish trust First, know thyself. Authenticity is a hallmark of transformational leadership, and you need to have an honest understanding of your strengths and challenges before you can effectively connect with others.

“Senior leaders need to know how they operate best and what their positives and negatives are so they can mitigate them,” Hewitt says. “If you’re not a great listener, for instance, you can work on listening and tell your team, ‘Sometimes I don’t listen well, so please point that out to me and help me.’”

Similarly, you have to take the time to get to know your team members. One

of the challenges of transformational leadership in education is that leaders frequently inherit teams. However, skipping over team building in favor of getting straight to work is not advisable. Teams will be more productive if all members understand the skills, strengths and challenges of other members and respect each other as fellow human beings.

“Team building and development don’t happen by accident,” Hewitt says.

The role of the leader is to allocate time and resources to team development. “The leader has to spend time with the team and the team has to spend time together.

They need to understand each other’s personalities and communication styles, and then together they can establish some protocols as to how they’ll do things,” Hewitt says.

Investing this time upfront can save time later, as people who don’t know one another are much more likely to jump to conclusions (often negative) than people who know and respect each other.

Conversely, people who share a good working relationship are more likely to extend understanding.

“If you can establish trust as a team, you can learn how to handle conflict so you can debate and discuss divergent points of view without being personally involved,” Hewitt says. Such dispassionate discussion is necessary to reveal innovative solutions.

“ If you can establish trust as a team, you can learn how to handle conflict so you can debate and discuss divergent points of view without being personally involved.”

2. Develop a shared vision Brawley’s first action at Compton Unified was to emphatically articulate the district’s vision: academic achievement for every child. He saw that the district’s focus had shifted toward what’s best for adults rather than what’s best for students, so he reminded everyone that all district activities should support student achievement.

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A new way to do business

People work most effectively when they can see both the big picture and relevant details.

40 California School Business / Winter 2019

“We need to encourage people to focus on common goals and objectives rather than what’s in their own individual interests,” Brawley says. Some leaders struggle with addressing individuals who would rather pursue self-interests, as it’s easier to ignore such behavior than confront it directly. Brawley has helped such individuals by reminding them why it’s necessary to take on challenges related to the status quo.

“I helped our site leaders understand that in order for change to occur, it had to begin with them,” he says. “Gone are the days of making excuses. It’s time to figure out how to work around issues and develop ways to be more creative.”

Christi Barrett, superintendent of casbo Organizational Subscriber Hemet Unified School District since 2016, spent her first two years there building relationships and working with other employees to develop a shared vision.

“It would be very easy for me to sit in isolation with a small group of people and say, ‘These are now our core values and vision,’ but we’re trying to do something that is much more significant,” Barrett says. So, she held meetings with every department and at every school site, listening to others’ thoughts. Together, team members elucidated a shared vision and identified

three key focus areas: teaching and learning, systems of support, and culture and climate.

Because everyone was involved in the development of the vision – and because Barrett and other leaders remind staff members of their shared mission at all opportunities – all employees know exactly what the district is trying to accomplish.

“If only your senior leadership can talk about the work, you’ve missed your mark,” Barrett says.

3. Engage with all stakeholders Transformational leaders regularly connect with people throughout the organization as well as stakeholders outside of the organization. Barrett visits district schools during quarterly site visits and finds those meeting invaluable.

“As much information as they’re giving me about their success and challenges, I’m also getting information about what I need to do to improve systems,” Barrett says. Without hearing directly from those involved, she’d be hard-pressed to fully understand the effect district systems were having in individual schools. With direct feedback from classroom teachers and on-site food workers, for instance, Barrett can better direct district resources.

Of course, it takes a degree of humility to solicit, and accept, honest feedback. Barrett explicitly tells staff members that she relies on them to understand how district initiatives are playing out on a daily basis. When she facilitates staff meetings, she tells them, “’Please be brutally honest, because the further you are from the work, the more you tend to hallucinate about what is and is not happening.’ I think everyone now knows they are empowered to have a voice.”

4. Break down silos People work most effectively when they can see both the big picture and relevant details. Transformational leaders eliminate information silos and encourage collaboration.

