BOTTOM LINE To chart the future of education, we need our strongest leaders at the helm

To chart the future of education, we need our strongest leaders at the helm

HISTORICALLY, THERE’S BEEN a reaction against focusing too much on the CBO – with some justification. School business professionals, as much as CBOs themselves, are crucial to the execution of a great strategy. However, strong CBOs are worth studying (which is just what we’re doing with the WestEd CBO study that is underway).

As stewards of public funds and their local education agency’s purpose, the CBO’s ability to make sense of the business environment, and to craft and articulate the business strategies, is central to long-term success.

So how do we reconcile the disconnect between the annual “event” (or short-term orientation) of budgets and legislative changes with the “process” (mid- to long-term solutions) of meaningful change that education transformation requires? What can we do to ensure the short-term orientation does not destroy the value of the mid- to longterm solutions?

This is where the CBO’s expertise will inform the strategy. Will the execution be simple? Of course not! Will it be the right thing to do? Unquestionably! Both in my military and education experience, I’ve learned some things about strong leaders:

Through successful skill development and leadership of self and staff, they accumulate a body of knowledge over a long span of time –knowledge that is specific to the trade and industry. They know their stuff!

• They always treat people with dignity and respect resulting in earned trust. • They set high standards for themselves and everyone in their organization and are accountable for maintaining them. • They communicate vertically and horizontally, openly, transparently and continually. • They maintain balance by devoting time to family and community. • They have fun by embracing responsibilities with enthusiasm and optimism.

In response to the latest change or program initiative, our strongest leaders proclaim, “We can do that,” or “We can’t do that, but here’s an alternative,” because they can distinguish wishful thinking from an accurate recognition of vital internal capabilities – and they can do so early in the process.

Our strongest leaders have developed depth of knowledge and, in turn, are sharing that with peers, staff, state and community. Knowing how to develop a budget is an important, basic requirement of a CBO. But the experiences that allow for critical thinking, problem-solving and creative innovation around real challenges are what differentiate a skill from a competency.

It’s hard to overstate how important it is to understand the true value of our comprehensive and collective knowledge – in other words, how school business really works – so that we can affect, in a deep and substantive way, the bills, budgets, programs and plans that will shape the future of education.

We need our strongest leaders now! z z z

Richard G. De Nava President