Comments

1. work well with administrators and teachers in addition to community. recognize and address problems with key personnel. ability to recognize areas in which he or she is not strong and to hire trustworthy personnel to create balance.
2. I would like to see someone who has a long term commitment to our community.
3. Unquestioned integrity and commitment to achievement for all students. Retain our best and embrace all to make sure that we lose no one student
4. real "meat"--no fluff; cheerleading squad isn't always right
5. I want to have a Superintendant who is from AUSD, and not a temporary transplant who plans to stay for a short while and who takes a year or more to get to know the schools and teachers. I have worked with superintendants since 1965 and the best ones were from our district. It is crucial that the superintendant knows Alameda. Nishino didn't even know that Alameda was an island for six months!
6. 1. Leadership 2. Strategic planning 3. Effective in making organizational change 4. Knows how to drive to results
7. I think that one of the great things about Chacones is that he had a vision for excellence. He wasn't great at the administration side but her had a bold vision. Nishino seemed to have strength in finance but not much else.... Ideally the new Superintendent would be able to create a great bond with teachers and parents. Also, I want him/her to focus not only on the improving education for the lower performing students but ensuring that we continue to provide excellent education for the high performing children. I will say that Alameda HIgh does a great job of having "tracks" for high achieving kids but it doesn't seem that the middle schools do. Also, it seemed that as a district we were really onto something when we created magnet schools that pulled from across the island. I'm not suer why we have abandoned Bravo program, The Wood Academy etc. Thanks for asking for my input
8. Leadership skills in the sense of being able to inspire and coach others to perform their best; knowledge of and experience with principled negotiation; personal time management skills; interpersonal skills, including ability to have "Difficult Conversations" (another book in the Harvard Negotiation Project series)
9. Familiarity with the Alameda community
10. Committment to arts education and the drive to make it happen. Committment to expanding GATE program so that high-achieving children can thrive instead of being bored as they are now.
11. Communication skills with youths and teens. Mediation skills for issues with parents/teens for school personal issues.
12. We are all also looking for a School District that reflects an integrated approach to education. So much of our past has been teachers vs. Superintendent vs.district office vs. parents. Are there no templates or models out there to help guide us to this next level?
13. Must spend time walking the campus on a daily basis
14. Someone who can be looked up to and be a leader in education who will lead our school district into providing an excellant education for the children of all incomes and cultures who live here. Not a good 'ole person or a person of a certain race or culture, but selected because they are the best.
15. Basic pedagogy! How kids work and learn. Critical thinking. Creativity in problem solving.
16. Community involvement and an attachement to the community. Must live in the community.
17. The affinity and connection with children/students and their needs, including students with disability. Placing student improvements and enhancements top of priority when considering budgets. Should understand that their position is to serve the students in preparing them to meet the challenges and grooming them to be future leaders of the community/country.
18. Ability to judge skill and talent in the hiring of principals. Ability to converse with parents one on one.
19. We do not have thecapacity to spread ourselves so thin. We need to narrow our focus, define the leverage actions and stay the course.
20. Technology skills are not a big deal to me - that can be delegated. But it would be good if they can figure out how to use email.
21. Direction and focus of the community and district - the immediate and future goals. Long term committment and dedication.
22. Ability to speak with parents and community and to be openly and honestly available to parents. I have not seen this in the past... Being shuffled around the district office is not acceptable
23. I would like to see a superintendent who is committed to raising achievement for all students in Alameda. In particular, I would appreciate a superintendent who understands how to raise achievement for immigrant kids, English Learners and kids at the bottom of the heap and HAS HAD EXPERIENCE DOING SO.
24. Wide curious, open mindedness toward multiple methods of meeting students needs. Willingness to allow more than one perpective to be heard. Respect and acknowledge success of all employees. Not just those that promote a certain program.
25. 1. Openness to innovation, ability to work with active community resources and groups from all backgrounds and community sectors. 2. Ability to be accessible to and open to public and news inquiries, enter into community dialogues and discussions of community issues affecting education. 3. Ability to work harmoniously with unions, staff, teachers at all levels. We need open communication, cooperation, and transparency.
26. Specifically, a "customer relations" approach to running the District. I feel that the culture at the District, which has been long held, not just with our last superintendent, as been one of the staff "doing us a favor by being there". Rather, I would suggest that the attitude be that we are their "customers" and their goal is to work toward our goals and state, federal standards. Too often we are told "to butt out" and "don't give out my number". I find that unacceptable ~ none of us are above the checks and balances that should be in place.
