Superintendent Interview

I have had the opportunity to interview the superintendent of Rusk ISD, Dr. Jim Largent. I believe that he is one of the most respected and knowledgeable superintendents of our area. The response he had to my interview questions were very precise and to the point. He didn't hesitate in answering any questions and I believe had an answer for each of them that were full of insight. It is hard to just pick five of the interview questions to reflect on. However, one thing that Dr Largent spoke about in several of his answers was the importance of hiring administrators or directors under him that would be great leaders. He continued to say that this was an important part of being a good leader or superintendent. Dr. Largent mentioned that in order to be a good superintendent you must have the same goals and vision that the stakeholders have within a school. He explained that the community, board, educators, parents, and students must all be on the same page. He mentioned that what might be good for some schools wouldn't be for others because they may have different visions for their schools. This is such a realistic statement made by Dr. Largent. Another area Dr. Largent spoke on a few times was the importance of having collaborative decision making processes throughout the district. He mentioned the importance of having input from many different people in order to come up with the best solution or answer to concerning matters. He did still emphasize that he was still held accountable for the decision but felt better if it was a group decision. Dr. Largent left the interview emphasizing how rewarding his job was the majority of the time. He mentioned that being a teacher, assistant principal and principal helped to set the stage for his superintendent position but being superintendent was much more global than just one campus or department. Dr. Largent felt that a successful superintendent was one that was seen at all events and treated everyone equally and was fair in all his decisions.