Transformative Partnerships: How Schools and Businesses Can Thrive Together

Dr. Jim: [: 00:00:00

You can be as scrappy as you want to be, but if you don't have community support and business support, you're going to have a hard time delivering quality learning outcomes. This conversation will focus on how you build broad support in the business community and how that impacts the day to day of how superintendents should show up in those spaces.

So who's going to be guiding us through this discussion today? Today we have Kathy Dinger joining us and she graduated from the University of Iowa with a BA in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology. She's got a Master's Degree in Communication Disorders from the, from Northern Illinois University, go Huskies, and a Master's Degree in Educational Administration from NIU as well.

ckground with a doctorate in [: 00:01:00

She's in her 12th year as a school superintendent and her focus professionally is on curriculum and instruction and improving facilities. She's currently serving in her home district where she was born and raised and from which she graduated. Kathy, welcome to the show.

Dr. Kathy Dinger: Thank you for having me.

Dr. Jim: Looking forward to this discussion. I think it's going to be a really interesting conversation, especially when we're talking about economic development. It's a topic that we don't discuss too often on the show. And I think it's one of those underrated topics Superintendents need to be talking more about.

at you've had, what are some [: 00:02:00

Dr. Kathy Dinger: So I think when I look back on my history, some of those moments involved the districts, obviously that I served. And so I had a long tenure at a district Northwest of Chicago, very affluent district, very affluent community. So cut my teeth, so to speak in that district had a lot of resources enabled.

And then when I became a superintendent, I moved further south in Illinois, very small, rural area. high socioeconomic need. And so that was my first time in the superintendent's chair, which was very different from my first experience in educational leadership. And now I'm at a mid stage district where we have some good resources, but we also have some socioeconomic need and we're not quite as rural as where I started out as a superintendent.

So I think that's given me a great perspective. It certainly developed my values

r. Jim: It's interesting how [: 00:03:00

A similar level of impact, even though that you had some resource constraints that you're dealing with.

Dr. Kathy Dinger: I think the difference in coming from a, I'll just call it a wealthy district to one that struggles is I think it's your approach and how you value kids. And I think it really helps you define where your energy goes and how you value all students, not just those that have. And so that really guided a lot of my work at my first district as a superintendent.

y look like from the seat of [: 00:04:00

Dr. Kathy Dinger: When I think back to when I was serving in a really wealthy district, it was more of what I'll call a 30, 000 foot view. We were involved in bigger activities, bigger initiatives, a lot of maintenance. In some of those activities, when you then transition to a smaller district that probably hasn't had a lot of resources, also hasn't probably had some of Leadership in that district that had the scope of experience that I did doesn't mean they were less dedicated or less passionate, but they didn't have the exposure to some of the resources that I had.

So when I moved to the smaller district, I think I brought with me a skill set. That enabled me to get my hands in the sausage a little more and dig deep into things that are concerning in small school districts or any school district, the quality of teachers, the quality of instruction, the quality of facilities.

And it just brought me to a small district with a different lens than I think they had experienced before.

One of the things that, that [: 00:05:00

And in some respects, everybody within those districts might be operating in, in in some level of survival mode. And what I'm curious about is when you're operating at that pace with that level of focus, it can often lead to burnout. So what were some of the things that you did as a district leader in that sort of School district that helped mitigate some of those burnout risks or triggers that you might have seen when you were in the seat

Dr. Kathy Dinger: It's really interesting because and I just want to make a distinction to between my previous experience at the affluent district and my move to the, what I'll call the more struggling district in the affluent district, you had to bring 110 percent all the time because expectations were so high.

I think even among my family [: 00:06:00

So I think what helped me manage all of that was just that I was so committed and I was so impassioned about improving situations for kids. And so I certainly had to seek a balance between those, but I think the job was so deep. That it kept me so engaged and that kept some of those those burnout issues at bay,

Dr. Jim: So springing forward to the district that you're in now and you know when I paraphrase what you described I described it as the just right district It had a good combination of where you started and where you were previously And seems like this is a good balance Give us a landscape view of what the district actually looks like.

And some of the things that you've noticed in your time within the district.

here and also having been a [: 00:07:00

So that had a whole different flavor to it. This district is heavily industrial. It's one of three in the county. So it's positioned geographically a little different, but what I enjoy about this district and what I think is a little different is that they're hungry for advancement.

Dr. Jim: They're hungry for high expectations. for your questions. They're, they embrace change if it means there's going to be better outcomes. So far, I've been in the seat for a year and a half now. That's primarily been my experience, which fits my values, makes it a nice match.

assumptions or the standard [: 00:08:00

Dr. Jim: What are the things that you've done to shift thinking so that you're prepared to get to that next level?

