S05E15 - Balancing Two Districts and One Mission: A Journey Through Leadership and Change | Dr. Matthew Montgomery, Superintendent

Interactive Transcript

spk_0 Hello and welcome to Build Momentum for Education, a podcast where we explore thought leadership

spk_0 and education.

spk_0 I'm Sarah Williams and the founder of SWPR Group, an agency that supports public relations,

spk_0 communication strategies, and thought leadership support for school districts, education

spk_0 companies, and nonprofit organizations.

spk_0 And I'm Chebos, Chancellor and Ivy Tech Community College in India.

spk_0 This season we explore a particularly unique, perspective in K-12 thought leadership,

spk_0 humanizing the role of the superintendent.

spk_0 Throughout the many conversations we continue to have with superintendents, a clear theme

spk_0 has emerged about the need to bring more humanity into the role of the superintendent's

spk_0 seat.

spk_0 In this special series, we interview current and former superintendents and researchers

spk_0 to pursue the core question.

spk_0 How can we better see superintendents as real people navigating complex challenges to

spk_0 provide the best possible education for K-12 students?

spk_0 We dig deeper into how this important work can help build community, invite collaboration,

spk_0 and increase widespread engagement.

spk_0 We can't wait to get started, so let's dive in.

spk_0 So welcome to Build Momentum for Education and we're thrilled to have Dr. Matthew McCumry,

spk_0 Superintendent of Lake Forest Community High School District 115 and Lake Forest Elementary

spk_0 School District 67.

spk_0 And so our podcast here, will you please tell us a little bit about your career as a superintendent

spk_0 where you have lead districts?

spk_0 And we've talked a lot of superintendents, but we have not talked to anyone that is a

spk_0 superintendent of two school districts.

spk_0 And we know that one is tough, two is unreal.

spk_0 And so we want to hear all about that and how you became the leader of two districts.

spk_0 Well, thank you, you're very kind.

spk_0 I appreciate you having me with you today and I'm confident that you've talked to amazing

spk_0 colleagues across the country because there are incredible leaders that are doing amazing

spk_0 work and I am proud to learn from them each and every day.

spk_0 So this is my third and fourth superintendent, see respectfully, which means that I was

spk_0 born and raised in Ohio and I led two districts in Ohio, one rural district, very small at an

spk_0 incredibly early point in my career.

spk_0 And then one suburban district that was a little bigger and had more resources than the

spk_0 rural environment.

spk_0 And then when I moved to the Chicago land area, this was the first time that I ever attempted

spk_0 to be a part of two districts, Chad, to your point simultaneously.

spk_0 It is not a very common scenario for a superintendent to have two.

spk_0 I don't give me too much credit though because they've been doing it for a long time before

spk_0 me.

spk_0 I just joined the process with them.

spk_0 Actually, we just celebrated 20 years of shared services, which means that the district,

spk_0 I oversee an elementary district, which is Lake Forest District 67, as well as a high school,

spk_0 which is Lake Forest Community High School.

spk_0 There is another elementary feeder, Lake Bluff District 65, that has their seven board member

spk_0 and individual superintendent, her name is Dr. Lisa Leoli, doing incredible work and happy

spk_0 to call her a friend and a colleague.

spk_0 So both elementary's feed into the high school of which I'm a part of.

spk_0 So I have two boards of seven.

spk_0 There are four collective bargaining agreements, two and two, two for each district.

spk_0 Everything is separate except for about 35 to 40 shared service employees that help support

spk_0 both districts.

spk_0 So think of human resources, business department, facilities, teaching and learning, as well

spk_0 as then the superintendent themselves or myself.

spk_0 It is by far the most challenging leadership opportunity I've been given or afforded.

spk_0 And now that it's year four, it feels great.

spk_0 And I don't want it any other way.

spk_0 Actually, one of the options or one of the things I was charged with when I started was

spk_0 should the district's remained shared services or not.

spk_0 That was one of my goals in my first contract.

spk_0 And I reaffirmed what many people have before me determined, which is a mutually beneficial

spk_0 and symbiotic relationship, terms of economy and scale, as well as maximizing continuity

spk_0 between elementaries and the high school.

spk_0 And it acts, it doesn't act as a unit district.

