One of the most interesting aspects of being a school superintendent has to be making weather-related decisions. I became a school superintendent during the 2018-2019 school year, which also happened to be one of the most brutal winters in Iowa history. It was definitely "baptism by fire" as I had the chance to make at least 15 weather-related decisions during my first year.
One thing I quickly learned is that parents and staff members appreciate when the decision on a weather-related decision is made early. By making a decision early, parents are able to easily adjust their schedules to make accommodations for picking up and dropping off children. Likewise, staff members appreciate knowing the schedule for the day so they can effectively plan for their classes, as opposed to having to make adjustments on the fly.
Based on this feedback I have made an effort to communicate weather-related decisions very early. Whenever possible, I am looking to make a decision about closing school the night before as opposed to the following morning. While others may think we are making a decision about closing school too early, my belief is that I would rather be early than late. Countless times I have heard from our parents how much they appreciate this early communication. Below is an example of when we made a weather-related decision the evening before as opposed to waiting until the following day to make the announcement.
