Who Do You Trust?

In a letter to the Massachusetts Militia dated 11 October 1798, President John Adams wrote, "Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." He was speaking not only of morality but also of the virtues needed for trusted interpersonal relationships - things like courage, prudence, and honesty. 

The issue of trust comes up a lot on the school board. Much is made about the need for school board members to trust each other and the administration, for the administrators to trust each other and the school board members, and for mutual trust between the board, administration, and employees. After serving for more than 15 years as an elected board member, my first inclination would be to tell new board members to trust no one.

Unfortunately, that is wholly impractical. School board members are not hands-on enough - indeed are prohibited from being hands-on - to make decisions on most issues without the input of administrators. A board member needs to know that facts and figures from the business administrator are accurate and that reports from the superintendent truly reflect what is happening in the schools.

In a district like Hillsborough, the five main administrators that board members are in contact with are the superintendent, the assistant superintendent, the business administrator, the assistant business administrator, and the human resources director. I served with quite a few over the years and trusted each of them unless they gave me a reason not to. I can say confidently that there were many who were honorable and trustworthy over the course of their entire tenure at Hillsborough - and sadly there were many who were not. 

An administrator is dishonest primarily by having a hidden agenda revealed to other administrators but not to the board - or at least not to all board members. It's no secret that superintendents are good at getting what they want. Most of the time they are motivated by what they think is best for the district and the students - and aren't going to let a school board stand in their way!

Who do you trust? Can you trust anyone? My advice is to trust yourself first. Have a noble purpose and stick with it. Don't apologize when you have done nothing wrong. Have courage as well as patience. Show by your example that you are not an ignoble dirty trickster. Perhaps others will follow.