spk_0 And that's what I led in Ohio, which are pre K 12 districts.

spk_0 And there are pre K 12 districts in Illinois.

spk_0 So even though it is not a unit district, it's symbols or mimics one in certain spaces.

spk_0 And then it's uniquely different in others in terms of there's all of the budgets.

spk_0 It's just double everything in terms of how the state identifies us and everything that

spk_0 goes with the work.

spk_0 This is my 12th year as finished, not my 12th year of superintendent, which sounds incredible

spk_0 and acknowledging that each year of the superintendent is equivalent of aging in dog years.

spk_0 So I'm still kicking and happy to be here.

spk_0 But I can't, gosh, could I tell myself stories if I knew what I knew now then because leadership

spk_0 continues to evolve and change.

spk_0 Yeah, I'm sure that's so impressive.

spk_0 I still think it's pretty impressive that you're running to districts.

spk_0 I know you're not giving yourself credit, but wow, two boards, that's impressive.

spk_0 Equal, I'm really lucky actually.

spk_0 And if I could just take a moment, some people struggle.

spk_0 I had a five member board in Ohio and both of those districts.

spk_0 And here I have two of seven.

spk_0 And I continued to have my bucket filled by non agenda student focused, community focused

spk_0 board members who come together with the help of a Lake Forest caucus and also a caucus

spk_0 like process in Lake Bluff where they screen the community screens, public service officials.

spk_0 And what you find is this not for profit HR firm within the community that is bringing

spk_0 the best of the best forward.

spk_0 And I will tell you that I am very, very lucky to have 14 board members who care about

spk_0 kids and want to do right for the community.

spk_0 That's incredible.

spk_0 Well, well done.

spk_0 So you clearly find this job rewarding.

spk_0 I'm work here.

spk_0 So we'd love to hear throughout your career what you found to be the most rewarding aspects

spk_0 of school leadership.

spk_0 So when I started as a teacher, I was a high school science teacher and I always wanted

spk_0 to know what was happening in the principal's office or what happens when they would close

spk_0 the door.

spk_0 And that always intrigued me.

spk_0 And I thought, gosh, maybe I could make a bigger impact in terms of change in making

spk_0 young people's experiences better if I went to the next spot.

spk_0 So when I got to the principal's office, that I was curious about what was happening

spk_0 in the superintendent's office.

spk_0 And now I make the joke that when I'm in my office, if anybody walks in and closes the

spk_0 door, I'm like, oh, please don't.

spk_0 Like I've had my fill of what happens, but it is the most rewarding experience I've ever

spk_0 had in my life when you are making changes and you're always playing for the long game.

spk_0 So oftentimes the work you're doing does not come to fruition for one, two, three, four

spk_0 years in advance.

spk_0 So I really like seeing projects from ideation to ribbon cutting to see that unfold.

spk_0 Hopefully I'm still in the district.

spk_0 I want to be here for a long time.

spk_0 And I have this sense of urgency to complete what I start, but it's in those quiet moments,

spk_0 years after when you've started something that you have to almost take the beat and say,

spk_0 wow, the team did it or things that we thought weren't possible weren't.

spk_0 And that continual and cycle of improvement is something that I love to work on.

spk_0 The meeting I just left, we're thinking about a project that will not come or could not

spk_0 come to the earliest would be two years out for the conversation we just had.

spk_0 That's exciting to always be forward thinking in this role.

spk_0 Well, I think this next question is kind of why we started to have conversations with

spk_0 superintendents across the country.

spk_0 And a 2023 Rand study found that superintendents have one of the most stressful jobs in America.

spk_0 And so we could ask all of the folks who join us in this series, their thoughts on these findings.

spk_0 Do you see these as bringing true and how have you been able to cope with the stress that the role

spk_0 brings?

spk_0 So when you hear these studies, I don't know if I feel reaffirmed that yes, things are different

spk_0 or that things are stressful at times.

spk_0 I also think that many leaders that matriculate to the superintendents or CEOs standpoint

spk_0 in public sector or private thrive on stress to some degree.

spk_0 In fact, we are experts in stress management, the ones that are surviving and thriving.

spk_0 So it's common to say that it's one of the most stressful jobs because leadership is stressful.

