Civic Leadership Is Risky and That’s the Point

My View

When I stepped into the leadership of a school district that had fractured relationships with the local university and borough government, it was clear that rebuilding trust could not happen quietly. It required visible, intentional civic leadership.

I had heard consistent comments about how the district, the university and borough offices seemed disconnected. I decided to make a splashy show of unity in front of families on my first day to set the tone for a new era. I invited our mayor to stand with us on the opening day of school to greet families and students as they arrived at each of our four schools.

Having the mayor, board of education president, principals and superintendent waving to arriving parents and students made a powerful statement. The school district and the borough were not operating in separate worlds. We were united in service of children and families, and that unity needed to be visible.

Around the same time, I began meeting regularly for breakfast with the president of our local university. Those conversations created space to listen, build trust and explore what could happen if a public school district and a state university chose to see one another as partners in the life of a community where both resided.

The result was a new agreement between our institutions that guarantees college enrollment and tuition assistance for our students called Pathways of Promise.

A Central Duty

Those early decisions reinforced something I have come to believe deeply about the modern superintendency. Civic leadership is not peripheral to the job. It is central to it.

Any time a superintendent steps visibly into civic space beyond the schoolhouse, there is risk. There is the possibility of politicization, resistance or criticism. Some leaders seek the safety that comes from remaining narrowly technical: manage the operating budget, improve achievement, oversee operations and avoid the public complexity of community life. But in these times, that version of leadership is too limited for what the work requires.

Superintendents cannot lead only from inside the system. We also must lead in the relationships around it. That is where the myth of safety can mislead our profession.

It may feel safer to stay quiet, communicate only when necessary and avoid the messiness of public partnership. But silence rarely builds trust. Distance rarely creates confidence. When superintendents do not step into civic relationships, districts can become isolated from the very communities they are meant to serve.

Civic leadership is not partisanship. It is stewardship. It is the willingness to show up, listen carefully and build bridges between institutions that should be working together on behalf of children. It is the discipline of being present before there is full agreement and staying engaged when the work becomes uncomfortable.

Visible Connections

In Glassboro, that approach helped lay the groundwork for deeper collaboration and a stronger shared vision for students. It strengthened relationships with local leaders. It opened doors to new opportunities. That is why this kind of leadership matters so much right now.

At a time when trust in public institutions feels fragile, communities need more than competent managers. They need visible leaders who can connect people, institutions and shared purpose. They need superintendents who are willing to engage across lines of difference and help communities believe that partnership is still possible.

That work requires visibility, patience and courage. It asks superintendents to move beyond the comfort of internal management and into the harder work of public relationship-building. It asks us to trade a measure of personal comfort for institutional trust.

Civic leadership is risky. If we want our schools and communities to flourish, that risk needs to be embraced.

Al Lewis is superintendent of Glassboro Public Schools in Glassboro, N.J.