In many school districts, the business side of the operation is metaphorically walled off from the academic side. Hemet Unified has made a concentrated effort to connect these services.

“Before, business services would create the budget and allocate dollars, but they didn’t necessarily understand how those dollars were going to be used to impact student outcomes,” Barrett says.

To increase understanding and improve the flow of information, Barrett established an extended cabinet composed of members and directors from each division. “Traditionally, conversations about student outcomes have been the responsibility of education services,” she says. “It is now a collective conversation.”

On a weekly basis, division leaders share their progress toward desired outcomes. Once a month, the cabinet team visits classrooms. “hr is part of that. Business services is part of that. Because if you don’t understand what is happening in classrooms, how can you even begin to understand the implications of the work you lead here at the district office?” Barrett says.

Each trimester, the extended cabinet goes off site to review progress and determine next steps.

“ It would be very easy for me to sit in isolation with a small group of people and say, ‘These are now our core values and vision,’ but we’re trying to do something that is much more significant.”

5. Empower others Though he’s been the superintendent of Long Beach Unified School District for nearly two decades, Christopher Steinhauser says he is “not the expert.”

Instead, he says, “I’m more of a convener.”

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A new way to do business

“ It’s really about allowing for innovation.”

42 California School Business / Winter 2019

That’s what transformational leaders do: bring people together and allow them to explore options and opportunity. They also provide appropriate support.

At Long Beach Unified, a casbo organizational subscriber, Steinhauser stimulates innovation by encouraging schools to submit requests for one-time funding. Just as contestants on the tv show “Shark Tank” have to pitch their ideas to investors, applicants must

present their proposed project to the superintendent, who considers how the project will help the district achieve its goals. Promising projects are funded.

“It’s really about allowing for innovation,” Steinhauser says. “If some of it doesn’t work, that’s ok. Failure is not bad; it teaches us something. If it didn’t work, I encourage them to look at why it didn’t work and share that information with others so they don’t make that same mistake.”

Similarly, he encourages staff to share successes. When he noticed that one of his district high schools was the nation’s No. 1 user of Khan Academy, and that school’s math scores were higher than other schools in the district, he asked the teachers to plan a summit to share their experience and insight with other educators.

“I told them, ‘You design this conference, I’ll pay for it.’ They had 500 people come out on a rainy Saturday,” Steinhauser says. “Now their best practices are being emulated throughout the system in both middle school and high school.”

As a transformational leader, you build the capacity of others. But that doesn’t mean you idle in your office while they do all the work.

“I don’t sit back and just watch,” Steinhauser says. “I help drive the ship with input from folks. It’s about providing the right scaffolding at the right time.” z z z Jennifer Fink is a freelance writer based in Mayville, Wisconsin.

What does transformational leadership look like to you?

Tweet us at #CASBO to share your insights!

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46 California School Business / Winter 2019

FEATURE

Six traits of successful districts THE WORK BEHIND EARNING RESPECT FOR YOUR DISTRICT

By Jerry Fingal For James Brescia, judging a district’s success doesn’t always come from the usual metrics of test scores and state standards.

The San Luis Obispo County superintendent of schools says the most rewarding indicator for him is seeing graduates return as skilled or licensed employees.

“That says, ‘You made a difference and I want to make a difference, too.’ To me, that was a measure of success.”

The source of that kind of success is hard to trace to a single attribute in a school district. But districts that are highly regarded – measured either by reputation or conventional metrics – are consistently doing something right.

Here’s a look at some common attributes respected school districts cite as reasons for their success.

IT’S ALL ABOUT

RELATIONSHIPS

At the core of any successful school district are healthy relationships, whether they’re with community members, school board trustees or staff. And a lot of that connection

California School Business / casbo.org

47

Six traits of successful districts

“ I found that you have to value and listen to your stakeholders, starting with your students, their families and then the broader community, to find what they’re expecting from their schools.”

48 California School Business / Winter 2019

begins with the superintendent and top administrators being involved and visible in the community.

“I think with any organization, it starts with building relationships and a culture of trust that has to permeate your organization,” says Brad Tooker, superintendent of the Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District in Roseville.