spk_0 And I often say that in retirement, I hope to sell ice cream on a beach with three flavors.

spk_0 And if you don't like the three, there's another shop that you can go see and make people happy

spk_0 while they're on vacation because this is a job that requires ultimately you have to say no

spk_0 sometimes. As much as you want to say yes, you are telling no and there's only so many knows you

spk_0 can divvy out in a year to make sure that you can continue to sustain to do great work for kids.

spk_0 I will tell you that the level of stress changed pre-pandemic during the pandemic and post-pandemic.

spk_0 And what I found most intriguing was that the stress level did not come down post-pandemic.

spk_0 It stated the level and or increased. And I think it increased because of the polar,

spk_0 this is my hypothesis, this is not been tested. It's increased because of the polarization that we're

spk_0 seeing in society within the states and beyond. And it is, I remind people that we have to listen

spk_0 to understand, rather listen to respond. And we are in the midst of an area where critical conversations

spk_0 had through dueling keyboards and I'm not talking about a piano situation. We are trying to get the

spk_0 next clever thing or a point on and not really hearing each other. So I am looking for in my own

spk_0 leadership and then the conversations I have with the community is we want to talk about what's

spk_0 in the gray. We want to see and value the opposing viewpoints and come together because it is the

spk_0 only way in my humble opinion to get forward movement. And if you have that mindset, I think it shifts

spk_0 where I sometimes surprise people by who I meet with, which is always, I have two German shepherds

spk_0 at home and whenever I talk to them, they do this, they turn their head. When somebody says,

spk_0 why would you meet with somebody, I do the same thing because you have to have in-person

spk_0 conversations with people about difficult topics if you want to be a leader who can move a

spk_0 community forward with their wishes, not my wishes, the community's wishes. And then if I can,

spk_0 I think you added an element, Chadda, in that question about how do you cope with stress? If I

spk_0 may transition to segment, sometimes not well. And I think that that took me several years to

spk_0 realize it was okay to say when I wasn't okay. And thankfully with a very supportive family that

spk_0 often gets neglected and an incredible spouse who tells me when I'm off-kilter, it is that balance

spk_0 of how well you're eating, how much are you exercising? Are you giving yourself to have peaceful

spk_0 moments? Are you disengaging in a strategic way so you can fully engage when you need to?

spk_0 And in a job that's exceptionally stressful, you need an army of people around you to say when

spk_0 they think that you are at or over capacity. And then my experience is apologize profusely when

spk_0 you make a mistake. And those people who you're closest with, whether I'm speaking to myself,

spk_0 the people I'm closest with, whether it's my cabinet or my family are often the ones that get

spk_0 abused the most when I am dysregulated. And apology, apologizing and trying to do better is the

spk_0 most effective way that I've found to continue to try to manage my own workload.

spk_0 Yeah, and you touched on this a little bit earlier, Dr. Montgomery, about how the scrutiny of the

spk_0 role has changed over the past several years. Can you elaborate on that a little bit more?

spk_0 I think the scrutiny is coming. Maybe it was always there, Sarah. I think the mediums in which

spk_0 people can offer their scrutiny is more in the moment and omnipresent of individuals who can

spk_0 freely weigh in on any action that they have differing or you could say or they could agree with you.

spk_0 But it's often the ones you're hearing from the ones that have differing viewpoints. That onslaught of

spk_0 feedback is difficult to process in the role. It's always been difficult, but especially difficult

spk_0 now. And having other people around you say maybe you shouldn't read that or if you read it,

spk_0 here's how I'm going to support you during these time of strife because it does when an

spk_0 individual's moral compass is aligned with the community and you're doing what you believe

spk_0 is right for the students that you're serving. And then there's this disconnect.

spk_0 There's a lot of reflection and self analysis of did I actually make the right decision and my

spk_0 moving in the right direction and you need to you need the levels of support because it is

spk_0 non-stop on Facebook groups, X, Instagram, and then you just fill in whatever ones I'm not saying,

spk_0 whether it be Snap or usually the younger students are using some of the different modalities.

spk_0 Then you have emails and phone calls and face-to-face impact as well.

