Why “Leading Together” Matters More Than Ever
In today’s schools, leadership can’t live in one office, one title, or one meeting agenda. The realities of public education—complex student needs, staffing shortages, evolving legislation, tight budgets, and rising expectations for inclusive practice—demand a model that is both collaborative and clear.
The resource guide Leading Together from Manitoba education partners emphasizes a central truth: when school boards, superintendents, and secretary-treasurers operate as a cohesive leadership team, the entire division is better positioned to serve students well. When roles are unclear or relationships are strained, progress slows—sometimes in ways that directly impact classrooms and student services.
At TinyEYE, we work with school systems every day through online therapy services. We see how strong leadership structures make it easier to implement supports like speech-language therapy and occupational therapy consistently and equitably. Clear governance and aligned operations don’t just help adults work better together—they help students access what they need, when they need it.
Shared Leadership: Moving Beyond “Position” to Partnership
A key message in the guide is that traditional, top-down leadership models no longer fit modern education systems. Instead, shared leadership is becoming the norm—engaging trustees, administrators, teachers, parents, and even students.
Shared leadership doesn’t mean everyone does the same work. It means responsibility is distributed intentionally, and people collaborate around a common purpose: student learning and achievement.
Effective partnerships are characterized by trust and a commitment to the common good. That trust is built through consistent communication, respectful decision-making, and a shared understanding of who is responsible for what.
Three Interconnected Leadership Roles: Governance, Instruction, and Operations
The guide highlights a practical way to think about senior leadership in a school division:
School Board: Governance—setting direction through policy, ensuring accountability, and representing the community.
Superintendent: Instructional leadership and overall executive leadership—turning vision into action across teaching, learning, and system operations.
Secretary-Treasurer: Fiscal management and divisional operations—ensuring financial integrity, operational oversight, and often leadership in non-instructional services.
When these roles are aligned, divisions can plan strategically, allocate resources responsibly, and maintain a steady focus on equitable outcomes for students.
The Superintendent’s Role: Vision, Policy Alignment, and Professional Practice
The superintendent is described as the chief executive officer of the division and the “first professional officer” of the board—both the primary educational leader and the most senior operations manager. That is a wide scope, which is exactly why role clarity and evaluation matter.
1) Vision and Values
Superintendents and boards collaborate to define shared values and a desired future for the division. Practically, this includes:
Keeping the division focused on a shared vision for education
Engaging the board in understanding its responsibilities and policies
Modeling ethical behavior and moral leadership
Leading divisional planning that includes relevant stakeholders
Providing information and recommendations that support board decision-making
From a special education lens, “vision and values” must include inclusion. If a division’s vision does not explicitly protect access and belonging for students with diverse learning needs, service delivery becomes inconsistent and dependent on individual schools or personalities.
2) Governance and Policies
The superintendent helps interpret and implement policy so that day-to-day practice matches the division’s vision. Responsibilities include:
Leadership in curriculum and teaching/learning implementation
Systems to demonstrate achievement and monitor progress
Policy and procedure review for relevance, legal compliance, and alignment with divisional values
Promoting the welfare and inclusion of all students in diverse communities
For student support services, this is where divisions can either reduce barriers—or accidentally create them. Clear policy direction helps ensure that supports like therapy services are not treated as “extra,” but as part of the system’s commitment to student success.
3) Professional Practices
Superintendents are also responsible for building the systems that make the vision real:
Frameworks for teaching and learning
Assessment systems that monitor student performance and needs
Democratic structures that invite community participation
Collaboration with partners such as government departments and community agencies
Securing resources (finances, time, talent, ideas) to carry out board priorities
Supervision of educational, financial, personnel, and operational functions through senior staff
Communication strategies that build relationships across the community
Superintendent Qualifications: What Divisions Commonly Look For
While qualifications vary across provinces, the guide notes a Manitoba consensus over time that superintendents should typically be educators with:
Eligibility for a Manitoba Permanent Professional Certificate (or equivalent)
At least five years of teaching experience
Leadership experience (such as principalship or equivalent)
A master’s degree in an appropriate discipline
It also identifies knowledge areas that strengthen superintendents’ effectiveness, including educational law, public finance, communications, curriculum, inclusive education, and politics of education.
One point worth underlining: inclusive education is not a “nice-to-have.” It is a technical and ethical competency. Leaders must understand how systems can unintentionally exclude students—and how to design structures that support access, dignity, and progress for every learner.
Recruitment, Selection, and Succession Planning: Getting the Process Right
The guide calls superintendent hiring one of the most important decisions a board makes—and it outlines a thorough, transparent process. Strong hiring is not just about finding an impressive resume; it is about finding the right match for a division’s current needs and future direction.
Key steps include:
Succession planning: Ideally, boards plan before a departure notice arrives, reducing disruption and rushed decisions.
Assessing divisional needs: Reviewing strategic plans, conducting community input, and aligning the superintendent role description with real priorities.
Appointing a selection committee: Establishing confidentiality, clear timelines, and defined roles (including whether community members are advisory or full participants).
Advertising strategically: Using a mix of print, websites, internal postings, and professional networks.
Screening and interviews: Using consistent questions and formats, prioritizing open-ended and experience-based questions over yes/no responses.
Reference and post-interview checks: Completing due diligence through references and appropriate background checks.
Contract negotiation and onboarding: Using legal counsel, clarifying terms, and introducing the new superintendent thoughtfully to the community.
Evaluation: A Tool for Growth, Not a “Report Card”
When evaluation is done well, it strengthens trust and improves performance. The guide emphasizes that superintendent (and board) evaluation should:
Include formative and summative elements
Encourage ongoing communication
Use ethical practices and relevant data sources
Clarify roles and support continuous improvement
Respect confidentiality in the employer-employee relationship
It also describes multiple evaluation models, including performance appraisal focused on agreed-upon objectives, and cautions that checklists alone may overemphasize personality traits rather than results.
The Secretary-Treasurer: Financial Stewardship and Operational Leadership
The guide expands leadership beyond the superintendent-board relationship to include the secretary-treasurer as a key senior leader. In many divisions, the secretary-treasurer is the chief financial officer and often oversees major operational services.
Common responsibilities include:
Financial management: budgeting, accounting, purchasing, reporting, audit preparation, internal controls, and compliance with legislation and policy.
Operations oversight: facilities, transportation, information technology, privacy policy, workplace safety, and records management (varies by division).
Human resources: supervision of board office staff and, in many divisions, involvement in labour relations and collective agreement administration.
From a student services perspective, this role matters because budgets, staffing models, technology systems, and privacy practices all influence whether supports can be delivered smoothly—especially when divisions use online services and digital documentation.
What This Means for Student Support Services and Inclusive Practice
Even though Leading Together is a governance and leadership resource, its implications reach directly into student support delivery. When leadership teams are aligned, divisions are more likely to:
Plan proactively for staffing gaps and service continuity
Use data to monitor access and outcomes for students receiving supports
Develop policies that protect inclusion, privacy, and equitable service delivery
Allocate resources transparently and in alignment with divisional goals
Build partnerships that expand capacity (including online therapy models)
In other words, strong leadership structures create the conditions where inclusive education can move from intention to everyday reality.
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