Superintendents and other executive leaders are uniquely positioned to transform their school districts and communities they serve. To accomplish this, incoming executives must enter the role at full speed, ready to address the never-ending menu of priorities assigned to the position. KASA is pleased to offer its members a highly exclusive experience designed to build confidence and capacity to thrive as executive leader of the school district. This will not be your typical leadership development program. KASA believes its members already possess many of the technical and interpersonal skills that have helped them to achieve their current role. Instead, this program will focus on cultivating an expansive, agile leadership mindset with the capacity to embrace innovation, build coalitions, and achieve sustainable change. This is transformative leadership.
The KASA Executive Leadership Academy for Aspiring Superintendents (KELA - pronounced Kee-lah) is a 17-month comprehensive executive readiness series providing a collaborative environment where you can tap into the collective brilliance of your peers, guided by former and current Kentucky and national school leadership experts exploring and working on the real challenges you will face as the superintendent. The result is an invigorated, purposeful, and supportive network of leaders motivated to move forward — as individuals and together — to inspire a ripple effect of unprecedented excellence, innovation, and improved student performance in Kentucky public schools.
It's one thing to be eligible to be a superintendent. It's a totally different thing to be ready. That's what KELA is all about. A maximum of 30 members will be accepted into the first KELA cohort for 2021-2022.
Application window: May 10, 2021 – August 13, 2021
Program length: 17-monthly meetings (hybrid in-person and Zoom) - First meeting, August 26-27, 2021, program graduation December 2022.
Cost: $3999.00
Application Requirements:
• Must be a KASA Member to participate. May join KASA at registration
• Must have three years of administrative experience at any level
• A $250.00 deposit will trigger application process
For complete information, visit www.kasa.org or contact owens@kasa.org, rhonda@kasa.org, or tammy@kasa.org.
KELA participants will experience learning modules aligned with the Next Generation Superintendent Standards including:
- Leadership Philosophy, Guiding Principles, and Vision
- Ethics: Moral and Professional Roadmaps
- School Culture, Learning and Working Environments
- School Safety, Health, and Welfare for ALL
- Instructional Leadership: Involvement and Credibility
- Next Generation Learning Leadership
- Reading Literacy: The Key to All Learning
- School Finance: The Superintendent’s Role
- The Superintendent as Personnel Leader
- District Operations: Transportation, Food Service, Facilities, and Affiliated Supports
- The Role of School Boards
- Effective School Board Relations
- Government Affairs and Legislative Advocacy
- Leveraging Human Capital
- Supervision and Evaluations
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Strategic Communications, Messaging, and Media
- Decision Making and Professional Courage
- Responsibility for Leadership During Times of Challenge or Crisis
- Understanding the Pulse of the Community through Involvement
- Legal Matters: Dealing with Challenges and Claims
- Guidance on the Superintendent Application Process and Landing a Job
- The Importance of Personal and Professional Life Balance
- And More!