spk_0 Believing into the criticism is my biggest strategy as opposed to leaning away. And I find that

spk_0 if someone is elevated or upset, I get curious because maybe there are things that there are

spk_0 likely things we could be doing differently. Maybe there's things that we could do differently

spk_0 in in a more student or family-focused manner. And I think if you're curious, it helps from a

spk_0 leader's standpoint that you move from defensive to curious. And maybe it's because I'm

spk_0 blessed with several teenagers in my house and they are growing and changing in the most beautiful

spk_0 way. But they are, they feel quite freely to offer feedback to their dad about how he can be

spk_0 better. And as much as I don't want to listen, that 9 times out of 10, they're right or they're

spk_0 onto something. So if you're a leader and you translate to putting walls up in front of people

spk_0 who have opposing viewpoints, perhaps that is not the way to actually have progression.

spk_0 There's a ton to unpack in that answer alone. And so we could spend I think days on that subject.

spk_0 So we'd love to talk to you further about that. But I'm going to ask you the question about your

spk_0 role. As you see this, do you think that your experiences are similar to or are the same as most

spk_0 of the other superintendents you encounter in your state and across the country? Do you think that

spk_0 folks who are having a similar experience to you or do you think yours is different?

spk_0 I do not think mine is different at all. I think that when I was in a rural district of 1100

spk_0 with no resources, and I would talk to colleagues who are running districts of 50,000, 75,000 or more,

spk_0 and now I'm in a two small districts, right? And I talked to superintendents in a rural setting,

spk_0 suburban or urban. It doesn't take very long into the conversations to see the common threads were

spk_0 all experiencing real time. And I think that's because we're all engaging in leadership roles.

spk_0 So you're meant for likely to have similarities in the experiences and differences. Sure,

spk_0 cabinets look different, teens look different. You may have resources. You may not. You may have more

spk_0 economic diversity or diversity of races or pick whatever the breakdown of the individual community.

spk_0 The threads are that leadership is the most rewarding and challenging role that people can

spk_0 experience at times. And it is a privilege to be given this responsibility that doesn't mean

spk_0 it's easy. But if it was easy, I think more people would want to do it.

spk_0 Absolutely. We're in a bit of a crisis, a leadership crisis for superintendents across the

spk_0 country and finding more of them. A friend just posted an article about that. The P.J.'s article?

spk_0 Yes, this thread. I was like, that's well done. He's that brings that really well, the neat.

spk_0 P.J. summarized it nicely. And I think that when you think of the future of this organization,

spk_0 and when I say, I say public education is the organization I'm talking about, we need more

spk_0 superintendents or people who want to go to superintendents. We need more principles. We need

spk_0 more teachers. So you can widen this scope beyond the superintendent role. But one of my most

spk_0 rewarding experiences and responsibilities is to create opportunities for people lower in the

spk_0 organization who want to aspire to be a superintendent and then helping them go forth and become a

spk_0 superintendent or become a principal. We need to be encouraging people to take on these roles.

spk_0 At the same time to P.J.'s point, we need to have a community that understands that you need

spk_0 great people leading organizations. And how we treat our leaders matters and increases the

spk_0 likelihood when one leader leaves, you are going to find another great leader to follow. And I will

spk_0 say that leaders, exceptionally effective ones, but I would widen this to everywhere, can be

spk_0 selective and where they are choosing to lead. And the articles in which come up on a Google search

spk_0 of a community directly impact the desire of new leaders to join that community and put their

spk_0 name in the hat. So while you think it doesn't matter when you shoot off that angry email or

spk_0 publish that angry post, know that it could have an impact. And if you're trying to instill change,

spk_0 maybe that's what you're after. But I really think that communities want great leaders supporting

spk_0 their kids. So those little interactions often translate into a longevity of leadership that you

spk_0 will be attracting as a community. Yeah, actually on that note, I have another question for you about

spk_0 the work we've been following the work you've been doing, particularly with the bond that you just

spk_0 successfully achieved last year. It was last year, right? 23. 23. Okay. So we'll

spk_0 Okay, we're curious about your strategy for bringing people together to help see your vision

spk_0 for the district, both districts like bonds, or even better to collaboratively build that vision

spk_0 together with your community. Tell us about that.