“If you don’t have good relationships as a district at all levels, it makes it really difficult to accomplish your mission.”

Those relationships are built upon trust that has to be carefully cultivated.

“Trust is built up over time, but it can be easily lost and hard to recover once you lose it,” he says.

Brescia says understanding what the community wants from its schools and building on that is vital.

“I found that you have to value and listen to your stakeholders, starting with your students, their families and then the broader community, to find what they’re expecting from their schools,” he says.

He cites his own experience as a teacher moving from the urban environment of San Diego to rural Paso Robles.

“The communities wanted different things,” he notes. “In Paso Robles, they wanted to maintain that community feel and wanted you to value and integrate that pioneer spirit.”

District administrators at Clovis Unified School District, a casbo organizational subscriber, make it a point to be visible in the community.

“It might not sound like a big deal, but I think it makes a big difference,” says Michael Johnston, Clovis Unified’s associate superintendent for administrative services. “It’s important for people to see district-level people out and about.

We make it a priority to go to games and events, just to be out there and be seen and know what’s going on in our district.”

Johnston said being responsive to community members is important in building that relationship. Respond to them, he encourages, let them know you’re working on their concerns and show them they’re a priority, he said.

Tooker makes it a priority to be out in the schools.

“Everyone knows who you are.

You have a relationship with teachers.

They feel comfortable talking to you, approaching you about issues, talking about the good and the bad,” he says.

“That helps me to keep a pulse on how we’re doing in the district, how people are feeling and what we need to work on.”

To o k e r a l s o e m p h a s i z e d t h e importance of being involved with the community, whether it’s the chamber of commerce or community events, and to foster relationships with local and state elected representatives.

Establishing relationships with other public agencies and officials is important.

“Get to know the police chief, the city manager, the head of the health department because there’s so much overlap in all these other agencies,” he says. “Who runs the housing authority? Who runs the food bank? Knowing those individuals and establishing those relationships is only going to better serve your students and their families.”

In the 22,000-student NewportMesa Unified School District, a casbo organizational subscriber located in Southern California, the diverse community requires an intentional approach.

On one side of the district are schools where 98% of students qualify for free and reduced-price lunches. On the other side are schools that serve families in the top 1% of earners.

“How you engage parents from both environments has to be different,” says

Superintendent Frederick Navarro. “But there are some general rules of thumb.

You have to have a welcoming environment, so the minute they walk into your school or into your district building, they feel like this is a good place to be.”

Navarro cultivates his relationship with parents by attending monthly meetings with the district’s Parent Teacher Association leaders. Part of his role in that relationship is aligning community goals with the district’s.

“We have a couple of high schools where parents raise almost $1 million a year to donate to programs,” he says.

“And in those situations, we work with them to keep them targeted on our priorities, so they’re adding and contributing to

the mission rather than creating projects that have very little to do with what our main goal is.”

Open communication lines within school districts also foster a sense of community in the workplace. At Clovis Unified, listening to employees is an ongoing effort. The district’s top administrators go on regular listening tours of different departments to get feedback from the staff, ranging from teachers to cafeteria workers.

“We all need to hear what’s working and what’s not,” Johnston says. “The reality is sometimes they have to be brutally honest. But we create an environment for employees to be brutally honest with us and tell us what needs to be fixed.

Open communication lines within school districts also foster a sense of community in the workplace.

California School Business / casbo.org

49

Six traits of successful districts

“ You have to have structures where people can feel they can speak up and have a voice.”

If we don’t have those conversations, those problems aren’t going to resolve themselves.”

In the Santa Clara Unified School District, another casbo organizational subscriber, participation in the California Labor Management Initiative has promoted a collaborative approach to decision-making, says Eric Dill, the district’s chief business official.

“You have to have structures where people can feel they can speak up and have a voice,” Dill says.

Of course, no school district functions well without a good relationship between the superintendent and the school board.

“As the policymakers for the district, it’s important that you’re constantly fostering your relationship with the board to truly operate as a governance team,” Tooker points out. “The superintendent and board members have to work together to ensure they’re getting the information they need to make decisions and

to understand what’s happening in the district and what’s important and what we’re focused on.”

