Small Things, Big Impact: Fostering a Welcoming Community

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Jim trying to figure out how to convince people to stay home. Stay in your organization is probably one of the most challenging tasks that a leader has. No one has it easy when it comes to employee retention. It can be argued that no industry has a tougher task than the K through 12 education space.

Think about it. The hours are long. The pay isn't great. You have multiple stakeholders that you need to satisfy. And to top it all off, you have to deal with all sorts of external political pressures from folks that have no idea what the day to day life looks like for an educator. In the face of all of those constraints, there's still a good number of leaders in the K 12 space who are doing phenomenal jobs, building great teams, and building a retention culture.

argument that Scott Foster, [: 00:01:00

What's his story? Scott's a 30 year educator with 18 years as an administrator, including the last six as the district administrator for the Northland pine school district. The school district is a rural district in Northern Wisconsin, serving approximately 1300 students and covers almost 500 square miles and maintains 3 campuses.

Scott has led the district through one on one initiatives, opening multiple charter schools, changing pay models, changing school calendars, bringing forward a district continuous improvement cycle, and has done all of this Through ever changing times. So we're in for a great story. Scott, welcome to the show.

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[00:01:46] Dr. Jim: Yeah, I'm looking forward to this discussion. This is part of a special series that we're doing on the K through 12 education space and particularly leadership best practices. And I know we're going to cover a lot of ground in the discussion, but before we do that, I think it's [00:02:00] important for you. To share with us and the audience, some details about the district that you're in, paint us a picture of of what you are facing on a day to day basis.

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So it's a balance between creating our kids to make world class education, but yet doing it in a environment that's very unique.

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What's been your key in finding talent in the first place? Because I can't imagine that a lot of young educators would want to be in quote, unquote, a remote environment. And I might be overstating the remote bit, but you get where I'm going with this.

[: 00:03:19

High quality professional development, trust high expectations and great facilities. So it's finding that mix of somebody that wants to live in this area sometimes it's finding jobs for more than one. So if you have two professionals there are opportunities for both of them. So it's the combination of find the person that's passionate to live in this area and have these unique things to some may seem challenges to others.

The other thing we've [: 00:04:00

[00:04:14] Dr. Jim: So I want to dig into that a little bit. And it's, your point about you have to find people that are aligned with what the region offers. Play to your strengths is, I think, the phrase that you used. So how does that show up in your recruitment strategy, in your interview strategy, and in your retention and development strategy?

[: 00:04:34

We are very tech savvy here. We [00:05:00] have had one to one for a very long time. We use technology to our advantage to bring forward all these opportunities. So it's really showcasing across the board. We really try to get staff here. The whole idea of doing virtual interviews, we'll do it in the last case scenario.

But if I can get them in the door and see what we have to offer from people and facilities, it's usually a great hook.

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[00:05:46] Scott Foster: Yeah, we're definitely obviously a people business. So from day one, when we start the interview process, we really are catering them. It's phone calls, follow ups thank you, handwritten notes. Then when they come in the door and we finally [00:06:00] get to the point where they agree to come join our family, I think those vocabulary terms such as family and other small pieces go a long ways, but then we keep in touch.

Are they finding a place to live? Can we help with that? Are they ready to make the move? Do their spouse need another job? Can we help with that? It's really starting to build a relationship from day one. Make sure they know what the plan is when they come. Having other staff members reach out, not just administrators, I think has gone a long way.

I think any district with different facilities can do the human pieces of what we do here. And really, and it has to be true and authentic, and I think that's the other thing. It can't be just a, hey, here's an email, how are things going? It can be texts, it can be phone calls I as the superintendent like to send handwritten notes.

We want to keep that relationship going right up to the day the kids come.

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[00:07:05] Scott Foster: When we do a first year mentor program where we do survey them at the end because we want to keep improving that process and what we hear a lot is it's the whole package that made a difference to them. It is the other staff members, it is a principal or a director who does reach out to them and checks in with them.

