Superintendent Neil Gupta speaks fondly of the “pivotal moment” when his mentor scuttled his plans to hold town hall meetings with teachers when he was a newly hired director in a previous district.
In the latest episode of District Administration‘s “A Good Lesson” podcast, hosted by Amy Dujon, Gupta—now the superintendent of Ohio’s Oakwood City Schools—shares how he erred in asking sixth-grade teachers from 11 elementary schools to attend a meeting at central office rather than visiting them in their classrooms.
He wanted to inform them of the growing district’s plan to expand its middle schools and move sixth graders into those buildings.
Gupta touted the efficiency of not having to travel to all 11 schools. His mentor, the chief academic officer, pointed out the emotional disruption the moves would cause and the fact that the teachers—some of whom had worked in the district for more than 20 years—had never met Gupta before.
“They don’t know who you are and you’ve invited them to your turf,” he recalls the CAO saying.
She convinced him to visit each school and not to set an agenda. “The teachers were anxious. They wanted to have a conversation about their hopes, fears and dreams,” Gupta continues. “I walked away with strong relationships.”
Gupta’s episode is appropriately titled, “Meeting People Where They Are.” “Whatever change is taking place, you have to do that gut check of what’s current reality,” Gupta points out. “You need an empathy lens. And you have to check in with peolpe after the change is made.”
Gupta, now in the third year of his superintendency, also discussed what he wishes he had known when he first took the helm at Oakwood City Schools. The first lesson is to “be present with people” by getting out of his office to visit schools to celebrate the achievements of staff, and students as often as possible.
The second lesson?
“Just because I’m superintendent doesn’t mean I have to fix everything,” he says. “My first year, I stepped on toes and made some people think I didn’t trust them.”
He has since worked to create an environment where he lets his administrators take the lead. Hear the rest of Superintendent Neil Gupta’s discussion with Amy Dujon below.
