Now is the time to get to know your state superintendent and legislators on a more personal level. State leadership wants to impact students’ lives as much as you do, even if you disagree ideologically.
K12 education has witnessed profound change at the federal level since President Donald Trump took office. The U.S. Department of Education has cut its staff in half and has ordered schools to eliminate DEI and adhere to an interpretation of Title IX that aims to protect female athletes from competition with transgender female athletes.
The administration’s stated goal is to bring the power of education back to the states, which is why superintendents need to begin cultivating stronger relationships with their state leaders, assuming Linda McMahon, the Department of Education secretary, is successful at “putting herself out of a job,” as Trump has ordered.
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Superintendents such Joseph Spiccia of the Wickliffe City School District in Ohio have always prioritized engaging with their state’s leadership.
“We want to help people, so we [superintendents and state leadership] begin with that idea as our common ground,” he says. For example, Spiccia, says he has a great relationship with one of his state senators, whom he disagrees with politically.
“We find our common ground, we look for the specific purpose, and then we work out the details to make that happen,” he says.
He, along with his fellow Ohio superintendents, meets regularly with the director of Ohio’s Department of Education and Workforce, Stephen Dackin. Spiccia says it’s critical to reach out in a spirit of collaboration.
“For years, we’ve invited our local and state legislators for a social gathering,” he explains. “All the superintendents in the county and the state reps and senators that can make it meet and just have a professional, personal conversation over dinner or something similar.”
Ask the right questions
Superintendents should also flip the conversation and ask state leaders, “What is important to you? How can we better serve you and work together to serve kids?” Posing a question like this may help you find common ground.
“We try to learn about them, and for us, there’s a combination of Republicans and Democrats, and what you would see, I think, is very different from what we read about in national and state politics,” he says. “You’ll see that we get along pretty well together politically and philosophically.”
From there, Spiccia likes to coordinate individual discussions about top–of-mind issues. The end result is a healthy, cooperative relationship that allows superintendents to call his state leaders and offer proposals and collaborate on ideas.
Wickliffe City Schools has a school-based health center offering complete wrap-around services to kids. In an effort to expand those services, Spiccia called his local state senator, who happens to be the chair of Ohio’s Finance Committee, asking for assistance.
“This happened as a result of three or four years of talking about how we can help each other and how we can serve each other,” Spiccia says.
Getting your foot in the door with state leadership
Superintendents are getting younger, which means some leaders have had less time to establish crucial relationships before taking the helm. Spiccia’s advice for getting your foot in the door is to tag along with a seasoned veteran.
“I always go back to the idea of if you’re new at it, find a more experienced person, connect with that person and go on those visits and lunches with state leaders,” he says.
This allows a less experienced administrator to sit back and learn how these interactions take place. This should also be a call-to-action for experienced superintendents to reach out to their younger peers and invite them to the table.
“Our job is to help the next generation of folks become successful in the workforce,” he says.