Not only how's it going in the classroom, but how are you doing? Is your family adjusting? Are you adjusting? Have you found professional? Companionship, and that's probably been one of our biggest challenges is we don't have a huge, a group of young professionals. There are some groups that are forming.

y would find in a more urban [: 00:08:00

[00:08:00] Dr. Jim: One of the things that I'm gathering from what you're describing. Is this intentional effort at building a pretty strong support system around anyone new that's coming into the district as an educator or administrator or whatever the case might be.

And the reason why that stands out is that there's a lot of research that goes into the private sector that indicates that the better the onboarding process is for a new hire, the more likely. You're going to have a positive retention outcome. Now it's not a one to one relationship, but it certainly influences that.

So tell us a little bit more about how you focused on that first 90 days of a new employee coming in. What are the things that you're doing that. Are specifically driving better retention outcomes because your district has some pretty good track record when it comes to retaining and developing teachers.

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We know they're going to be classroom next door. So we try to pick the best teachers that we know are going to focus on all the things that a teacher may need. We have a very. scripted mentor program. All mentors have to be certified and trained. And then we really focus on following through. We do have some administrators in charge of creating really neat, fun events.

We have we've done some different things with picnics. We've done some things with we have a local pirate ship that we're known for our lakes. So we take them out to know our community. We do a fun survey of our current staff, like where's the best fish fry, where's the best pizza place in town.

d thing they get, is they've [: 00:10:00

And then we really start ramping up, how do I become effective in my classroom? If I'm a first year teacher, that's another whole level. So how do you feel that you're not overwhelmed when those kids walk in the door the first day? If you've been a veteran teacher, how do we do things at Pines?

compared to where you've been before. We do a lot of listening with them more than with a brand new teacher. We're just checking in. We're making sure they're asking questions. We talk about supporting different learners. It's supporting different staff when they come on board. So it's systematic.

After the first 90 days, it's a lot of check ins. We do have a meeting early on, just what are the fires? What didn't we tell you that you want to know? We reach out to our mentors, not for any type of evaluation. We want a trust level there. It's more of hey, what do they need? Do they need a, they need some time?

it's a lot of listening and [: 00:11:00

[00:11:06] Dr. Jim: I like the wide ranging aspect of that mentorship program. And I think one of the things that is often challenging about mentorship programs in general is that it's so vague in terms of what's expected. So I want to break this up into a couple of different components. Obviously.

The logistical items and getting a new hire acclimated to all the logistical details. That's kind of table stakes. If you're an organization in a school district that isn't doing the table stakes, logistical stuff to definitely start doing that. But I want to dig into one element that you mentioned, which was classroom effectiveness.

And also just overall educator support. So let's tackle the classroom effectiveness component first. What are the structured elements of your mentorship program that speak to the classroom effectiveness component, getting those new teachers in the district, highly effective in delivering classes to the students.

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So you want to get, you want them to get kicked off to a great relationship. So we make sure they can. function, at a functional level. The high quality instruction comes with, asking our mentors to actually go into their classrooms and feel safe to know that, hey, we're just going to help you through.

If you have questions, give them. I think the challenge of the new teacher is giving them enough room to make mistakes, but then following up to make sure that it's not punitive. We're going to help you. If you have a class that's a challenge, maybe that's the one that your mentor drops into, or a neighboring teacher.

are research based, but also [: 00:13:00

It's making sure they have the right people at the right time to build into a teacher. It takes, my experience would say, you need three years to really get to that highly effective. Some come out of the gates doing great things and we support them and help them grow. But everybody, even our veterans use instructional coaches and getting better improvement cycles.

So it feels natural. I can't overemphasize your professional learning community culture that you really want to have because that's what embraces them and realizing, boy, these veterans are trying to help each other get better. So it's not just me that I'm struggling.

I'm afraid to ask questions. We really watch for staff that don't ask questions because they're the ones that are drowning. They're either embarrassed or they don't know what's going on to ask the questions. So there we backfill a little extra. We want our administrators walking through classrooms too.

oup of kids is going to be a [: 00:14:00

If it's not, what other, what can we do to support that new person?

