Superintendent Interview

I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. George Kazanas, Superintendent of Midway ISD, this past Friday.  I feel in order to do justice to our interview, I want to put into context the week that Dr. Kazanas had experienced.  He was at TASA Midwinter Conference Monday through Wednesday.  His day on Friday included a trip to Austin with one of our district teachers and then a visit to a campus after he returned.  I am under an impression that he spent probably 1 hour trying to get the most critical tasks done before our 4:00 p.m. interview.  Needless to say, it would have been simple for Dr. Kazanas to keep his answers short as we were hitting the end of a very busy week.  But from the eight months that I have spent under Dr. Kazanas’ leadership, I have learned that Dr. Kazanas will bring his best always to the table.  Our time together was no exception.

 Dr. Kazanas began our time together by talking about servant leadership and how important being a servant leader is to his principals, teachers, students and parents.  He also spoke about leadership in the terms of it being a collaborative and participatory process with those around you.  He has found the role of superintendent most rewarding in ways such as setting the vision for a district, guiding the district to where it needs/wants to be, involvement in many areas, and being the spokesman for the district.  Being superintendent is a role that leaves him feeling that he is never finished but constantly working ahead.  It is also a role that many parents and teachers will look to for answers.  This requires that he is “always on call.”  But ultimately, good times or bad times, he recognizes that in the public view “the buck stops” with him. 

Several themes presented themselves throughout our time.  Dr. Kazanas highlighted just how important effective communication can be, not only in being superintendent but in aspects of building a culture, positive relationships, student improvement, and the managerial aspects of his role.  A second theme that was frequently visited by Dr. Kazanas is that relationships are in many ways the lynchpin of his success.  Although he did not brag or name drop relationships that he has developed over his tenure in Midway ISD, he talked about the need to forge relationships with the many constituents that come in contact with the superintendent.  Being a relationship builder is something that I have seen from him firsthand and he does a masterful job investing the time and energy needed to build loyalty with his staff.  A third theme that was discussed in several questions was the idea that he must surround himself with a strong leadership team to help shape the district and bring ideas to the table when facing tough situations.  A final theme, but one of the most prevalent, was his philosophy of putting the students first in the decisions he makes. 

As I mentioned at the start, he could have been short on his answers but we spent over an hour together on a Friday afternoon.  Our time passed quickly, but I walked away with a genuine respect for the work that he does, the energy he needs, and the passion that he has for our students.