Dr. Kathy Dinger: Sure. I think part of that I can't talk about change without talking about a supportive board, and we're certainly blessed with that here to have a supportive board of education who kind of shares the vision that I have. One of the primary things I've done. There are a couple things. The first is that in this district, we don't operate in silos anymore.

elf economically within some [: 00:09:00

So I'm a member of the community. Chamber of Commerce. I'm a member of Rotary. I'm a member of a nonprofit for a career advantage center. So I've really pushed myself in the economic arena to start having a voice within some things in the community.

Dr. Jim: One of the things that caught my attention was that, you no longer operate in silos. What were the things that you did to break down the silos within the district that allowed for this more collaborative environment and also more visibility across the entire district?

Dr. Kathy Dinger: Some of it was really just forward facing some of our branding. When I came in there, there may have been four or five or six Facebook pages. So we consolidated those into one. We hired a marketing director who helped us with branding to really put our voice in the community and make that look consistent so that The community wasn't seeing one building versus another or certain students being highlighted versus other students being highlighted.

st corralled all that energy [: 00:10:00

Dr. Jim: The other piece that I'm curious about is you mentioned that you integrated yourself into a lot of different business oriented communities. Why did you make the intentional decision of doing that?

Dr. Kathy Dinger: I think I learned early on. Particularly in this community and not that it's different in others, but I think one thing this district had missed before and probably just because of frequent changes in leadership was probably underestimating how much within the community the school districts attracts new move ins, transfers in, and so I don't think we've capitalized on that opportunity before.

ebsite. If our website isn't [: 00:11:00

So that was one impetus that really made me realize that I really need to embed myself in some of those community organizations.

Dr. Jim: That makes sense. When I opened the show, I talked about the importance of economic development within the district. And that's really where we're going to spend most of our time in this conversation is talking about the nuts and bolts of that. But, how is that informed by the experience that you had in your previous district?

ust leaving for work, so the [: 00:12:00

And so didn't have a lot of economic development. There were fledgling attempts and there was a small chamber of commerce, but they really just didn't have that energy or that ability to move things forward. So I hate to describe it as dying on the vine but there were a lot of struggles there. So to try to be part of that, there just wasn't a lot of momentum forward for the school district to be part of that.

Dr. Jim: When you think back to that time, you're describing a pretty barren landscape. Was there anything that you could have done to be more active on the economic development front in a community like that? Or was that just not feasible given the geographic considerations?

se in population just a real [: 00:13:00

So I just don't think they were there

Dr. Jim: It sounds like you're describing both a readiness and a willingness set of headwinds in that community.

And and a lack of capacity.

when you fast forward from that to your current role, what's the business case from a community perspective, and even a board perspective on why economic development needs to be a pillar of what a superintendent focuses on when you're talking about building a high performance district.

Dr. Kathy Dinger: So when we have conversations at the board table or even with other administrators or even within the community about the impact the school district plays it's that it has so much synergy with everything going on in the community. If you don't have a high achieving school district, you're not going to attract new residents to the community.

ace to grow their interests. [: 00:14:00

And again, I mentioned silo earlier. The Lee County Economic Development Group is very inclusive of all the community economic development groups. So again, we're not siloed. We're working together on this momentum to really advance this region and make the school district part of that, that influences employment, housing post secondary employment.

All of those things come together with a high performing school district.

Dr. Jim: Those conversations that you're having at the board level seem to be probably an easier path to have. That could be completely wrong on that assumption. How do you connect those dots with the community? And business leaders on their need to be involved in these community development efforts within the district.

. The interest from business [: 00:15:00

We need new goalposts, things like that. There's a lot of asking from the part of the school district to business. We're trying to flip that a little bit and be more of a partner with business leaders so that we can show that we are a partner in advancing not only their needs, but developing ourselves as a high functioning school district.

Dr. Jim: It's interesting that you mentioned partnering. I'd like you to dig in a little bit more and share with us what actual partnering with business looks like in service of advancing the priorities of the school district.

nts within our organization. [: 00:16:00

So I'm able to talk to them and offer assistance or For example, with the needs assessment and talk through how that might gain value in their organization. I'm also able to take some leadership roles in some community groups that some might perceive as outside the role of a superintendent, but I'm secretary of a nonprofit board within the community.

I participate within our educational foundation. I attend economic development group meetings. And I'm a member of the chamber. So as a member of the chamber, I might go to a ribbon cutting at a business to demonstrate that relationship and that partnership.

re. And because I've been so [: 00:17:00

M. C. A. I'm actually partnering with them to make sure that their organization moves forward successfully as well, which is beneficial to both of us.