27. A strong background in special education
28. I would like to have someone who works well with others, communicates well and wants to stay in Alameda a long time. I hate seeing waste in our school system. We need someone who is fiscally savvy and has a long-term vision for facilities and labor relations.
29. The Superintendent MUST have personal knowledge of AUSD and it's functions, someone who has been working in AUSD for years.
30. Someone who visits campuses and gets to know and appreciate her/his employees.
31. I would hope that her philsophy of education extends beyond the classrooms and school buildings into the community and that she sees the potential for the district to make a postive impact on parents as well as children.
32. Knowledge of the local community and experience dealing with the variety of stake holders.
33. The Superintendent is the highest ranking, most visible member of our school community. With that in mind I believe the new Superintendent should have a management level understanding of all of the specific areas listed above, but must have a knowledge of the community, schools, current personnel, and major problems facing this district. It doesn't make sense to me to look outside AUSD because it would take an outsider many months just to get up to functioning speed and we don't have the luxury of having that much time. We have decisions that should be made now.
34. I feel that the Superintendent should be an individual who has been an active member of the Alameda learning community.... An individual who has lived in Alameda, raised children in Alameda schools and has been actively involved with the school as a teacher and a principal. We do NOT want a commuting Sup who doesn't grasp the essence of the community. Bay Farm 1st grade teacher
35. Ability to relate to all community groups and bring them together to support the children of Alameda.
36. Hey Mike, I will be coming to a few of the meetings and want to share some of my feelings as an employee, past union president, parent, and Equal Opportunity Committee member and some of my insights in sitting on the districts hiring panels for the past 12 years.
37. INTEGRITY, HONESTY, AND A LACK OF POLITICAL AGENDA
38. Diversity. Lack of arrogance. Time for each child and teacher.
39. I think the next superintendant should be a uniter who really involves others in the decision making process. Prioritizing our scarce resources should also be important, since it is very clear that the budget will be inadequate to the needs of AUSD. I also have a strong preference for a superintendant who lives in the community. I think it makes a real difference if senior management is connected to Alameda in daily life.
40. I would like to have a super who is progressive thinking. There is too much emphasis on test scores and technology is not the answer. I don't want my kids sitting in front of a computer, instead of instructed by a caring teacher. I think the physical atmosphere can have a great impact on students desire to be at school, and the middle schools and high schools look terrible. There needs to be a caring maintenance dept, who have the kids (not easy maintenance) as a priority.
41. Motivational, charismatic and able to connect with the community. High expectations for staff and student achievement. Ability to bring people together and unify them around common goals. Good follow through on legal issues and compliance issues as well as ethical.
42. I would like to see someone who has a demonstrated ability to work well with our teaching professionals.
43. I would like to see skills in developing programs for marginalized children. For instance, he or she should be able to recognize and develop locally a program to teach ADHD children to read. At risk children need special attention, and this should be a priority.
44. A vision for education.
45. Understanding of special education in terms of the District's duty to provide every student with the tools to succeed & be independent. This is a fundamental right. Too often special ed has been a scapegoat for financial problems -- because people who often lack the time & savvy to self-advocate aren't likely to protest.
46. I think that experience and expertise working with a diverse community of families and students is most important. Next the ability to inspire and make the best use of teachers and administrators in the District.
47. L E A D E R S H I P AND COMMUNICATION, NOT ONLY WITH THE DISTRICT, BUT WITH THE KIDS, PARENTS, AND COMMUNITY G U T S TO GET RID OF THE CRUMMY PEOPLE!
48. I spread out the top ones figuring we can't have must haves on everything. The most important to me is someone who is trying to reach out to the comunity and talk to parents and the community. If they have the right management skills they can hire the right people for the positions such as technology. Someone who gets real equity. I am saddened at what is offered to chipman compared to Wood and Lincoln. The truth is the equity there is in better management and staff than the other 2 schools.
49. Ideally our next superintendent would not only be graced with good academic and fiscal knowledge BUT would be able to personally implement forward thinking ideas. The superintendent should be able to unite city officials, school board, teacher union, parents and students to achieve a STATED common goal (other than higher test scores). Yes, students need to be able to recognize who the superintendent is!
50. an appreciation and awareness of equity an ability to develop relationships with administrators and teachers participation in the community approachability
51. Knowledge of the Alameda community