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[00:14:45] Scott Foster: Fellow educators, we have all of our jargon, right? So PLCs are pretty common. It's research based. It's not a thing. It's a way of operation. I will emphasize you're joining the Pines family. And if you really think of your own family, that's not always perfect,. So we want to think that's all [00:15:00] great.

But the reality is, I have brothers and sisters and sometimes we didn't get along and, or we didn't know what each other was doing. So that's the same thing in our culture here at school. We want to make sure they realize it's not always going to be perfect. We're going to have good days and bad days.

And when they see the veterans, Also acknowledging it's okay to not have a perfect day. Let's work together. My opening message this year was we're going to get a little better each every day. We don't expect anybody to be perfect. So if I, as the leader, can acknowledge that, if a principal can do that, if a veteran teacher can do that then it might be okay for me to do that.

It's safe, we're really working in those first 90 days, as you referenced earlier, to build a safe culture, to ask questions, to make a mistake. I believe it takes three years to really get to be highly effective as a teacher. Some of our models from the state follow that same path, three years of growth.

we have to build that trust. [: 00:16:00

And then it's up to us to do the action part of, instead of just saying, feel safe, what can we do? Can we give them a little extra time? We have sent them out to, we have three campuses, so we have an elementary teacher that maybe is a little overwhelmed in their building, let's send them out to one of the other buildings with maybe a rock star veteran who, they can see what's going on in their classroom, they can take part of the day to breathe.

And observe, ask good questions to them, come back with some confidence and new ideas possibly.

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[00:17:20] Scott Foster: As a district leader, you have knowledge, we've got to always get better at it, because we're not perfect. And I see, I can, I see it, I hear it we still have staff, and I think you've got to, Control the things you control. We know we have staff who have had some pretty significant trauma in their life.

Loss of a spouse, loss of a parent, sick children all kinds of things, marriages, maybe that aren't going as well. So we have to realize what are the things we can control internally when they're going through some of those. We do. Just like most districts have personal time, we encourage staff to use that when that would help.

learning day every month and [: 00:18:00

We do have some constraints in Wisconsin that make it challenging to build a school calendar like that. Other, I've done, been researching the four day a week. We know there's some states doing that. Wisconsin, that's almost impossible, just the way the calendar law is set up, but we have tried to make the best of it.

And a professional learning day. We don't structure the whole day. I think choice, how they use their time wisely to benefit them, how they spend their time is really important to them to recharge their batteries. If it's relieving stress by being ready for class on Monday, not having to do it over the weekend, then that's a good thing.

Are they? Can we give them a [: 00:19:00

A lot of subs and a lot of resources to do that, but there are times where maybe that is what they need and we have to step in our administrative team constantly is having that conversation of where staff at where, when is it best to back off maybe some of the professional growth. And when is it time to, hey, we're in a good spot, we can move forward.

So it's reading the room not, it's a little bit of surveys, but it's also pulse checking by being in your building and being present.

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What else are you doing within your district that drives better teacher well being?

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I think having choice in your professional development. So we have structured days with some things that we have to get done. We have to get better at teaching reading. At least part of that day you have choice. We do have professional development dollars where they can choose. Do they want to go to workshops?

Do they want to work on advanced degrees? Do they want to get new certifications so they can maybe take on different challenges when they hit those plateaus in their career? Do they want to be a coach or administrator or something different to they realize, Hey. This will help charge my batteries.

owth. A veteran teacher that [: 00:21:00

So we've got to have dollars that does do. does all those things.

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[00:21:26] Scott Foster: It is probably one of the largest challenges because there is a limited pie of money. And I think we talk about retention and supporting teachers. That's really comes down to we all have to make tough decisions of where those dollars are going to go. And if you're going to put them in human capital we know we got to keep our buildings so they don't leak and they maintain and all that.

r is it a voice from them of [: 00:22:00

Is it we don't bring in a lot of big keynote speakers or a lot of one off things. Those aren't good values to us. I'd rather give the dollars to individualize going to workshops or creating their own giving them dollars to invest in self led where they do maybe a peer group. We've done some choices with that.