Dr. Jim: When you look at being active in those community organizations as a part of your economic development strategy, how is that effort? Paid off in some of the things that have been brought back into the district through those stronger relationships

Dr. Kathy Dinger: I think you hit the nail on the head when you said relationships, I think my engagement interaction with all these community groups and my different roles and they are different. So it brings me in at different levels in the economic community, which I think gives me a great different perspective and kind of builds.

o that's borne fruit exactly [: 00:18:00

An international grant within our corporate structure. Are you doing anything with STEM? Are you doing anything with science that we might be able to provide some monetary support for? So as that relationship has grown and I understand what their needs are, they've in turn understood the motivations and the values and the needs of the district.

And so there's just a natural partnership that comes through that relationship.

Dr. Jim: So when you look at Those opening up of potential opportunities for the district at least from a monetary perspective. That's one outcome that you can get from this outreach effort. What other things have you noticed from a curriculum perspective that you've seen community and business leaders take interest in shaping the instruction that happens across the various grade levels?

One of the big outcomes that [: 00:19:00

We also just collectively in the county Started the first ceo program. I don't know if you're familiar with that comes out of midland institute. It's an entrepreneurial program for high school students it's you have to apply. It's very competitive. And throughout this experience, they network with local business leaders.

e will involve staying in or [: 00:20:00

Dr. Jim: So that's some interesting programming that's coming to life. I want to zoom out a little bit. And when you look at all of these different community organizations that you joined, Was there a broader strategy in play that helped define which one of these am I going to prioritize as places that I need to show up and be active in?

Dr. Kathy Dinger: Yeah, I think that's been an evolution and it's particularly timely right now because at the very beginning, I cast a broad net in what I was hoping to be involved in. Some of that was my lack of understanding of what those organizations goals were both short term and long term.

the economic goals that I'm [: 00:21:00

So I, I've had to just most recently narrow some down and focus my efforts on those that I think are really going to advance, advancing the school district.

Dr. Jim: So when you think about which types of community organizations are more likely to advance the priorities of the school district, what are some of the criteria that you consider in making that evaluation?

Dr. Kathy Dinger: So at first glance, you might think that it's monetary resource, right? And it's really not. It's about having a group of people that are aligned around some of the same goals. Having them be really active in the community seems some for. Progress and forward momentum and not so much embracing what we've always done, but looking for new strategies to move forward.

eally attracted and see some [: 00:22:00

Community organizations that are experiencing some forward momentum.

Dr. Jim: It's interesting that you mentioned that some organizations are going to continue to be stuck in doing things the way that they've always done. I'm assuming there's been a segment of those community organizations that you joined that you were able to win over. To a different way of looking at the relationship between the district and those community organizations.

So if that occurred, what did the conversation look like between you and the leaders and stakeholders within those community organizations that helped shift their perspective?

d. I can't have influence on [: 00:23:00

Some might come in as supportive, but I think the relationship is important when they understand and there's a common understanding that I'm there because I do want to form a partnership, that I'm not there as the school district asking what they can do for us. But talking about how the school district collectively can support efforts in the community, I think that's made a change.

And there are some times when I am there just as a supportive influence and I'm just able to give information that helps them meet their goals.

Dr. Jim: Okay, that makes sense. The other thing that I'm thinking about when I listen to what you describe, you talked about at first, you cast a wide net. And now you're filtering that down into smaller, more relevant segments. But regardless of Where you are in that process, it's still a lot of stuff and places that you need to be So what was your thought process when it came to?

[: 00:24:00

Dr. Kathy Dinger: I think that's been part of the conversation of kind of being more selective on where I'm focusing my attention and my energy. I also was fortunate my first year there was a lot of turnover when I came in. And so I was able to build a leadership team that I felt would move the district forward and raise our outcomes.

So that was a gradual process. A lot of that is again, Mhm. I hate to beat a dead horse, but going back to those relationship building pieces that took some time. But also my leadership style has always been to create leaders with autonomy. So bring in good leaders who know what they're doing, support them when they need the support, but really guide a district direction.

Dr. Jim: And then most leaders that I've been fortunate to work with take off and embrace that and move forward.

ened within the district and [: 00:25:00

Dr. Kathy Dinger: Yeah, I think it's always been important for me to front load my expectations and think about visioning and our goal of where we're going. So anytime and we haven't had any real turnover that's been significant since I joined the district. But initially People and some building level people.

We really talked about and we focus those conversations on that. We're not in isolation. We're not just talking about interview questions or conversations that advance the district, but that we're part of a bigger community. And how do those conversations build our role within the bigger community? What are some of their ideas on yeah.

nty in this region? And what [: 00:26:00

So how do we fit within the bigger picture and not in isolation?

Dr. Jim: That makes sense. The other thing that I'm thinking about is when you map out all of these different things that you have oversight for within the district. And you look at the economic development piece of what you have to do. If you're advising another superintendent. How should they structure their day or their week?

