Question on School Boards and School Superintendents
Dave
selected? I am ASSUMING (hate that word) that they are elected by vote at a
board meeting scheduled for the purpose of electing Trustees, the
Superintendent, etc. And these meetings generally seem to be open to the
public, from what I can tell by research on the internet. Does the
attending public generally get to vote on their election? Or is it just the
school board that votes.
I am obviously working on a manuscript, and in it this question of pivotal.
I am unfortunately unable to interview anyone in RL without tremendous
difficulty, thus the question. I hope someone can help. And any such help
would be *greatly* appreciated.
Many thanks,
Dave
Towse
Where is your school board?
In the California schools my children attended, the Superintendent of
Schools was hired by the School Board, which was elected by the voters.
The President of the School Board was elected by the board members.
--
Sal
Ye olde swarm of links: thousands of links for writers, researchers and
the terminally curious <http://writers.internet-resources.com>
Dave
"Towse" <se...@towse.com> wrote in message
news:gk0gfi$fkm$1...@reader.motzarella.org...
Hello Sal,
Thank you for the quick reply! My school board is in Texas. Maybe I *need*
to interview someone at the local school, regardless of whether it is
convenient or not. I have briefly checked out the school board of the town
I use as the center of my fictional story, and I don't think they have a
President of the School Board. Or I missed that. Need to look again, I
guess, just to make sure. Or perhaps I need to ask the Principal of the
school I use as my model how it works. Crap. My appologies for the
ignorance. I was hoping it would be a simple question (and didn't mean to
be a simpleton.)
Dave
Dave
"Dave" <db5...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:39idnXI4AdYhSP7U...@posted.internetamerica...
Okay, a brief call to the Personnel dept. of my model school board reveals
that the Superintendent of that ISD is hired, and this is apparently the
general practice in the state of Texas. I can easily understand why this is
so, as I have written something revealing some of the problems with a
Superintendent elected by vote at large (hope this is the correct
terminology, and is clear enough...) So now I am stuck with the question of
whether to stick close to the model of reality, and rewrite, or to stay with
what I have written and not worry about the fact that it varies somewhat
widely from reality on this one point. It is of course *fiction*. Does it
really matter whether I have the School Superintendent *elected* in my book,
when that is not general practice? What say the citizens of MWM? This
concerns the end of the book and it's ultimate outcome, but I personally
feel that being fiction, a certain amount of creative license would be
appropriate. Please, tell me what you think. Is the fact that it is fiction
sufficient to explain such a variation from general practice? I am not
writing history, and I only want to avoid breaking the reader's trance.
Would it really be inappropriate to leave the story as it is?
Many thanks.
Dave
David M. Harris
>>
>
> Okay, a brief call to the Personnel dept. of my model school board reveals
> that the Superintendent of that ISD is hired, and this is apparently the
> general practice in the state of Texas. I can easily understand why this is
> so, as I have written something revealing some of the problems with a
> Superintendent elected by vote at large (hope this is the correct
> terminology, and is clear enough...) So now I am stuck with the question of
> whether to stick close to the model of reality, and rewrite, or to stay with
> what I have written and not worry about the fact that it varies somewhat
> widely from reality on this one point. It is of course *fiction*. Does it
> really matter whether I have the School Superintendent *elected* in my book,
> when that is not general practice? What say the citizens of MWM? This
> concerns the end of the book and it's ultimate outcome, but I personally
> feel that being fiction, a certain amount of creative license would be
> appropriate. Please, tell me what you think. Is the fact that it is fiction
> sufficient to explain such a variation from general practice? I am not
> writing history, and I only want to avoid breaking the reader's trance.
> Would it really be inappropriate to leave the story as it is?
>
> Many thanks.
>
> Dave
>
>
In most places the superintendent of schools is a professional hired by
the school board. I have never heard of one being elected, in fact. If
you have one elected, it will throw a lot of people out of the story, as
contradicting their experience, unless you come up with some good reason
why this town, out of all towns in Texas and perhaps America, elects a
superintendent. (It's a really bad idea in any case to have a
professional position elected.)