The trustees, Brescia says, “are setting the policy, the governance, the guidance. They have to be part of that team.” However, that relationship with the board can get tricky.

“Sometimes you have school board members who are parents who are on the campus every day, and then you have people who are retired and haven’t had children in the system for 10 or 20 years,” Brescia says. “They come with different lenses and different views. A successful superintendent has to understand and navigate that for not only the employees, the students and the families, but the trustees as well.”

A board that supports district goals is crucial, Navarro says, especially during times of change. He cites a move to close the achievement gap by closely monitoring students to ensure they’re progressing at an appropriate grade level.

“Our teachers have to be supported.

They have to build their capacity to push our kids. And in turn, we’re pushing our teachers. And the board has to support that because that’s not always easy work. Actually, it’s the hardest work because we want everybody to always be happy. But, you know, we do have to push ourselves.

“At times, we’re afflicting the comfortable to a certain degree so that we’re pushing ourselves.”

LEADERSHIP HUMILITY

At Clovis Unified, leadership has a walking-the-talk quality.

Johnston says longtime Superintendent Floyd “Doc” Buchanan, who founded the district in 1960 and served as superintendent until 1991,

50 California School Business / Winter 2019

instilled an ethic that lives on today: “My job is no more important than any of yours.”

“It doesn’t matter whose job it is, do whatever it takes to get the job done,” Johnston says.

Today, that can be seen at public meetings where administrators stick around to help clean up and put away chairs and tables.

“We create that environment where the custodial staff says, ‘Wow, they’re willing to get in here and help us out and get the job done. It doesn’t matter who they are. They’re going to step up just as much as the next person,’” he says.

“I think that’s a huge driver for a successful school district that no matter who you are, you’re willing to stop, take your time and help out.”

Johnston also credits the stability of the district’s leadership with maintaining a common purpose. Frequent changes in district leadership can mean frequent changes in direction that can muddle focus.

“I think it’s key for boards and communities to try to create a leadership level that’s going to be consistent,” he says. “That can really drive an organization forward, by looking at what you’ve done in the past and how you get better at it, instead of constantly having turnover, which can really kill an organization.”

At Newport-Mesa Unified, leadership means creating internal systems that manage the day-to-day business really well so that most of the issues don’t rise up to the board level.

“In order to do that, you have to build a really high-functioning team across the district so that we’re all working and doing our part of the job,” Navarro says. “By doing our part of the job, we make everybody else more efficient and effective. And that takes a

lot of time together, talking about issues, running things across each other, knowing when something bleeds from one department to another. So there’s a sense of collegiality.”

For Tooker, district leaders need to think multi-dimensionally to understand how one decision affects another. In addition, district leaders need to have clear vision and a common focus that everyone understands.

“As superintendent, you’re the keeper of the vision,” he says. “You need to make sure your decisions and resources are aligned with that vision.”

Tooker says it’s important for district leaders to keep their eyes on the future, always scanning the horizon for opportunities and challenges.

“If adversity hits, you’re in a good position to weather that storm,” he says.

“The best time to plan for a recession is when the economy is doing well.”

THE FISCAL ASPECT

“You really can’t do anything unless you’re fiscally sound,” Navarro says.

He says his district is able to avoid borrowing against future tax revenues to make the payroll in the fall. “It’s that kind of organization that allows us to make decisions that enhance services.”

Brescia relies on his chief financial officer to guide him on fiscal matters.

“The death knell for any superintendent is, one, if they don’t navigate the political landscape, and two, if they don’t navigate the fiscal landscape.

“I have such a good relationship with my chief financial officer. When I hired him, I said, ‘I expect you to be able to come in here and tell me if there’s a problem or if I’m doing something wrong. I want you to feel comfortable to close the door and call me on it.’ Having

“Our teachers have to be supported.

They have to build their capacity to push our kids. And in turn, we’re pushing our teachers. And the board has to support that because that’s not always easy work.”

California School Business / casbo.org

51

Six traits of successful districts

that relationship with your chief financial officer and valuing them at that level is critical.”

