Shaking each school board member's hand before his nearly 2-hour interview Monday night, Assistant Superintendent of Humboldt County School District David Jensen kicked off a three-night interview marathon to find the next superintendent of Douglas County School District.
The 41-year-old former school psychologist was first of six candidates. He told school board members he began in Winnemucca as a school psychologist in 1996 and within a decade had assumed a variety of administrative roles, including special education, early childhood, federal programs, and business and support programs.
"Every student can learn," he said. "Students are our charge, and we need to be held accountable."
Jensen said he's been attracted to Douglas County since he came to Nevada.
"Douglas was always held up as a model," he said. "For their creativity and advanced thinking, and that's something I want to be part of."
As evidence of student achievement under his tenure, Jensen pointed to several high-achieving and exemplary schools in his district. However, he pointed out some schools in need of improvement as well. He said more work is needed, especially with requirements of No Child Left Behind being raised in the future.
"From a district perspective, it's not punitive action we want to take, but supportive action of the staff," he said. "In tracking individual student progress, it's essential to make appropriate modifications to meet their needs."
When asked about his perception of the role of the superintendent, as compared to the role of the board, Jensen said the board makes policy, and the superintendent carries it out.
"My role as superintendent is to ensure the policy is implemented with integrity and completeness," he said. "If the board feels that they can't trust the superintendent, then they begin to micromanage the superintendent."
Board member Sharla Hales pushed the point by asking what Jensen would do if he found a conflict between policy and what's best for students.
"I would bring the policy to the board of trustees and present why the given policy conflicts with what's best for students," he said. "I would recommend change if appropriate, but if the board made the determination that the policy is appropriate, then I would uphold it with integrity."
Jensen said if there were no clear policy for a given situation, he would use his "best judgment," while being transparent and accountable to the board.
If chosen for the job, he said, he would "tap into the resources in Douglas County."
"I don't believe you can go into a situation in isolation," he said. "I would actively seek input and feedback."
Board member Cindy Trigg asked Jensen how he would handle disagreement in the district office.
"As the central office, we're responsible for working together and supporting one another," he said. "If there was still disagreement, I would defer to the board."
Jensen said there is a learning curve for any new superintendent. He said hopefully he'd be able to work with interim superintendent John Soderman and other leadership to get adjusted. Unfortunately, he said, the next biennium budget cycle may be the worst to date in terms of cutbacks.
"That will present challenges to any incoming superintendent," he said. "I wouldn't have applied to Douglas County if it needed a complete revamping of the school system. I applied to Douglas because it demonstrates the foundation necessary for success."
Jensen said one of his tasks in Humboldt County was patching things up between the central office and employee unions.
"We settled negotiations in four hours last week, and that's indicative of part of the trust that's been established," he said. "Staff, regardless of their positions, need to feel they're respected and heard."
Board members asked Jensen if not having served as a site principal nor classroom teacher was a drawback in his record of experience.
Jensen replied that he was involved in the classroom as a psychologist and later in his various administrative capacities. He said staff in Humboldt can vouch for his experience and ability.
Jensen described himself as a situational leader, one who can collaborate at times but also make "hard and firm" decisions. He said his record evinces three things: Honesty, integrity and transparency.
"I believe I have the personality to come in and establish relationships of trust," he said. "I believe in being visible, not only at the individual school sites and in the classroom, but also in the community. I'm looking to make Douglas County my home."
Following Jensen in front of the board was Mary Bull, 61, current interim assistant superintendent of human resources in the Fort Worth, Texas, Independent School District and former superintendent of Vallejo City Unified School District in California.
Bull told board members she started as a high school teacher, eventually working as a principal and assistant superintendent in three different school districts. She was also an assistant professor at Texas State University and the executive director the National Center for School Improvement.
"One of the things I have been able to do in every district is raise student achievement," she said. "I believe we determine our own future by the choices we make."
Bull said a new superintendent brings hope of what could be.