spk_0 This season of build momentum for education is all about the superintendency. We will spend time

spk_0 digging into the challenges you face running complex school systems, navigating political boards,

spk_0 divisive communities, and often vocal adversaries. But you continue to lead with grace and resilience.

spk_0 We are honored to recognize your humanity in this work. We know that your challenges are real.

spk_0 Tackling issues such as effective communication strategy that can galvanize communities to support

spk_0 what really matters the students. Through our many conversations with school leaders,

spk_0 we consistently hear districts struggle with enrollment declines and increasing competition

spk_0 from virtual and charter schools, navigating complex bond referendums and rallying community support,

spk_0 effectively communicating the district's story and resource constraints and limited staff and budget.

spk_0 SWPR Group specializes in confronting all of these communication hurdles with tailored strategic

spk_0 communication planning and strategic thought leadership support. We have worked with countless

spk_0 districts across the country to elevate their story and build community. Contact SWPR Group today

spk_0 at Sarah at SWPR-group.com to learn more.

spk_0 So can I expand a little bit farther out from a referendum and tell you just what our strategy is

spk_0 in terms of outreach to a community? Absolutely. Because I think it translates. And I would just

spk_0 like to put an aspect on your very kind that you say my vision and my successful passage.

spk_0 I want to say that it's a community's successful passage, our vision, and I played a small part in

spk_0 that. And I'm proud that I did. But I want to make sure that people know that one person cannot

spk_0 undertake these initiatives. It has to be a collective hole. And really as a leader, you are a

spk_0 conduit for an incredible amount of stakeholder voices that you need to try to find some cohesiveness

spk_0 and then be responsible for helping lead them in that direction that they have defined.

spk_0 The referendum itself is no different than any other strategy, which is interesting because we've

spk_0 talked about this a lot about the level of communication we offered with the community at the

spk_0 referendum is something that we have maintained beyond it. So connecting through, and this is a

spk_0 simple Sarah as board presidents and myself meeting people at a coffee shop four times a year.

spk_0 This is creating with the help of the team a superintendent advisory council with

spk_0 applications for community members to sit and help be listening and thought partner with me on

spk_0 decisions. This could be involving community members and important hiring of principles or directors.

spk_0 It's me shadowing students and having exit interviews for eighth graders leaving the 67 district

spk_0 or seniors leaving the 115. It's a capital project advisory committee where we had experts in

spk_0 the community come together and apply to be a resource for our architecture and engineering

spk_0 firm as well as our construction firm. It's bringing people in. So when I talk about previously

spk_0 about the idea of creating barriers, it's actually the opposite. You need to go out into the community

spk_0 and engage their thinking so you can represent them well. And I think the greatest example

spk_0 even bigger than the referendum is when we pulled together hundreds of people, maybe that's I'm

spk_0 going to say 150 people to create a portrait of a learner for district 67 district 65 and district

spk_0 115 with the help of my fellow superintendent, Dr. Leoli who I talked about and having 21 board

spk_0 members coming together. And then once a portrait was created with the community, then we created

spk_0 three separate strategic plans. Dr. Leoli did a five year for 65 and our team did one for 67

spk_0 and 115 and we had 50 people in each subgroup come together for that. Then we created metric

spk_0 documents for those strategic plans about how we were going to know that we're actually making progress.

spk_0 Then we created board goals and all of this now is aligned. The board goals even have a dashboard

spk_0 at the high school. I would have you look at it because I'm proud of the work that the team has done.

spk_0 There's a dashboard online of how the board goals are being implemented. So when I think about

spk_0 I'll reach whether it's a referendum or a strategic plan, meet people where they are and be willing

spk_0 to be receptive of critical feedback knowing that you're not selling ice cream. If you were,

spk_0 there's many more flavors than three and there's no beach. There is a lake forest peak by the way.

spk_0 It's lovely, but that's not where I'm working every day. Sorry, I made it to you. It is to do it well,

spk_0 it has to be ingrained into the fabric of the culture. And that takes longevity and leadership

spk_0 and stability within the boards to be able to do transformational work. So when you go back to

spk_0 the RAN study and you every time you turn over a leader or a board, the community is susceptible

spk_0 to this idea of initiative fatigue where faculty say we're done. We don't feel like we have a

spk_0 voice. We are not a part of the process. And what's the next gal or guy going to bring forward

spk_0 that they're going to make their mark? It is not about me as a leader. It's about how I supported

spk_0 the community while I was leading. Yeah, I love that advice too for other districts.