David
Dave
"David M. Harris" <jake...@localnet.com.invalid> wrote in message
news:AoCdndMAQPZlZv7U...@posted.localnet...
Hmmm. What I am writing is intended as YA fiction or upper middle grade
fiction, but I understand what you are saying. Serious flaw. Have to
decide what I'm going to do with this. On the other hand, it would give a
good example as to why school superintendents are not elected... :) Guess
I'll sleep on it.
Many, many thanks.
Dave
Dan Goodman
>
> "Dave" <db5...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:39idnXI4AdYhSP7U...@posted.internetamerica...
> >
> >"Towse" <se...@towse.com> wrote in message
> news:gk0gfi$fkm$1...@reader.motzarella.org...
> > > Dave wrote:
> > > > Can anyone tell me how the Superintendent of a school board is
> > > > generally selected? I am ASSUMING (hate that word) that they
> > > > are elected by vote at a board meeting scheduled for the
> > > > purpose of electing Trustees, the Superintendent, etc. And
> > > > these meetings generally seem to be open to the public, from
> > > > what I can tell by research on the internet. Does the
> > > > attending public generally get to vote on their election? Or
> > > > is it just the school board that votes.
> > > >
> > > > I am obviously working on a manuscript, and in it this question
> > > > of pivotal. I am unfortunately unable to interview anyone in
> > > > RL without tremendous difficulty, thus the question. I hope
> > > > someone can help. And any such help would be greatly
> > > > appreciated.
> > >
> > > Where is your school board?
> > >
> > > In the California schools my children attended, the
> > > Superintendent of Schools was hired by the School Board, which
> > > was elected by the voters. The President of the School Board was
> > > elected by the board members.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > -- Sal
> > >
> > > Ye olde swarm of links: thousands of links for writers,
> > > researchers and the terminally curious
> > > <http://writers.internet-resources.com>
> > >
> >
> > Hello Sal,
> >
> > Thank you for the quick reply! My school board is in Texas. Maybe
> > I need to interview someone at the local school, regardless of
> > whether it is convenient or not. I have briefly checked out the
> > school board of the town I use as the center of my fictional
> > story, and I don't think they have a President of the School
> > Board. Or I missed that. Need to look again, I guess, just to
> > make sure. Or perhaps I need to ask the Principal of the school I
> > use as my model how it works. Crap. My appologies for the
> > ignorance. I was hoping it would be a simple question (and didn't
> > mean to be a simpleton.)
> >
> > Dave
> >
> >
>
> Okay, a brief call to the Personnel dept. of my model school board
> reveals that the Superintendent of that ISD is hired, and this is
> apparently the general practice in the state of Texas. I can easily
> understand why this is so, as I have written something revealing some
> of the problems with a Superintendent elected by vote at large (hope
> this is the correct terminology, and is clear enough...) So now I am
> stuck with the question of whether to stick close to the model of
> reality, and rewrite, or to stay with what I have written and not
> worry about the fact that it varies somewhat widely from reality on
> this one point. It is of course fiction. Does it really matter
> whether I have the School Superintendent elected in my book, when
> that is not general practice? What say the citizens of MWM? This
> concerns the end of the book and it's ultimate outcome, but I
> personally feel that being fiction, a certain amount of creative
> license would be appropriate. Please, tell me what you think. Is the
> fact that it is fiction sufficient to explain such a variation from
> general practice? I am not writing history, and I only want to avoid
> breaking the reader's trance. Would it really be inappropriate to
> leave the story as it is?
One alternative is to make up a state which happens to resemble Texas
in many respects but not in this one.
--
Dan Goodman
"I have always depended on the kindness of stranglers."
Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Expire
Journal http://dsgood.livejournal.com
Futures http://clerkfuturist.wordpress.com
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Mirror 2 http://dsgood.wordpress.com
Links http://del.icio.us/dsgood
Dave
"Dan Goodman" <dsg...@iphouse.com> wrote in message
news:496405e6$0$90350$8046...@auth.newsreader.iphouse.com...
