By Laura Cook Kroeger
Special to NKyTribune
Terri Cox-Cruey has been superintendent of Kenton County Schools since 2011. She served as deputy and assistant superintendent in the district and was executive director and director of special education. She worked for 13 years in the Covington Independent school district as a teacher, director of special education and general director of alternative programs. Under her guidance the district has worked on literacy and math initiatives supported by major grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, launched Academies of Technology and Innovation and developed a Professional Practicies Rubric (PPR) which identified best instructional practices. The school system is focused, she says, on excellence in instruction and student and business engagement.
Q: You run the fifth largest school district in the Commonwealth. What is the biggest obstacle you face?
A. At the present time the biggest obstacle is dealing with the financial constraints. School Districts in Kentucky are funded based on the number of students enrolled. Over the last several years the amount districts are given has been reduced. Therefore we are educating more students and receiving less money per student. To manage the budget, we then must make some difficult decisions about what budget items can be cut. Since districts have been in this position for the past six years, it becomes increasingly difficult to trim from the budget with each passing year.
Q. It seems like you could attend a work event every day of the week? How do you choose where you will spend your time?
A. With 20 school sites, there are multiple activities every night. I always attend the events where students from multiple schools are performing or participating in district-wide events. It is also great fun to watch our schools compete with one another. With our new academy structure, we have students who may be in class together during the day, but return to their home schools to compete in evening events.
Q. Students, parents, community members. Who are the hardest to deal with and why?
A. Students, parents and community members comprise most of our stakeholders. Each group has a perspective that allows our system to grow and improve. Most people want to have a voice and if you listen, typically it becomes a conversation and not an issue.
Q. When you were nine, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A. My earliest recollection of thinking of a career was being a Flight Attendant. I think I saw a movie that intrigued me with the travel and opportunity to meet new people. While I did not grow up to pursue that career, I did work my way through graduate school at the University of Cincinnati as a reservationist for Delta Airlines.
Q. So how did you choose your career path?
A. I was a psychology graduate who decided to pursue a career working with students with severe emotional difficulties. I worked for some time as a diagnostician through Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Center for Developmental Disorders. When I learned of an opening as a teacher in a diagnostic classroom, I jumped on the opportunity. As I continued to learn about how students learn and how to manage behavior, I went on to become a Special Education Director and a General Director of Alternative programs. That led me to the Kenton County School District where I was able to expand my supervision of all academic programs and eventually the supervision of all district programs.
Q. Please describe your leadership style.
A. I have a distributed leadership style. I believe that people need to feel ownership in order to change and improve professional practices. The leaders need to be able to help their team take action, reflect on practice and make steps for continuous improvement. Each member of the team needs to feel valued and be able to work in a collaborative manner.
Q.Favorite book on leadership? Favorite book overall?
A. It is difficult to name one favorite book on leadership. I have read so many. However, at the present time, I am leading a book study with our principals entitled, Leadership Isn’t for Cowards, by Mike Staver. My favorite overall would have to be Hardball for Women by Pat Heim. I have used what I learned from that book many times in my career and when coaching other women administrators.
Q. Who have been your mentors and how did they shape you?
A. The previous two former superintendents for the Kenton County School District have certainly been mentors to me, Dr. Susan Cook and Mr. Tim Hanner. They were both there to encourage my growth as an administrator and to coach me to be a better leader.
Q. What keeps you up at night?
A. SNOW!
Q. Any advice for someone aspiring to a senior level position in education?
A. Become involved in leadership activities. Take on responsibility for supervising events and get the experience you need for the position you want to hold.
Laura Cook Kroeger is vice president of resource development at Gateway Community and Technical College and a former journalist. She is immediate past chair of the Women’s Initiative of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce for which these profiles were originally written.