BUILDING CAPACITY

“ If you’re not constantly helping people to develop and grow and learn, the district is not going to grow and move forward and effectively serve students.”

52 California School Business / Winter 2019

The business of education is complex and ever-changing and demands ongoing training.

“I think it’s absolutely critical that school districts are constantly building capacity of others within the organiza-

tion, especially building the leadership capacity,” Tooker says. “If you’re not constantly helping people to develop and grow and learn, the district is not going to grow and move forward and effectively serve students.”

At Newport-Mesa Unified, Navarro says, “we want to make everybody better at their jobs.”

“We want our payroll supervisor to be the best payroll supervisor around. We make a significant investment in profes-

sional staff development for all aspects of our district.”

HIRING THE BEST

Eighty-five percent of a school district’s costs are for personnel.

“We are in a people-intensive business,” Dill says. “You have to make sure you’re hiring the best people and that you are making the most effective use of their talents. And sometimes you have to keep reevaluating who’s doing what.”

Brescia co-authored a 2017 study on teacher recruitment strategies for the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association. He found that those districts with a steady focus on recruiting teachers had an advantage in hiring.

“Those superintendents and boards that looked at themselves as talent management, as talent acquisition, they were consistently able to hire the best employees.”

Brescia says those districts looked “at their whole team as talent scouts, all out there trying to get the best people, even when we don’t have any openings.”

“There was an alignment or a synergy between those individuals, their boards and the rest of their employee base.”

COMMUNICATION

Finally, clear communication is essential to unraveling the complexities of education for different audiences, on both the learning and business sides.

“Our job as leaders is to simplify it so that people can understand it and can be responsive,” Tooker says. That applies to the community, school board and staff.

“Look at how complex and convoluted the funding system is,” he

says. “The job of a (chief business officer) is to simplify that so people who work within the system – principals and employees – can understand it and work with it.”

External communications also are critical, Tooker says. Social media allows districts to spread their message unfettered.

“You want to celebrate the great things that are happening in your district,” he says. “With social media, you want to have the positives coming out of your district be so overwhelming that they’re going to overshadow any negative comments that may come forward.”

And that may be the most important success measurement of all. z z z

“You have to make sure you’re hiring the best people and that you are making the most effective use of their talents.

And sometimes you have to keep reevaluating who’s doing what.”

Jerry Fingal is a freelance writer based in Eugene, Oregon.

What’s your district’s secret sauce for success? Share your tips on our Facebook page!

California School Business / casbo.org

53

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CASBO: Join us in Palm Springs!

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California School Business / casbo.org

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Beth Comstock – the former vice chair and head of marketing and innovation at General Electric, the president of Integrated Media at NBC Universal who oversaw the early formation of Hulu, and now a corporate director of Nike – knows that we can learn to cope. After all, life will never be any slower than it is today, she says, so jump in and start making adjustments to your routine, your career and your thought patterns.

To provide encouragement on that journey, Comstock turns a spotlight on her own struggles in “Image It Forward: Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change.”

This may well be the most personal business how-to book you’ve read this decade, as she doesn’t sugarcoat the chaos, the mess, the emotions involved in transforming the mindset and culture of a Fortune 100 company.

The takeaway is that your course will likely offer fewer obstacles, so you can anticipate a smoother ride. And Comstock’s honesty provides great companionship for the journey. “’Imagine It Forward’ offers good examples of teaching bravery not perfection – in education and work,” Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, wrote.

Section titles alone spell out how well Comstock knows your inner demons: Self-Permission, Discovery, Agitated Inquiry, Storycraft and Creating a New OS. We recommend you put down the highlighter and simply absorb her experiences and insights. z z z

LEADERSHIP

How to get out of a mid-career funk

By Molly McGee Hewitt CEO & Executive Director

Th e w o r d “ f u n k ” i s a p e r f e c t description of mid-career angst or unhappiness. It seems as if every day is the same, and you may feel that you’re not being recognized, appreciated or valued. You may see others being promoted ahead of you. You may be tired of dealing with the same issues over and over again. You may even be hating the color of the walls in your work area.

