Expectations and Protocols for District Leadership Team Members

Presenter

Suzanne P. Kelly, Chief of Staff

Hiway Federal Credit Union

September 9, 2011

Purpose The purpose of this presentation is to provide

guidance to Saint Paul Public Schools on the expectations and protocols governing their work. At the conclusion of this presentation participants should have a better understanding of expectations related to items including Board interaction and communication; providing information and materials to the Superintendent and expectations of responsiveness.

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Presentation Overview Roles and Membership Leadership Expectations Communication with Board Members Board Meeting Protocols Miscellaneous Items Questions

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Composition of Cabinet and District Leadership Team Cabinet

Five Chiefs Four Assistant Superintendents Other senior district staff as assigned by the

Superintendent District Leadership Team

All Cabinet members Direct reports to Cabinet members as assigned by

the Chiefs and the Superintendent

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Role of the Cabinet Intentionally engage in the disciplined actions

required to deliver the outcomes of the Mission and Vision of St. Paul Public Schools (SPPS)

Model SPPS vision, mission and values Guide and monitor implementation of Strong

Schools, Strong Communities Strategic Plan Examine SPPS policies, procedures and actions

through a racial equity lens Establish systemic priorities and timelines;

align resource allocations to priorities

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District Leadership Protocols/ExpectationsSchool/Site Visits and Community Participation

Value of being visible & connected

On-Call Positions Time outside of work is valued and will be respected SPPS leaders must be available to deal with emergencies

when they arise SPPS leaders must be able to be reached by the

Superintendent or Chief of Staff All department heads must identify a second during

absences (vacation, extended illness, etc.)

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District LeadershipProtocols/Expectations Communication with Superintendent’s

Superintendent’s Abstract Send all documents via the abstract method unless

specifically directed to do otherwise by the Superintendent or the Chief of Staff

The Superintendent requires a minimum of 24 hours to review and sign abstracts.

Superintendent’s E-mail Do not use e-mail to communicate issues that require

an action Use abstract process unless issue is a true emergency E-mails that require immediate attention: NR (needs

response) by [date] should be included in the subject line.

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District LeadershipProtocols/Expectations Superintendent Meetings

All staff should clear meeting requests through appropriate Chief

If meeting with the Superintendent and a group, always provide advance material for Superintendent to review

The Superintendent should not be asked to meet with vendors

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Board Member Communication

Board communication flows through the Superintendent

Tiered process for direct contact from BOE member Answer simple requests directly. No follow-up necessary Request time for nuanced replies. Advise that you will

investigate and reply through the Superintendent’s Office.

Requests that require reports, data analysis or more than 20 minutes of work must first be routed to the Superintendent’s Office and copied to the Chief of Staff.

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Board Member Communication Self-generated or constituent-generated Board

e-mails are logged and tracked by the Board Secretary Request for response will come from the

Superintendent or Chief of Staff Response time is no longer than 72 hours Responses come back to the Chief of Staff for

dissemination to the Board

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Board Member CommunicationWeekly Update

Material generated by District Leadership Team members; submitted by Chiefs to Chief of Staff

Update material due to Chief of Staff no later than 12 p.m. (noon) each Thursday

Material should be: high-level strategic focused on policy or governance questions provide information BOE needs to take an action anticipatory of issues that may arise from

constituents (internal or external) that may soon rise to Board level.

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Board Meeting Protocols The regular BOE presents our public face to

the community Goal is to provide relevant, high-level, overview of

material with clarity and brevity Presentations should be previewed by the

Cabinet before going live at BOE All staff must adhere to parliamentary

procedure and decorum Keeps meetings on time and provides information

without focusing on fine details

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COB Meeting Protocols All COB materials must be approved by

Superintendent’s Office before being sent to the Board Secretary

Cabinet reviews COB PowerPoint decks or handouts one week prior to meeting

Meeting follows formal protocols unless otherwise directed by the committee chair When a board member asks a question, the

Superintendent will answer or refer the answer to the person s/he believes to be the appropriate staff member.

The Board table is for Board members, Superintendent and Board Secretary; staff rotate based on presentation

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Miscellaneous ItemsDistrict-wide Communication

The Bridge is the official communication mechanism for relaying information to all schools and programs within the district. Communication to all principals and staff should be done via The

Bridge Staff should not send group e-mails to principals, separate from

The Bridge. Exceptions require clearance from the Chief of Schools or the Chief of Staff.

All District Leadership Team members are expected to read The Bridge when it comes out on Mondays and reiterate relevant information during their staff meetings.

Media Requests All media requests for interviews or information should be

directed to the Office of Communications, Marketing and Development for coordination.

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Miscellaneous Items Assistant Superintendents

Provide supervision of principals Must be included in any discussions or issues

related to schools Any change in program procedures that affect

school must involve Assistant Superintendents

Tele-chain Required for all departments by September 30;

back-up to Connect-Ed Forward a copy to the Chief of Staff

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Miscellaneous Items

Department Publications & Reports All departmental reports/publications need to be discussed and approved by the

appropriate Chief(s) before publishing [ex. a report on the disproportionate rate of African American male referrals to Special

Education should be vetted by both the Chief Academic Officer and the Chief Accountability Officer].

If the document is to be widely disseminated, the Director of the Office of Communications, Marketing and Development must be involved as well as the Accountability Office if data is used.

 Postings Only the Superintendent can authorize hiring of principals, assistant principals,

District Leadership Team or Cabinet level positions. All new or replacement postings need to be discussed and approved by the

appropriate Chief [and the Superintendent for Assistant Director and above] before turning it in to HR.

HR must have an approved budget code for the position before it will be posted.

Grants Before making commitments to or holding exploratory meetings with external

funders or corporate partners, first contact the Director of the Office of Communications, Marketing who will then analyze the opportunity with the Chief of Staff or appropriate Cabinet member.

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QUESTIONS?

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