We've done with our support prayer professionals who are strong educators as well. They have done book studies and done some of that in the summer after school by choice. They dictated what they wanted to learn and then we gave them the dollars and money to do it. It's a combination of that, but you have to, as all strong leaders do, you have to start prioritizing dollars, and what you spend them on sends a lot of message.

ation is a little unique and [: 00:23:00

[00:23:07] Dr. Jim: No, I like I think if I'm summarizing what you're mentioning, everybody's got a competing list of priorities that they need to determine what allocate finite resources to, and not to put words in your mouth, but what I heard from what you said is when in doubt, invest in your people, which sounds pretty simple.

But that's really seems to be at the forefront of how you view your district and how those limited resources should be allocated. One of the things that that stands out from the conversation that we had before we came into the show was the track record that your district had for teacher retention, as well as development.

ssful as you are in not only [: 00:24:00

[00:24:04] Scott Foster: How we support them financially, I mentioned a lot of things that are really important, but ultimately they have to make a living to live here, in a rural area, some costs are a little less, but actually many of them are more because there's not, the grocery costs and some of the other things.

Thankfully, you can buy online has helped a lot in the last 10 years, but so you do have to pay them how we view pay compared to our neighbors compared to a region. I think looking at it a big scale, I can say hey, you can live here but they're not necessarily thinking that way.

They might say I could live 200 miles away and make more. I'm going to move. So I have to sell not only where you live as a great resource and asset, but I have to be in the ballpark, so we have done we've had to become in the ballpark and do a lot of research on where the pay is. How do we distribute it is probably the bigger topic.

competitive world we used to [: 00:25:00

I'm going to keep getting better. Pay me more. It sounds great, but there, when you have finite resources and we don't come from a competitive mindset. If you're trying to build a culture where you're working together to get better and support one another, no matter what you put on paper and try to convince people that you're not competitive, that's what that model sends the message of.

So we have switched to more of one where it's a dialogue, it's to support each other. individuals and how they grow year by year. So we, we have seen a better and improvement in our culture since going away from that pay model. We've kept the dollars in it. It's just how you get though. They're not still given out freely.

ice versus it being a number [: 00:26:00

[00:26:03] Dr. Jim: When I think about the conversation that we've had, and if the goal is to build a more collaborative culture, it makes sense that you would move away from a pay for performance culture because that tends to lead to mercenary type behavior, at least in the private sector. And I'm sure that factors in any sector.

If you're oriented that way. One thing that I'm curious about, Especially when we're looking at retention and development of teachers. You've been in this district for a while? You've been in the role for a while. How do you think that's influenced your ability to retain and develop the teachers and build that leadership pipeline within your district?

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To switching the gear and switching the hat to administrator who now figures out a way to distribute those [00:27:00] dollars. We currently don't have a union here in our district, which I think has pros and cons and every as well. It is on me. You do get more of an individualized mindset like, hey, I'm going to be more advocacy for myself.

and my family. So how do I work with them and make this still see the bigger picture? Because now it's all on the district to paint that picture and talk about package and benefits and the value of all those things. So I think being listening being transparent has been huge. The simple things we make changes, how did we get to there?

Was there any voice by staff? How do we make sure they know that, We are still trying to find the best for them. We have to make sure we're doing the best for our students. And ultimately we have to work and live. And you mentioned in the intro we go to referendums. So we have to ask taxpayers for dollars and those dollars part of those quoted salaries.

So they know that we're out each time asking for money so we can retain and attract the best staff possible.

[: 00:27:57

So tell us a little bit more about how you've developed creative pathways for those educators to expand their skills, maybe shift into new roles. What does that look like within your district?

[: 00:28:26

Have you thought about starting a new school? And then if they are interested that's how those systems we have in place with. professional development and other systems, money and time. I have been all for sending people to, we have a perfect, great professional [00:29:00] organizations as principals and district administrators where they have one day workshops.