A sure sign of funk is that you’re hypersensitive to the environment around you. From the comments you hear to things you infer to how you’re evaluated, you’re generally feeling unhappy and stuck.

Should you find yourself in this situation, before you make major decisions, you must assess your current situation, starting with yourself.

Do you have any family or relationship issues that are affecting you?

Trouble at home or with loved ones can affect your work. If things are difficult, whether it’s children, aging parents, illnesses, money or interpersonal issues, we can wake up unhappy and stressed and retire in the evening the same way!

If the issues that are contributing to your funk aren’t in the office, they need to be addressed outside of the office.

How is your health? Would you describe yourself as healthy and vibrant?

If not, why? Do you need to make changes in your diet and exercise routines?

Have you had a physical lately? Do you have any health issues that are affecting your performance and behavior? Human bodies are complex. Medications or illnesses can affect you both physically and mentally. Becoming healthy can change

your perspective and end your funk. It can also extend your life and improve your lifestyle!

Do you need some counseling or advice? Often, when hitting a rough patch in your career, having an unbiased and professional ear may be an advantage. Check your insurance and see if you’re covered and if there’s professional assistance available. You may also want to consider a career coach or a mentor to help you through this period and enable you to see the way forward.

to go away? Do you understand what is happening? Have you sought out information or clarification if you are unsure? Have the values of the organization changed? Is it the best place for you to work? Is it time to dust off the resume and make a change?

A funk can be a difficult experience.

Understanding why you’re in the funk and what’s causing it is key to curing it and avoiding such feelings in the future.

Often, the funk may be a self-inflicted one! It can start with our attitudes. What’s

A funk can be a difficult experience. Understanding why you’re in the funk and what’s causing it is key to curing it and avoiding such feelings in the future.

Once you’ve assessed yourself, look at your workplace, starting with your superiors. Do you have new people in the organization? Have you taken the time to establish relationships with them? Do you know them or have you been allowing other people’s perceptions cloud or impair your perception? Either way, take the time to build a strong relationship with your supervisor.

What about your colleagues or subordinates? Are you having issues with new or veteran workers? Have any dynamics changed in the office? Are there any unresolved issues or protocols that need to be addressed? Have you invested the time and effort required to be a valued and appreciated colleague? Can you enhance these relationships?

And finally, have things changed in your organization? Did you embrace the changes or are you waiting for them

positive in your work? What makes it a great place to work? What do you do to make it a great place? Do you have realistic or unrealistic expectations? Can you change your perspective to change your situation? An exercise as simple as a listing of pros and cons can help you explore your funk and resolve it. z z z

California School Business / casbo.org

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OUT & ABOUT

CASBO Eastern & Southern Sections’ Purchasing Professional Councils’ 51st Annual Vendor Show October 9, 2019 | Ontario Convention Center Section leadership took the checkered flag as attendees and exhibitors alike got up to speed with CASBO! Please send in your Out & About photos from CASBO events along with the names of the people in the photos and the event where the photo was taken. Digital photos may be sent to jtribbey@casbo.org.

California School Business / casbo.org

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School Outfitters (800) 260-2776 schooloutfitters.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover

School Services of California, Inc. (916) 446-7517 sscal.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Schools Excess Liability Fund (SELF) (866) 453-5300 selfjpa.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union (714) 258-4000 x4727 schoolsfirstfcu.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Sehi Computer Products, Inc.

Visit casbo.org/AC2020 60 California School Business / Winter 2019

(800) 346-6315 buysehi.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

ADVERTISER INDEX

Self-Insured Schools of California (SISC) (800) 972-1727 sisc.kern.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Smartetools, Inc. (866) Smarte-1 smartetools.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Sourcewell (218) 894-5467 sourcewell-mn.gov . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32/33

Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Inc. (415) 364-6839 stifel.com/publicfinance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover

TerraVerde Energy (888) 316-2597 terraverde.energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

The foremost authority on school business.

California School Business / casbo.org

61

L AST WORDS

”

When we listen and celebrate what is both common and different, we become wiser, more inclusive and better as an organization.

– Pat Wadors

46-58%

Organizations with above-average gender diversity and levels of employee engagement outperform companies with below-average diversity and engagement by 46% to 58%.