spk_0 Thanks for sharing that. I'm curious. One of the reasons we wanted to host this podcast series

spk_0 came about after we interviewed many leaders, superintendents for a book we're working on in defense

spk_0 of the superintendency. Throughout these conversations, we continue to hear how there's such a need to

spk_0 eliminate the humanity of superintendents. What do you think about that? Do you think it's important

spk_0 for us to see superintendents as real people who are navigating complex challenges to support

spk_0 our students? What are your thoughts? Can you say that differently for me to make sure I understand it?

spk_0 So you heard that there is a desire to remove the human experience from a superintendents?

spk_0 No, that superintendents. No, that's not what we're saying. It's not a big sort of hearing.

spk_0 We heard that superintendents often feel like people think they're robots that they're just

spk_0 doing a job and it's transactional and there's not really a lot of human element or human understanding.

spk_0 And one of the things that these people think might help improve the relationships between

spk_0 communities and superintendents and families and students is understanding that these are human

spk_0 beings and they're here to serve you but illuminating humanity of these superintendents could help.

spk_0 So that gives me a little bit. Thank you for being explaining it for me. There's a little bit of

spk_0 visceral response because early in my tenure, I was very comfortable in those two schools of

spk_0 thought. Some superintendents believe they should live and work in the community in which they're

spk_0 serving and others believe that you should have separation. And there's not that's not right or

spk_0 wrong. I'm going to tell you that I have always fallen into the lib with the communities by kids

spk_0 go to the school district and we are fully immersed. I was much more comfortable showing the

spk_0 human side of me pre-pandemic versus post-pandemic. And I think it speaks to the onslaught of attacks

spk_0 and also the fear some of my superintendents and I will speak myself included have had to have

spk_0 extra protection at different times during leadership because of whatever we were going through.

spk_0 So there's less willingness from me to show is much exposure into my family as there once was.

spk_0 At the same time, we are immersed in the community and very much a part of the community

spk_0 and proud to say that that's a reality. But I think there's more of a guarded nature that I take

spk_0 as my four children are going through the school districts and we're outside of activities. I'm

spk_0 just more I try to be more insulated. So is that not being human? I don't know. Is that protecting my

spk_0 own humanity and longevity? Maybe. How am I striking the balance is what I would ask myself. And

spk_0 talking about my family through them seeing me out and about whether to dance recital or track

spk_0 sectional where they see us as humans. And I think these communities appreciate the fact that

spk_0 I am going through parenthood with them in their schools. And we have brought in things that I'm

spk_0 struggling with at home. I'm bringing in authors and we're doing book studies to have conversations

spk_0 because I've come to realize that maybe we aren't supporting our families as much as we think we are.

spk_0 And as much as we're trying to support the kids, we have them for six hours and 18 hours their

spk_0 parent and guardians responsibility. And do they do they have the answers? Do they have the support

spk_0 they need? I'm supposed to be an educational expert and I'm telling you sometimes I'm immersed

spk_0 for children and I'm like, I think I better just go back to work. I don't know what I'm doing.

spk_0 And I think that authenticity as a dad saying we need to keep reading books. We need to keep

spk_0 having conversations about how we support our young people to make sure we are mentally fit

spk_0 as adults to support our students with everything they're facing. So that is the way I've tried to

spk_0 thread the needle of I'm a human doing this under this tremendous responsibility while still

spk_0 making clear lines of separation to make sure that we can still be a family unit and I can be a

spk_0 human outside of this job that sometimes is 24-7 not all the time just sometimes.

spk_0 Yeah. Thank you. Well, throughout this series, we've really enjoyed our conversations with

spk_0 superintendents. We were fans before. We appreciated superintendents, but I think we've really grown

spk_0 to I think a deeper understanding of who you are and what the position holds and some of the struggles

spk_0 and really great parts of the job are. So as being a supporter of the K-12 educators and the

spk_0 system as community members, parents, how can we better support our district leaders?

