Dr. Kevin Baxter, the superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, wrote the following blog in response to Kimberly Cheng’s conversation with Dr. Tim Uhl on the Catholic School Matters podcast:
Kimberly did a great job on the podcast communicating how our state superintendent group operates, even with Tim’s gratuitous crack about my age! Our advocacy and communication about key issues facing Catholic schools in California is fundamental to our group.
One important aspect of our collaboration that I want to highlight is our emotional support of one another. One thing that becomes clear to you when you become a superintendent is that you don’t really have anyone locally with whom to share your struggles and frustrations. When you are a teacher or a principal there are peers available that can help guide you and talk you off the ledge when things aren’t going well. As a superintendent it isn’t as easy to find that local peer to share your troubles.
The CCSS (California Catholic School Superintendents) is a group that provides that emotional support and gives a forum for open, honest sharing about the successes we experience, as well as those frustrations that can be occur all too frequently. It is literally one of the best aspects of being a superintendent in California and I couldn’t imagine doing the job without the support and friendship of my other 11 peers.
Link to the document referenced in the podcast: Our Catholic Schools in California: A Stellar Past, A Robust Future
