Revised: October 10, 2005 232
Revised: February 27, 2012
Revised: January 13, 2016
Revised: January 20, 2021
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR
Job Description
The District Administrator is the chief administrative officer of the District and shall have, under the direction of the Board, responsibility for the educational leadership and overall administrative direction of the District, its programs, personnel, and fiscal operations. The District Administrator is responsible for the management of the schools according to the Board’s policies, statutory and case law, and is accountable to the Board. The District Administrator is responsible for carrying out the above either directly or via appropriate delegation of responsibility to others within the organizational structure. The delegation of power and responsibility, however, shall not relieve the District Administrator of responsibility for the action taken under such delegation. Further, this position requires that the District Administrator work collaboratively with Board members, providing them with the information necessary to effectively formulate policies and make decisions on all appropriate matters.
- ROLE
- The role of the District Administrator will be foremost that of the educator responsible to the Board for the academic achievement of the students of this District.
- The role of the District Administrator will be secondly that of a business manager in which they assess and communicate the financial priorities and challenges of the District to the Board.
- The role of the District Administrator with respect to the Board will be that of an advisor, responsible for the execution of Board policies. The District Administrator will attend all Board meetings, except when consideration is given to their employment, compensation, or performance evaluation, or at other times as the Board deems appropriate.
- Wisconsin Statutes specify the following duties and powers of the District Administrator:
- The District Administrator shall have general supervision and management of the professional work of the schools and the promotion of students.
- The District Administrator shall not be a member of the Board and shall not engage in any pursuit which interferes with the proper discharge of their duties.
- The District Administrator shall make written recommendations to the Board on educators, courses of study, discipline and such other matters as they think advisable and shall perform such other duties, as the Board requires.
- The District Administrator may act as principal or teacher in any school under their supervision.
- QUALIFICATIONS
- Certification as required by the State of Wisconsin;
- Any other qualifications the Board may deem necessary or desirable.
- SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Board Relations and Management
The District Administrator will:
- Provide for activities and procedures that promote positive District Administrator-Board interpersonal and working relationships;
- Administer the schools in conformity with the adopted policies of the Board, the rules and regulations of the Department of Public Instruction, and in accordance with state and federal law;
- Keep the Board informed on the issues, needs, and operations of the District, making recommendations for the Board’s consideration;
- Recommend to the Board policies that are consistent with state and federal laws and supervise their implementation; and
- Prepare the agendas with the Board president; prepare materials for distribution to Board members the week prior to regular meetings.
B. School and Community Relations
The District Administrator will:
- Represent the schools before the public while developing and maintaining channels of communication with school personnel, students, and the community;
- Engage in, encourage, and oversee an active, positive public relations and communications program within the schools and the community at large;
- Understand the culture of the community by recognizing and being sensitive to the needs of a diverse community;
- Articulate the District’s goals, decisions, and priorities to school personnel, students, and the community;
- Demonstrate conflict resolution skills, consensus building skills, and the ability to bring about cooperative solutions;
- Recommend to the Board the employment and dismissal of all administrative and teaching positions;
- Supervise all personnel operations which may include, but are not limited to, the selection, employment, assignment, supervision, and dismissal of all school employees;
- Supervise systems to evaluate all District staff and programs to improve performance; and,
- Recommend changes in organizational structure and staffing to the Board.
- Serve on the Evansville Education Foundation (EEF) Board of Directors as an Ex Officio member to identify funding needs, possible funding sources, and promote the efforts of the district and the EEF to the Community.
- Educational Environment and Instruction
The District Administrator will:
- Ensure a safe educational environment within the District, reporting to the Board on an annual basis the status of the District emergency plan;
- Be foremost the educator responsible to the Board for the development and maintenance of high academic achievement of the students of the District;
- Assure the achievement of instructional goals and effective student learning by providing leadership in educational program development, implementation, and continuous improvement;
- Establish an administrative team that has regular, periodic meetings for the purpose of communication and consideration of matters related to student achievement, staff development, alignment of the District’s curriculum with state standards and assessments, and the effective and efficient operation of the program, facilities, and activities of the District; and,
- Engage in professional development activities for the purpose of gaining knowledge, skills, and perspectives that assist in setting positive directions and providing appropriate background for sound educational decisions for the administration of the District’s schools.
- District Strategic Planning
The District Administrator will:
- Involve the Board, staff, and community in ongoing strategic planning processes that position the District appropriately to meet the future needs of students;
- Participate with the Board and the administrative team in developing the short and long range goals of the District, including monitoring the progress of the District toward the Strategic Plan’s goals, fostering new ideas, and acting as a catalyst for change and innovative thinking;
- Conduct annual updates that include a review of the District’s vision and mission statement, beliefs, strategies, and objectives to be certain that they continue to represent the current thinking of the Board, staff, students, parents, and community;
- Provide reports to the Board, annually or as requested, on the progress of the strategies of the Strategic Plan.
- Business and Fiscal Manage
The District Administrator will:
- Supervise the preparation of the annual budget for consideration by the Board, working with the director of business services to ensure that the budget is in conformance with current standards of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and applicable Wisconsin Statutes;
- Supervise the preparation of monthly financial reports which shall be provided to the Board;
- Implement the approved budget of the District in a manner consistent with the directives of the Board and philosophy of the District as reflected in the budget.
- Direct expenditures and incur obligations on behalf of the District within the limits of the approved budget, either directly or by delegation to appropriately authorized District personnel;
- Administer or delegate all aspects of the operation of the physical plant of the District, including maintenance and custodial operations, safety and security matters of code compliance, building utilization, and other related matters;
- Monitor, report, and recommend short- and long-term facility needs to the Board;
- Present student population data to include open enrollment numbers and their impact to the Board each semester and keep the Board informed of school population trends.
- Staffing Levels:
The District Administrator will:
- Report projected District enrollments to the Board of Education in November prior to the year for which projected;
- Direct the establishment of classes based on authorized staffing levels, student enrollments, and Board policy.
- EVALUATION
Evaluation and feedback are essential for growth and development of the District Administrator. The Board of Education shall annually evaluate the District Administrator. The Board and the District Administrator will jointly establish annual goals for the ensuing year.
- APPOINTMENT
In accordance with Wis. Stat. § 118.24, the initial employment of the District Administrator shall be for a period of two years. Thereafter, at the end of each employment year, unless there is a reason not to do so as determined by the Board of Education, the contract may be extended for a one-year period, and may be extended for up to two years.
Legal Ref.: Sections 118.24 Wisconsin Statutes (School District Administrator)
Local Ref. : Policy #225 - Evaluation of the District Administrator
Policy #225 Form - Colleague Assessment Questionnaire, District Administrator’s Position
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