Experience

Comments

1. worked at sites that serve students from low SES, title 1, etc. It is not possible to truly understand the challenges faced if you have only head about them... must be lived.
2. The district needs a fresh face and new perspective. Where it's going now started a few years ago and can be carried forward by a competent experienced person.
3. If the candidate has been in a classroom for a significant amount of time, She or he will have a better understanding of current education. The person should not have the majority of his/her experience in private schools.
4. I do not believe the candidate must have followed any single career path. Many distriicts have moved business leaders into the superintendent role--some with good results and some without those results. Similarly, many who have experience in education have succeeded while others have not. Helpful experiences would include: - successful leadership in an environment with a wide variety of stakeholders who want different things - experience with different functions is helpful because a leader need not be expert in everything but they need to know how to utilize and respect all the different functions--this is easier if they have experience in both line/staff roles and or in multiple areas (principal, district, etc) - experience fixing something that is broken - experience implementing a change successfully - experience starting something from scratch
5. I am concerned and frightened by the selections to choose from under "Experience" for Alameda's Superintendent of Schools. Howabout educational leadership? School redesign? Community involvment? All must haves...
6. Affiliation with local community groups
7. Experience working with the Board of Education and other elected officials (someone with Distict-level experience who has "staffed" the Board - not the less regular interaction typical of principals). Which position is less important than the direct interaction and, therefore, understanding of how a board works.
8. I don't see particular experience as being as important as the type of person they are and what their actual skills are.
9. With a great team the superintendent needs to know when to be a leader and when to follow. One person can learn if surrouned by a strong team.
10. Private sector management of resources and personnel, demonstrated sense of vision!
11. The best would have experience "in the trenches" as a teacher and perhaps principal, and have some knowledge of the other positions, as well as a variety of jobs which exposed him/her to how the world works in a non-education setting.
12. I presume candidates are being promoted up from within the Alameda district. i don't know whether or not that is necessary - bringing in a very qualified person from outside the district might cause resentment and difficulties; but limiting ourselves to someone from within the Alameda district may not work if we don't have anyone with across-the-board qualifications
13. Very active in their local community and knowledge of the different groups and trends that their city has/are going through. Being active during good and hardship struggles that a city experience. Positive relationship/experience with all levels of their departments and the district.
14. Direct experience in some of the above areas is less important than a full understanding of and support for thosae working in technology, special ed, facilities, etc. Union leadership experience might help generate credibility with teacher 's unions...
15. Obviously, strong managements skills. I think of the superintendent as being the CEO of the "Corporation". They need not have each individual skill within the district, but have a good overall understanding of all the areas he/she manages. He/she must build a strong base of lower management to upper management and allow those with expertise in their field to do their job, until proven otherwise.
16. Business experience would be an asset
17. Proven track record of staying in budget and getting the job done.
18. This can only be done by someone who has been working in the district for year like Ardella Dailey.
19. Must be a people person!
20. I would hope that she would have the understanding that not all children and families are created equal and that some children require addtional services to reach their learning potential. i am not referring to Special Ed. I am referring to the many children who are "punished" by the educational systems failure to meet their needs because of funding and lack of vision and leadership. These are often children born into poverty, violence and non priveledged ethnic groups.
21. Experience with local community
22. All of the positions listed seem too specific. We need someone with a broad background of district experience and knowledge, not necessarily in one specific area. You left off Assiatant Superintendent.
23. Needs to have had a variety of principal positions and other district position to have a broad view of the school district.
24. Leadership
25. I have an overwhelming bias that a superintendant should have at least some experience at the high school level. If he/she has never worked in a high school, I do not believe a successful superintendancy is possible. The most complicated issues of curriculum, credits, graduation requirements, UC approval, extra curricular activities, standardized testing all come in high school.
26. Experienced at working with staff.
27. They need to have come up through the ranks and have experience in ANY cabinet level position. They need to be able to relate to both elementary and secondary issues - without bias. Both levels of programs have very diverse needs which sometimes don't relate to each other. Training in Organizational Developement / Leadership (Masters and or Doctorate) - preferably doctorate in Educational Leadership.
28. Community outreach is very important as a background skill.
29. Non-education experience. Superintendent has to have perspective that extends beyond the ivy tower. A large part of the job is community relations.
30. Experience with Labor Relations and alternative and small school development would be good.
31. I'm interpreting "fiscal position" and "personnel position" loosely, not necessarily meaning head of those specific departments, but a position that oversees substantial district personnel and finances. For example, prior experience as a superintendent would cover that "must have" requirement.
32. What else is there?

Personal Traits

Comments