I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Gregg Smith, Superintendent of Clear Creek ISD. Dr. Smith has served as the district’s Superintendent since 2008 and considers it to be a great accomplishment since most of his colleagues serve as Superintendent for 3 ½ years or less. Dr. Smith believes that he has managed to remain successful in his current position because he is always excited about his job and finds it meaningful to be able to put people into positions that will allow them to change and save lives for the better. He does not see any situation as negative but views it as a challenge. He uses ethical leadership to stay true to his professional and personal core values and address each challenge. While it has not been easy, he has worked hard to find and maintain a balance between his beliefs in faith and family as well as creating successful schools and communities.
Student-centered leadership was a recurring theme throughout the interview. Dr. Smith feels that learning should be redefined and that kids need a love for learning and not just be test takers. In order to rally the community to create a vision of learning for our children, he has created several committees comprised of school board members, principals, parents, teachers, and students that convene as often as necessary to address the big issues in the district. Dr. Smith feels that along with his school board, these committees are the voice of the community and his job is to listen and learn. “At the end of the day, it is their schools, their kids, and their money,” he states. He is in constant communication with his committees, school board members, and administrative cabinet because that is the only way to build trust and good working relationships. He also feels that it is vital to provide real-time communication to parents so he holds town hall meetings, streams podcasts for those that cannot be in attendance, as well as monitors the district's website for parent feedback on hot topics. The district averages 250,000 hits per month from parents.
Dr. Smith’s advice to all aspiring Superintendents is to think of the future not as today but as the future. “Not only do you have to think down the street, you have to think down the street and around the corner.” He charges us all to create a district where all students are welcome to the table regardless of their race, religion, or economic background and educate each child for jobs that don’t exist today.
Because of Dr. Smith’s firm commitment to children first, he was recently named 2012 Superintendent of the Year by the Texas Association of School Boards. At the end of the interview, he commended me for continuing my education because he is a firm believer in professional growth, especially for those who aspire to be leaders in his district. He showed me a set of blue books on his book shelf and explained to me that those were dissertations of staff who had obtained their doctorate since he became Superintendent and challenged me to earn a spot on his shelf.