Hmm. There's a thought. Or an ISD in small town that simply operates
differently... Something to think about. Thank you, Dan.
Dave
Ray Dillinger
> Okay, a brief call to the Personnel dept. of my model school board reveals
> that the Superintendent of that ISD is hired, and this is apparently the
> general practice in the state of Texas. I can easily understand why this
> is so, as I have written something revealing some of the problems with a
> Superintendent elected by vote at large (hope this is the correct
> terminology, and is clear enough...)
More than just Texas. I think that this is true across the United States.
In fact, I'd suspect that there may be some Federal regulation about
accreditation that requires it.
> So now I am stuck with the question
> of whether to stick close to the model of reality, and rewrite, or to stay
> with what I have written and not worry about the fact that it varies
> somewhat
> widely from reality on this one point. It is of course *fiction*. Does
> it really matter whether I have the School Superintendent *elected* in my
> book,
> when that is not general practice?
As a professional myself, I have to say how much I utterly hate it when
writers write about my field and get it wrong.
Since you happen to be writing about the education business generally,
school librarians across the country, many of whom make purchasing
decisions, will be among the professionals whose field you are
getting wrong.
Finally, your target market for a YA book is kids in school, and
this stuff is known to at least half the parents who have kids in
school. Those parents also make purchasing decisions.
I'm making a business case, but it's also a case for truth and doing
the "right thing" in writing. All the non-business reasons also point
in the same direction.
I haven't read your story, but I would be surprised if, on reading it,
I thought that there was any single thing more important to change than
this. If you have any doubts, talk to your agent about it (or your editor
if you're lucky enough to have a book editor who actually talks to writers
about their books) and s/he will most likely tell you the same thing.
If the election is critical to your plotline, you may want to make
the character a holder of some elected office, like the chair of the
school board. If the particular responsibilities of the superintendent
are critical to your plotline, you may want to make the character an
elected official who must for some reason temporarily act as
superintendent. A certain amount of handwaving about the reasons
why your district has taken such a drastic temporary measure might
work, but don't just assert "things work differently here" in
contemporary fiction unless you want to tick off a lot of potential
readers.
Bear
Dave
"Ray Dillinger" <be...@sonic.net> wrote in message
news:496576ec$0$95555$742e...@news.sonic.net...
> Dave wrote:
>
>> Okay, a brief call to the Personnel dept. of my model school board
>> reveals
>> that the Superintendent of that ISD is hired, and this is apparently the
>> general practice in the state of Texas. I can easily understand why this
>> is so, as I have written something revealing some of the problems with a
>> Superintendent elected by vote at large (hope this is the correct
>> terminology, and is clear enough...)
>
> More than just Texas. I think that this is true across the United States.
> In fact, I'd suspect that there may be some Federal regulation about
> accreditation that requires it.
Okay, I'll check this out today.
>
>
>> So now I am stuck with the question
>> of whether to stick close to the model of reality, and rewrite, or to
>> stay
>> with what I have written and not worry about the fact that it varies
>> somewhat
>> widely from reality on this one point. It is of course *fiction*. Does
>> it really matter whether I have the School Superintendent *elected* in my
>> book,
>> when that is not general practice?
>
> As a professional myself, I have to say how much I utterly hate it when
> writers write about my field and get it wrong.
Well, I am trying to work within the standard parameters, and get it right.
I don't like being the idiot who failed to check things out and got it
wrong. That's why I am asking.
>
> Since you happen to be writing about the education business generally,
> school librarians across the country, many of whom make purchasing
> decisions, will be among the professionals whose field you are
> getting wrong.
Actually, I am writing about a school counselor and her boss, the Principal,
who are trying to address the problem of a bullied kid wanting to get
violent with the bully. Problem is the bully's dad is also a bully and
wants to derail the pilot program they are using to counsel the two kids
towards more productive ways of relating to the world. I don't *think* I am
writing about the educational process in general. Just one aspect of it.
