ATM: Hiring & Appraisal of the Superintendent

It may sound too simple, but the single most important decision a Board of Trustees may make during its tenure is to hire the right superintendent to lead the school division. Choosing the right person is critical to the division’s growth and ongoing success. At Foothills School Division, we learned this firsthand when Dr. Chris Fuzessy was hired in 2019 as Superintendent of Schools. Since that time, the school division and the Board he serves have flourished because of his leadership and commitment to building system-thinking within the division. 

Based on the Education Act, the superintendent of schools is the Board’s only employee and, as such, is their chief executive officer and chief education officer of the school authority. In that role, superintendents provide the Board with information, advice, and support that is required for the fulfillment of its governance role. In addition, the superintendent reports to the Minister on all matters required of the superintendent as identified in the Education Act and other provincial legislation.  

Over the past six years, Dr. Fuzessy and the Board have developed a tight professional working relationship that has been built on honesty, trust, respect, and a shared commitment to supporting and moving education and learning forward within Foothills School Division. From a trustee’s perspective, the relationship that exists between the Board of Trustees and the superintendent can best be described as ‘symbiotic’. The governance responsibilities that the Board is required to engage in and the oversight of the everyday operations that the superintendent is responsible for are interconnected, and the success of the division hinges on there being a respectful atmosphere of collaboration and cooperation.  

Within the past ten years, Alberta Education has implemented Quality Standards for education professionals across the province. In addition to Teacher Quality Standards for teaching staff and Leadership Quality Standards for school administrators, the government instituted Superintendent Leadership Quality Standards (SLQS). These specific areas of responsibility guide both the hiring of a new superintendent and their ongoing evaluation once hired. The following SLSQ standards help guide the hiring process of the Superintendent of Schools for Foothills School Division, and they continue to guide both his work and the Board’s evaluation of his work: 

1. Interpersonal Skills and Division Culture 
   • Building Effective Relationships  
   • Visionary Leadership
     
     
2. Progress towards Division Goals  
   • Leading Learning  
   • Ensuring First Nations Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Education for all Students  
     
     
3. Professional Learning  
   • Modelling Commitment to Professional Learning 
     
     
4. Accountability Responsibilities 
   • School Authority Operations and Resources 
     
     
5. Board and Superintendent Relations 
   • Supporting Effective Governance 

One of the most significant developments that has taken place at the Board level in recent years has been the development of Governance Quality Standards for the evaluation of our Board of Trustees that coincide with the superintendent’s evaluation. Together, the Board and the superintendent schedule meetings throughout the year that are based on self-reflection and discussions about our shared commitments to and fulfillment of the quality standards that guide our respective work and that hold us accountable to one another, to the division, and to the communities we serve.  

In conclusion, as the current school board’s four-year term is quickly coming to an end this October, it is reassuring for the Board to know that we have made and are making a difference through our efforts to provide good governance that is consistent with and that embraces FSD’s vision, mission, and purpose. It is also reassuring that, under the ongoing leadership and guidance of the superintendent, Foothills School Division is in good hands moving forward as it continues to model and reinforce the importance of placing students at the centre of a flourishing community.