I conducted my interview with Mr. Edward Blaha, Superintendent of Schools. This is Mr. Blaha’s second year as Superintendent. Prior to becoming Superintendent, he was the Principal at Hidalgo Early College High School from 2004 to 2008. During his tenure at the High School, he implemented the Early College concept for all students. This initiative is now continuing under his leadership. I had the privilege to work under Mr. Blaha as one of the Lead Administrators for the Early College High School.
Mr. Blaha is a superintendent who is very accessible to his constituents. He conducts home visits when he learns of a potential dropout and meets with teachers regularly when visiting the campuses. He has worked in the district for over 20 years and is very familiar with the communities that we serve.
During my interview with Mr. Blaha, I asked about how he defined leadership. He responded that a leader should be honest and be able to build trust. He believes that by having these virtues a superintendent will be successful. He emphasized that as school employees we must always make decisions based on what is best for the kids. He recommends not getting involved with local politics.
Our district is currently facing budget constraints that we haven’t seen in years. Mr. Blaha inherited these issues from the previous leadership and is now trying to correct them. My next question was regarding the budget. I asked how he is handling everything from the budget to technology. I told him I recalled that he was a hands-on principal who was very involved with what was occurring at the campus. He says that as the superintendent, it is not feasible to be that “hands-on”, but that hiring the right people and having a team in place is what is needed to work effectively. I must add that Mr. Blaha’s motto is “Total Team Effort.”
I explained to Mr. Blaha that I needed to ask him questions about competencies that I either felt I was weak in or scored low on the practice test. This led to my next question regarding curriculum. I asked him about the strategic planning he implemented regarding CScope. He indicated that back in January, he introduced CScope to the principals during a monthly principals’ meeting. Central office staff brought in representatives from Region One to present the program. Once he had most of the principals buy into the program, he moved forward with the presentation to the school board. CScope implementation is still ongoing. The campuses are conducting regular staff development regarding the program and extensive central office support is directed to the campuses. Although not everyone has bought into the program, many agree that the district needed to vertically align its curriculum and fill the gaps. Mr. Blaha stated that as the leader of the district, it is his responsibility to see that the district moves forward with this initiative to improve student performance.
At the conclusion of the interview, I asked Mr. Blaha if he remembered an article that quoted him as being a “servant leader.” He stated he strongly believed that as school administrators we are here to serve and to build the skills of future leaders. I look forward in continuing to learn from Mr. Blaha and be able assist in promoting the district’s goals. We have many challenges ahead of us, but by working as a team, we will accomplish our goals.