What's it like to be in this role? We'll give them a day to go do those things. We'll pay for it. Getting them out to see what an instructional coach is. So going and getting the training while they're working in their current role. With the idea that maybe the opportunity will come in our district or not, but at least providing them to grow and try it out and be okay to say, you know what, that isn't for me.

We have had multiple people gone through administration who thought they may want to be there. They completed it and I will say they are better teachers and educational leaders in our district. But they're just not going to be interested in taking on that admin role, which is okay, because I need strong educational leaders that aren't just by title as well in our district.

So recognizing that we can support them in other roles that make them feel they are growing and getting over that hump of maybe doing the same thing over and over. Has been really powerful, but it starts with maybe somebody in house. There are plenty that will say, hey, I'm going to go down this path.

How, what can you do for [: 00:30:00

[00:30:10] Dr. Jim: So there, there's one aspect of that I'd like you to expand on a little bit. Obviously finding and developing your pipeline of talent is easy when you have hand raisers. What about the people that aren't raising their hands? The ones that are flying under the radar.

What are the steps that you've put into place where you and your admin team can identify those people that are sitting back a little bit. That probably are interested, but don't have the courage to speak up.

[: 00:30:38

We encourage people to be part of those. We give them time out of their classroom to be part of those. We send them to some high level professional development if they're part of those. So when they're in those, that's the way we've nudged some into that uncomfortable space, allowed them to realize Oh, I can practice and try it without having to feel like I'm failing because it's safe.

I will also say we have sent some staff to some pretty high level training where it's, three days in the summer or even during the school year where it's a day every couple months. Those car rides and those sessions afterwards. I've been very powerful. When you're sitting with somebody, maybe in a non structured setting, and saying, Hey, I really liked what you did.

that is really powerful. So [: 00:32:00

But, having some staff that maybe didn't see themselves leader, we've seen some of them blossom as leaders within their, in their department teams and in the building now. It's slow, but they got the nudge, they got the taste of it they like to lead. More than just by example now, they're maybe speaking up a little bit more.

So that's been a concrete example of that's been really effective over my career here and even more intentional the last five to six.

[: 00:32:34

What are some things that you think people should be paying particular attention to?

[: 00:33:04

So make sure you have a script and follow it, but also. Make sure it's authentic and make sure it's some people doing it. It's not just I'm reading, Oh, we do this on Tuesdays. So we're doing it. And the last thing is people change in their career for the beginning teacher needs to what a veteran teacher needs.

You have to have systems that are adaptable and flexible, and that comes with choice. So building that in that system of making sure that. Overseeing a group of people, not everybody at the same time needs the same thing, so being flexible enough to support a person wherever they're at in their journey in their career.

[: 00:33:54

[00:33:59] Scott Foster: Yeah, they can [00:34:00] reach out and give me a call at my phone number, 715 891 1198, or by email, which is sfoster at npsd. k12. wi. us.

[: 00:34:13

when I think about the things that stood out to me in this conversation, there are some basic elements that I think every rural school district administrator can. Put into place that's going to have some significant impact on their ability to build a top school district. One of the key things, a couple of the key things that stand out immediately is your focus on the small things in building a community.

the small things, the things [: 00:35:00

Before they're hired and then throughout that onboarding and first year process. I think that's really impactful and regardless of resources, every district can do. The other thing that stands out about this conversation is your point about your People investment focus. So everybody's got limited resources available to them.

So the question that a district superintendent or administrator needs to think about is where am I going to allocate those resources? Is it going to be on things that are that I care about, or is it going to be on the people side of the equation that's going to level up each individual on my team and their ability to serve the community?

at impact on your ability to [: 00:36:00

If you liked the conversation, make sure you leave us a review. And if you haven't already done so make sure you join our HR impact community. You can find that at www. engagerocket. co slash HR impact. And then tune in next time where we'll have another great leader joining us, sharing with us the game changing insights that help them build high performing teams.