>
> Finally, your target market for a YA book is kids in school, and
> this stuff is known to at least half the parents who have kids in
> school. Those parents also make purchasing decisions.
>
> I'm making a business case, but it's also a case for truth and doing
> the "right thing" in writing. All the non-business reasons also point
> in the same direction.
>
> I haven't read your story, but I would be surprised if, on reading it,
> I thought that there was any single thing more important to change than
> this. If you have any doubts, talk to your agent about it (or your editor
> if you're lucky enough to have a book editor who actually talks to writers
> about their books) and s/he will most likely tell you the same thing.
>
> If the election is critical to your plotline, you may want to make
> the character a holder of some elected office, like the chair of the
> school board. If the particular responsibilities of the superintendent
> are critical to your plotline, you may want to make the character an
> elected official who must for some reason temporarily act as
> superintendent. A certain amount of handwaving about the reasons
> why your district has taken such a drastic temporary measure might
> work, but don't just assert "things work differently here" in
> contemporary fiction unless you want to tick off a lot of potential
> readers.
So noted. Like I said, I want to get it right, and am trying to learn the
details of how these things work so that I *don't* tick people off. I
consider myself a professional as well, but that doesn't mean I can just
change the rules and say "Well that's the way it is here."
>
> Bear
>
Do appreciate the input. I really do need to get this right. If I don't
I'll be driving a wedge between myself and those who understand how it
actually does work. More research...
Thanks,
Dave
Dave
Well hell. After finding out through someone at National School Boards
Association that there are indeed some Southern states in which school
superintendents *are* elected, I've come to realize that I need to rewrite
anyway just for the sake of making it more believable to the majority of
those likely to read it. But that's a small detail and I can probably take
care of it in one evening. This is *not* the biggest thing in the book,
it's just the pivotal point on which the surprise ending turns a few
degrees. Probably not even one whole page. But I am indebted to those of
you who helped in the discussion, and who forced me to think this through.
My sincere thanks. It will be a much better piece of work because of your
help.
Dave
Dan Goodman
>
> "Towse" <se...@towse.com> wrote in message
> news:gk0gfi$fkm$1...@reader.motzarella.org...
> > Dave wrote:
> > > Can anyone tell me how the Superintendent of a school board is
> > > generally selected? I am ASSUMING (hate that word) that they
> > > are elected by vote at a board meeting scheduled for the purpose
> > > of electing Trustees, the Superintendent, etc. And these
> > > meetings generally seem to be open to the public, from what I
> > > can tell by research on the internet. Does the attending public
> > > generally get to vote on their election? Or is it just the
> > > school board that votes.
> > >
> > > I am obviously working on a manuscript, and in it this question
> > > of pivotal. I am unfortunately unable to interview anyone in RL
> > > without tremendous difficulty, thus the question. I hope
> > > someone can help. And any such help would be greatly
> > > appreciated.
> >
> > Where is your school board?
> >
> > In the California schools my children attended, the Superintendent
> > of Schools was hired by the School Board, which was elected by the
> > voters. The President of the School Board was elected by the board
> > members.
> >
> >
> >
> > -- Sal
> >
> > Ye olde swarm of links: thousands of links for writers, researchers
> > and the terminally curious <http://writers.internet-resources.com>
> >
>
> Hello Sal,
>
> Thank you for the quick reply! My school board is in Texas. Maybe I
> need to interview someone at the local school, regardless of whether
> it is convenient or not. I have briefly checked out the school board
> of the town I use as the center of my fictional story, and I don't
> think they have a President of the School Board. Or I missed that.
> Need to look again, I guess, just to make sure. Or perhaps I need to
> ask the Principal of the school I use as my model how it works.
> Crap. My appologies for the ignorance. I was hoping it would be a
> simple question (and didn't mean to be a simpleton.)
Nothing concerned with local government in the US has a simple answer.