Dr. Sara Stone

After more than 30 years in public education, I stepped into my first superintendency. Before that, I had the privilege of serving as a teacher, principal, network superintendent, chief academic officer, and assistant superintendent in districts of different sizes and communities. Throughout each role, one belief remained constant: lasting improvement happens when we invest in the people, relationships, and systems that support students every day.

This past year marked two significant milestones in my professional life. I completed my first year as superintendent of Albany Unified School District while also earning my Doctor of Education from the University of California, Berkeley. My dissertation explored how women superintendents navigate transformational leadership and what enables them to sustain meaningful change. Although my research focused on women, many of the lessons they shared reflect the experiences of first-year superintendents more broadly. Professionally, these two journeys could not have been more connected. Every day, I was living the work I was simultaneously studying.

Like many new superintendents, I entered the role with years of leadership experience, a deep commitment to students, and a clear vision for the future. What I quickly learned, however, was that no amount of preparation fully captures what it means to become the leader of an entire school system. The first year is not simply about learning a new position. It is about learning how to lead in an entirely new way.

Every decision carries weight. Every relationship matters. Every conversation has the potential to strengthen trust or diminish it.

As I listened to the stories of superintendents across California, one message surfaced repeatedly: the first year matters. Not because it defines a leader, but because it establishes the relationships, habits, and conditions that will shape the years that follow.

One of the Strongest Findings From My Research

One of the strongest findings from my research was not about strategic planning, budgeting, or instructional leadership. It was about isolation.

Nearly every superintendent described the role as lonelier than they expected. Leadership at this level requires confidentiality, discretion, and constant decision-making. Superintendents carry the hopes of a community while navigating competing expectations from staff, families, students, labor partners, elected officials, and boards of education. Even leaders surrounded by talented teams often described feeling as though they carried the weight of the organization alone.

Recognizing that reality changed the way I thought about leadership.

I realized that one of the most important responsibilities of a first-year superintendent is not simply leading others. It is intentionally building the relationships that make leadership sustainable. That includes trusted mentors, fellow superintendents, executive coaches, leadership teams, and colleagues who are willing to ask hard questions, offer honest feedback, and create space for reflection. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It is one of the most important investments a leader can make.

Boards Play an Equally Important Role

At the same time, boards play an equally important role in determining whether a new superintendent is positioned to succeed.

Boards hire superintendents because they are ready to move a district forward. They are looking for someone who can strengthen instruction, improve systems, build trust, and lead meaningful change. Yet every superintendent begins by learning the district's history, listening to the community, building relationships, understanding the culture, and responding to challenges that could never have been anticipated on the first day of the job.

There is no handbook that fully prepares someone for that responsibility.

The most effective governance teams understand that supporting a superintendent is not about lowering expectations. It is about creating the conditions where high expectations can be achieved together.

That work begins with trust.

Trust is not built through a single decision or conversation. It develops over time through consistent communication, clearly defined roles, transparency, and a shared commitment to serving students. Nationally, the average superintendent tenure is only three to four years, and research has consistently linked strong board-superintendent relationships with greater leadership stability and stronger district performance. Boards and superintendents strengthen those relationships when they approach challenges with curiosity rather than assumption, engage in honest dialogue, seek to understand one another's perspectives, and remain grounded in their shared responsibility for student success.

New superintendents also have an important role to play.

The first year is not the time to prove how much you know. It is the time to listen deeply, learn the community, build authentic relationships, and understand the history that shaped the district before you arrived. It is the time to ask thoughtful questions, remain open to feedback, and resist the temptation to mistake urgency for progress. Trust is earned through consistency, humility, and follow-through.

One of the greatest lessons from my first year is that leadership is rarely about having all the answers. More often, it is about creating the conditions where people can solve problems together.

The same is true for governance.

When boards and superintendents intentionally invest in their relationship from the very beginning, they create a foundation that carries districts through difficult decisions, unexpected challenges, and moments of disagreement. Strong governance does not eliminate conflict. Instead, it creates enough trust that conflict becomes an opportunity to strengthen relationships, improve decisions, and remain focused on what matters most.

Public Education Has Never Been More Complex

Public education has never been more complex. Superintendents are leading through financial uncertainty, political polarization, rapidly evolving technology, workforce challenges, and growing student needs. No individual can navigate that complexity alone. The work requires partnership, shared responsibility, and a commitment to continuous learning.

As I reflect on my own first year, I do not think success is measured by whether every decision was perfect. Leadership rarely works that way. Instead, I think about whether trust has grown, whether relationships have deepened, whether people feel heard, and whether the organization is stronger because we have learned to lead together.

Perhaps those are the questions every board and every first-year superintendent should ask.

For boards: How can we create the conditions for this leader to succeed?

For superintendents: How can I build the relationships, habits, and support system that will sustain both me and the organization over time?

The answers to those questions extend far beyond the first year. They shape the culture of the district, the stability of its leadership, and ultimately the opportunities we create for every student we serve.