萝莉网

The Promise-Keeper blog series is part of AASA's 鈥�Promise in Action鈥� back-to-school campaign, celebrating 萝莉网members who are delivering on the commitments they make to their school communities through courageous decisions, transparent leadership, and student-centered action.

They say the first year of a superintendency is about listening, learning, and staying afloat. They don鈥檛 always mention the days when you have to swim, steer, and patch the boat all at once鈥攚ith the district watching and your own family riding in it, too.

As I stepped into the role of Superintendent of Ferndale Public Schools, I carried history with me. I am the second Black woman and the youngest person to ever hold this seat in our district. That truth followed me into every room, whether anyone said it or not. I also walked in with my full self: a mother of two young children, a wife, and a leader committed to equity, excellence, and humanity.

Year one wasn鈥檛 just hard. It was defining.

You don鈥檛 stop being who you are just because you lead a district.

We Built the Work Around What Mattered

Rather than a traditional strategic plan, we grounded our first year in what we called the Five Pillars of Excellence: Attendance, Collaboration, Data as a Flashlight, Self-Reflection, and Transparency. These weren鈥檛 just priorities; they were values I needed us to live and lead by.

Attendance reminded us that showing up matters. Collaboration kept us aligned. Using data as a flashlight (not a hammer) helped us make informed, not punitive, decisions. Self-reflection invited honesty. Transparency built trust.

These pillars became our leadership compass, something we could hold on to while everything around us moved. And things did move.

We Passed a Bond. That Wasn鈥檛 Luck.

In a year when most bond proposals across Michigan failed, ours passed. But that win wasn鈥檛 about slick marketing or luck. It was about trust. The kind of trust that鈥檚 earned, not assumed.

I was new to the role of superintendent, so I knew I needed to build credibility quickly. 

In my first few months, I prioritized visibility and listening. I visited every building, met with parent groups, joined city council meetings, and made it a point to be present. I wanted people to see me, hear me, and feel that I was fully invested in this community.

When we began discussing the possibility of a bond, relentless communication became our default setting. We launched a dedicated bond website, sent out regular updates, and hosted over 25 community engagement sessions in living rooms, libraries, churches, and school gyms. We made ourselves available for every question, every critique, and every idea.

Build trust before you need it. And be prepared to explain not just what you want to do, but why it matters for children.

But we didn鈥檛 just talk about buildings and infrastructure. We talked about kids. We painted the picture: This is how this bond will impact your child鈥檚 classroom. This is how it will improve safety. This is how it will eliminate barriers to learning.

For example, we explained how expanding classroom sizes would create more collaborative learning environments, how reimagined hallways and common areas would foster connection and creativity, and how redesigned science labs would support hands-on, inquiry-based learning. We talked about secure vestibules and new office spaces to keep students safe and supported. We highlighted modernized band and orchestra rooms that honor and elevate the arts. Every detail in the plan was framed around student experience 鈥� not just space, but opportunity.

Bringing the community into the conversation early and often wasn鈥檛 a talking point, it was a strategy. Before a single dollar amount was decided, we held forums to ask families and staff what they believed our priorities should be. Their feedback directly shaped the proposal. When the plan was drafted, we went back out and said: Did we get this right? What鈥檚 missing? That back-and-forth continued until the final vote.

If I could offer advice to early-career superintendents considering a bond campaign, it would be this: Don鈥檛 start with a plan, start with people. Build trust before you need it. And be prepared to explain not just what you want to do, but why it matters for children.

Our $115 million bond will fund projects that will have direct impact 鈥� from redesigned learning spaces to secure entrances. These aren鈥檛 just infrastructure updates, they鈥檙e investments in student success, equity, and pride.

That bond vote wasn鈥檛 only a funding decision. It was a trust fall, and our community caught us.

This Work Is Personal Because I Live in It

One of the hardest truths I鈥檝e come to realize is this: you don鈥檛 stop being who you are just because you lead a district.

I鈥檓 raising Black children while leading a district committed to equity. I know the weight of both. I鈥檝e taken calls about discipline and student support while also doing bedtime and clarifying homework directions at my kitchen table. This work isn鈥檛 theoretical for me. It鈥檚 personal.

I鈥檓 entering year two with more clarity, more confidence, and more questions. That鈥檚 the beauty of leading dynamically. You don鈥檛 pretend to have all the answers. You keep listening, adjusting, staying rooted in values, and moving with purpose.

My lived experience is leadership. It grounds my decisions in urgency, empathy, and truth. And this foundation was tested and strengthened throughout my first year.

Year one in this role taught me that:

• Presence is Power. I showed up in classrooms, at events, in lunchrooms, at Board meetings鈥攁nd people noticed. Leadership can鈥檛 live only in memos.
• Perfection Is a Trap. Trying to be everything to everyone meant almost being nothing to myself. I had to learn to lead fully, not flawlessly.
• Transparency Builds Trust, Not Trouble. When we told people the truth鈥攅ven when it was hard鈥攖hey leaned in, not out.
• Black Women in Leadership Must Be Seen鈥擣ully. Not just for our resilience, but for our vision. Not just for our strength, but for our strategy.

I鈥檓 entering year two with more clarity, more confidence, and more questions. That鈥檚 the beauty of leading dynamically. You don鈥檛 pretend to have all the answers. You keep listening, adjusting, staying rooted in values, and moving with purpose.

I鈥檓 still standing. Not because it was easy, but because I was called to do this work, in this time, with this community.

And we鈥檙e just getting started.