spk_0 I think assuming this is simple, assume positive intent. If we had a mindset of assuming positive

spk_0 intent, whether the school is calling the families or the families in community or calling the

spk_0 school or thinking about what we're going to post about each other, if we could assume positive

spk_0 intent, I think that that would be the best support that we can give each other. And this is still

spk_0 the job for me. And I will tell you that last week I was in classrooms, shadowing a student,

spk_0 and I still feel most alive when I am serving and supporting young people who are going to go out

spk_0 and do amazing things. So as hard as this job is, as hard as it, and I'm not winding when I say that,

spk_0 so some days it's just hard. The research now says it's hard. So I think as it gets hard,

spk_0 because the job forces you to be away from kids in the leadership role, because you're essentially

spk_0 you're running a business. People don't like to say that, but you're running a business,

spk_0 pushing yourself back into the classroom with the students you're serving,

spk_0 for finds a great deal of grounding to assume positive intent as a leader and ask for it from

spk_0 others. That's great. And I would love to know more about your shadowing of students. That sounds

spk_0 like a pretty cool. How often do you do that? So I do it once a year for both districts. And I

spk_0 would pick usually seventh or eighth year in then a junior. And I just follow them along for

spk_0 their classes, usually half a day, because they don't want to be with me more than that. And then I

spk_0 couple that with the exit interviews with the students subgroups, small subgroups of eighth

spk_0 graders leaving the elementary district and high school, high schoolers leaving the high school

spk_0 to try to get that student feedback. And then we're adding students to the board experience. One

spk_0 thing that one of our assistant soups and high school principals brought forward, not my idea,

spk_0 exceptionally probably did it though. As a leader, it's always wonderful to lead into great ideas.

spk_0 She helped orchestrate an experience for the students where the high school student leadership

spk_0 team students came together. And we had board represented from all three districts, the two,

spk_0 which I'm leader in the other elementary. And they were stationed at tables. And we had students

spk_0 rotate through with the board. And the board had questions for them about the student experience.

spk_0 And it allowed our boards of education to see real time the impact of our decisions as adults.

spk_0 And to get what the students were thinking about for future work. So I can't overemphasize

spk_0 the importance of student voice and decision making, because as much as adults, myself included,

spk_0 claim we have it figured out, we could always benefit from new and fresh perspectives. And we're

spk_0 supposed to be here for the students. So getting their voice at the table is paramount to success.

spk_0 So the folks that follow this podcast and listen to us, where can they learn more about you and

spk_0 connect with you directly? So there's multiple ways. If you want to find more about solely

spk_0 Lake Forest and all the great work that's happening there with the team and the community, I would urge

spk_0 you to go to the Lake Forest webpage. And you can get access to both the elements just

spk_0 freaking the high school on the main page. And then the channel I'm using most frequently is

spk_0 LinkedIn right now. So I would encourage you to, if you're interested, just message me on LinkedIn.

spk_0 And I will be happy to have further discussions. And I'm posting things that I'm finding a particular

spk_0 interest. Last week, I had the incredible opportunity to be on Stanford's campus and Google headquarters

spk_0 in Mountain View to learn from researchers how they are viewing the artificial intelligence state

spk_0 of the union kind of ideas. So as I'm coming up with experiences that I think are particularly

spk_0 helpful as a leader, I try to share them through LinkedIn. And I'm always looking for great ideas.

spk_0 So keep them coming because again, don't have it all figured out.

spk_0 This has been such a pleasure. Thank you so much Dr. Montgomery. We appreciate your time.

spk_0 Thank you both. And I hope you have, it was great visiting with you. I'm glad if you have any

spk_0 further questions or anything else, we're happy to help. Thanks for tuning into the Build Momentum

spk_0 for Education Podcast. If you enjoyed listening today, we would love to hear your feedback.

spk_0 And we'd be grateful if you could leave us a review. This helps us to share these powerful stories

spk_0 with even more people. If you like what you heard, we'd be honored if you could share this episode

spk_0 with someone in your network. We look forward to seeing you next time on Build Momentum for Education.

S05E15 - Balancing Two Districts and One Mission: A Journey Through Leadership and Change | Dr. Matthew Montgomery, Superintendent

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