– Fast Company

”

I’ve led a school whose faculty and students examine and discuss and debate every aspect of our law and legal system. And what I’ve learned most is that no one has a monopoly on truth or wisdom. I’ve learned that we make progress by listening to each other, across every apparent political or ideological divide.

– Elena Kagan, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

62 California School Business / Winter 2019

$ 40 billion National savings in public health costs would exceed $40 billion if every high school dropout in just a single year would graduate.

Average annual public health costs are $2,700 per dropout, $1,000 per high school graduate and $170 per college graduate.

– Report, “Pennsylvania’s Best Investment: The Social and Economic Benefits of Public Education”

”

To me, a leader is someone who holds her- or himself accountable for finding potential in people and processes.

– Brene Brown, author and researcher

1,762 and 9,941 Researchers who surveyed 1,762 teachers and 9,941 students in a single school district found that transformational leadership was associated with much greater cohesion and satisfaction among staff.

– Study, “The Effects of Transformational Leadership on Organizational Conditions and Student Engagement With School” Do you have an inspirational quote or interesting statistic to share with your colleagues?

Send your favorites to jtribbey@casbo.org.

Choose a partner who knows California education finance Piper Jaffray California Public Finance Piper Jaffray is a leading provider of financial services for California school districts and community college districts. Our team of dedicated K-14 education finance professionals has more than 150 years of combined experience and service to the education industry.

•

General Obligation Bonds

•

Tax and Revenue Anticipation Notes

•

Certificates of Participation

•

Interim Project Financing

•

Mello-Roos/CFD Bonds

•

Debt Refinancing/Restructuring

Timothy Carty Managing Director 310 297-6011 timothy.p.carty@pjc.com

Rich Calabro Managing Director 310 297-6013 richard.n.calabro@pjc.com

Jin Kim Managing Director 310 297-6020 jin.y.kim@pjc.com

Ivory Li Managing Director 415 616-1614 ivory.r.li@pjc.com

Trennis Wright Senior Vice President 310 297-6018 trennis.l.wright@pjc.com

Mark Adler Managing Director 310 297-6010 mark.j.adler@pjc.com

Jessica Burst Associate 310 297-6035 jessica.l.burst@pjc.com

Ilya Barats Associate 310 297-6016 ilya.x.barats@pjc.com

Pam Hammer Office Supervisor 310 297-6023 pamela.a.hammer@pjc.com

Piper Jaffray California public finance investment banking offices are located in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento and Orange County.

piperjaffray.com Since 1895. Member SIPC and NYSE. © 2019 Piper Jaffray & Co. 9/19 CM-19-0136

California School Business / casbo.org

63

FINANCING CALIFORNIA’S FUTURE

Let us help you achieve your financing goals.

Visit www.stifel.com/institutional/public-finance or contact a member of our School Finance Group:

Stifel is the leading underwriter of California K-12 school district bonds.* We assist local districts in providing financing for facility projects and cash flow borrowing, including new construction, modernization, renovation, and technology

Northern California | San Francisco Office Bruce Kerns Managing Director (415) 364-6839 bkerns@stifel.com

Erica Gonzalez Managing Director (415) 364-6841 egonzalez@stifel.com

Roberto J. Ruiz Director (415) 364-6856 rruiz@stifel.com Southern California | Los Angeles Office Dawn Vincent Managing Director (213) 443-5006 dvincent@stifel.com

Robert Barna Managing Director (213) 443-5205 rbarna@stifel.com

improvements. Our work with California school districts includes general obligation bonds, Mello-Roos bonds, certificates of participation, leases, bridge financings, TRANs, and the refinancing or restructuring of previously issued bonds.

We give back to the communities we serve by providing college scholarships to graduating high school seniors through Stifel’s annual Fabric of Society essay competition and by supporting school-related foundations and functions through the Stifel Education Program (“StEP”). * Source: Thomson Reuters SDC, by par amount and number of issues for negotiated transactions in 2017.

Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated | Member SIPC & NYSE | www.stifel.com/publicfinance

64 California School Business / Winter 2019