"It's essential the superintendent and board be a tight team," she said. "In a turn-around situation, it takes a lot of courage to make changes, and both the board and superintendent need the courage to make them. I'm looking forward to working with a board that wants to work with me."
As she did with Jensen, Hales asked Bull how she'd handle a conflict between district policy and what's best for students.
"What I would do is call attention to conflicts and lay out the pros and cons of the issues at hand," Bull said. "I think it is appropriate for the superintendent to suggest policy, with the understanding that the superintendent does not make policy."
Bull said she believes in open communication and informed decision-making. She said laying things out on the table helps rectify misunderstandings.
"It's important to explain, more than you might think, why things need to happen. Then the 'how' becomes easier," she said. "People who are affected by decisions need to be part of the decision."
Bull said when a decision is made, a superintendent needs to be able to move forward and clearly express expectations. She said she has a record not only of raising student achievement, but of also breaking "the mold" when necessary.
Bull said working as assistant superintendent in Carmel Unified School District in California, she was able to aid an "off-the-charts" gifted student who'd been acting out in class. She said she helped formulate an individual learning plan for the student, who consequently excelled.
"I looked for ways to meet needs of unique students, ways that weren't necessarily expensive," she said.
When trustee Keith Roman asked how Bull would go about making necessary changes, she replied that decisions must follow the data.
"You have to look at the data," Bull said. "There is a lot of feel-good stuff out there, but how much does it cost, and what do we get out of it?"
Bull said she views leadership more as a function than a person.
"I don't need an army of people to make a decision, but very few have to be made unilaterally," she said. "The solution becomes clear once you immerse yourself in it."
Bull said she's made plenty of controversial decisions in her career, mostly dealing with staff. She gave an example of removing a high school principal in Vallejo.
"It was a difficult decision," she said. "But I knew it was the right one."
Bull said she recruited a stronger principal who increased student achievement within a year.
"I do not hesitate to break the mold," she said. "But at the same time, you don't want to go around breaking things."
Board members asked Bull about her controversial departure from the Vallejo school district last August, when the remainder of her contract was bought out.
"It's important to know that I was the fourth superintendent in a row whose contract was terminated prior to completion," Bull said. "I characterize the work I did in Vallejo as some of my best work professionally. Unfortunately, the politics just didn't hold up.
"The capacity of some districts to change is limited, especially those with high needs and low expectations of performance. I worked 18-20-hour days, and I loved it, but it didn't work out politically."
Bull said she's not sure she would trade in her days in Vallejo, even though it ended badly. She said under her tenure, community members were becoming more involved in the schools, teachers and principals were motivated, and student achievement was rising. She pointed out a 27-point leap in the district's academic performance index in one year.
"It was a great disappointment that it was cut short," she said. "We had such traction on so many issues."
Bull said people in the district were threatened by change and began what former Vallejo School Board President Dan Glaze described in a letter to the local paper as "a sanctioned mutiny."
"I have had 38 years of impeccable service, including my time in Vallejo," Bull wrote in a statement to Douglas school board members. "I have been anything but contentious and I stand on my record of service, innovation, continuous improvement, a strong work ethic and valuing all people."
Now, Bull said, she wants to work for a district that's already on the right track and willing to improve.
"My desire is to become part of the community in every way," she said.
Bull also said she is attracted to Douglas County's natural beauty and recreational activities.
"Most people I spoke with today are transplants from another area, but they love it here and have an allegiance to it," she said. "They want the district to be the best it can be."
Wednesday, Ron Lustig, principal of Eldorado High School in Las Vegas, will be interviewed by the board 4-5:45 p.m. in the Douglas High School media center and will hold a community forum 6-7 p.m. in high school room 402.
Also Wednesday, Elisabeth Noonan, chief academic officer for Washoe County School District, will hold a community forum 4:45-5:45 p.m. in room 402 and will be interviewed by the board 6-7:45 p.m.
The other two candidates, Heather Henderson-Hill and Tom Hisiro, will be interviewed tonight.