How much of your time was spent on the economic development piece compared to all the other areas of responsibility or spheres of influence that you have?

Does it support a transition [: 00:27:00

How does it support the business needs of the community and the skill sets they're looking at? So I think really the trick is you have to make a switch from being very granular to looking at your website with a fresh set of eyes. How would a new family be navigating that? If a business leader wanted to look at workplace based information, how easy would they be able to find it?

So that's really granular to then the bigger concepts of, I've mentioned post secondary outcomes, what are the potential hiring trajectories for our students within the communities and what skills do they need to develop within our district to find a place within the community? So it's really that switch from the granular piece to the larger perspective.

think that would be an easy [: 00:28:00

What were the lessons that you learned that helped you zoom out versus taking that granular look?

Dr. Kathy Dinger: I think part of that I've been blessed with is my background. When I earlier in this segment mentioned that really affluent district where we would study live birth rates in the county to project enrollment. So I had some of those zoom out experiences. I think this community is big enough. As well, and I have some a pretty good understanding of the history of the district and the community to know that it's been shrinking over the last 25 years and to zoom out and think about how the school district can maybe put the brakes on that and support some rejuvenation in the community and some increases, not only in enrollment, but those increases in enrollment come from increases in population.

So you can't look at those separately.

vious answer, but one of the [: 00:29:00

And you focused on economic development as a key area of how the district could help. Either stall or reverse that trend. So overall, when you look at what you've done so far, what's been the impact within the community, within the business landscape, within the schools on the work that you've done so far,

Dr. Kathy Dinger: When you ask me about impact, some of it is visible impact. And I hate as a school district superintendent to talk about track and field because that seems cliche. But we are a small rural district. And so In my first year as superintendent clearly with the support of the board and the interest of the community, we did a complete phase one remodel of our athletic complex.

aled visibly that the school [: 00:30:00

We want the lights on Friday night, and we want to be A source or a place where all of our community members come and rally around the school district and rally around the community. So that's been one piece. I also have a leadership team that is heavily involved within the community, goes to events goes to fundraisers.

So I think the impact has been that the community at large has seen us In a partnership role, which is what I've hoped we've been able to present ourselves as

ackle as part of this public [: 00:31:00

Dr. Kathy Dinger: We've really focused a lot of attention in the last six months or so on post secondary outcomes, which are not only of benefit to us, but we've got a workplace coordinator position that recreated who's always already working with local businesses to match some student employees.

And fill some of their needs and also fill some of ours and that informs both sides of the coin. It informs us as a school district on what some of those entry level needs are and skill sets are. It also positions us as a resources, a resource for businesses to fill some of those needs. So we're really focused on those workplace opportunities moving forward.

t So if you're advising that [: 00:32:00

What are the things that they need to have on their radar? What are the key lessons that you've learned that's going to help that next superintendent execute this well within their own districts?

Dr. Kathy Dinger: Sure, there are a couple things. And there are certainly things from mistakes that I made in my last district. So I think in my last district I was waiting to be involved in that process, waiting to be asked to those opportunities, because at that point, I didn't have a great understanding of just how much I felt like the school district could impact those efforts.

ich I think most communities [: 00:33:00

The district coming for an ask. I think it's also really important when you. Position yourself at the table or reach out to make that connection that you have a really good understanding of the struggles that are within your community, not only within your school district, but what are the challenges that the community and that business leaders and that industry within your community are facing so you can have those conversations and you can.

Dr. Jim: Kind of think about how the district can support some of those bigger challenges.

If folks want to continue the conversation with you, Kathy, what's the best way for them to get in touch with you?

Dr. Kathy Dinger: I'm always great with email. Anybody who wants to reach out to me via email, I would be happy to have any conversations.

think is broadly applicable [: 00:34:00

To this discussion and that was your comment that one of the first things that you focused on was making sure internally within the district That you weren't operating in silos And when I think about that's important from an internal district operations But when I put it in context of this story I think it did a lot of that work within the district or within the community as well I think one of the key things that Maps out a pathway for success is removing the barriers and removing the walls that exist within your district and trying to integrate that as much as you can within the community on an economic or business and community landscape as well.

g for as a district benefits [: 00:35:00

And that's where I think your message about not operating in silos is really important. You need to do that within your district. You need to do that within your community and you need to do that within your businesses as well.

So I appreciate you sharing that with us. I think that's good advice for anybody to listen to. For those of you who've been listening to this conversation, we appreciate you hanging out. If you like the discussion, make sure you leave us a review on your favorite podcast player. If you haven't already done so, make sure you join our K through 12 leadership community.

And then tune in next time where we'll have another great leader hanging out with us and sharing with us the game changing insights that help them build a high performance team.