As part of our series on the Eight Characteristics of Effective School Boards, we’re highlighting districts that bring these principles to life. This month, we focused on the seventh characteristic: Lead as a united team with the superintendent through strong collaboration and mutual trust.

Holton USD 336 is a standout example of what it looks like when a school board and superintendent work together with transparency, respect and a shared vision for student success.

Holton’s board brings together people with a wide range of backgrounds — education, engineering, banking, agriculture — and that mix of experience leads to thoughtful discussion and well-rounded decisions. Board members describe their team as diverse in age, careers and perspectives, but aligned in their purpose.

“We do a good job of having structured discussions and agreeing to disagree,” said board member Dena Swisher. “We listen to everybody’s opinion and input, then step back and come to a compromise.”

Board member Ryan Phillips believes that dynamic is what makes the group effective. “If everyone agreed, might as well just have one person running the district,” he said. “What makes a good board is being able to challenge ideas respectfully and move forward together.”

When the board began its superintendent search before making its decision early last year, it was intentional about involving the community. Several meetings were held to gather input on priorities, and once current superintendent Trevor Ashcraft was hired as the district’s new leader, he joined follow-up meetings to build relationships and start conversations before he officially stepped into the role.

That early engagement helped form alignment between the board, superintendent and community from the start.

“We found the superintendent who had the same vision and goals that the board did, that our staff did and that our community did,” Swisher said.

Ashcraft’s first major task was to see the district through a strategic planning process facilitated by KASB. The effort included four community meetings, survey feedback and collaborative goal setting. One of the clearest outcomes was the need for transparent, effective communication — both internally and with families and stakeholders.

“Being engaged in those planning sessions helped me recalibrate so I was prepared to hit the ground running,” said Ashcraft. “It helped clarify that we have a shared vision for where we’re going.”

Today, that plan shapes how the board and district operate. Board reports are tied to strategic plan goals, updates reference progress toward shared objectives and the team stays focused on aligning district actions with what the community said matters most.

Board Vice President Trent Tanking says trust — not just among board members, but between the board and superintendent — is what makes collaboration work.

“We have to have faith in him, we have to give him the keys to the car,” Tanking said. “It takes trust both ways.”

That mutual respect shows up in the way they make decisions, structure meetings and stay open to feedback. Ashcraft emphasized that leading as a team means everyone understands the end goal and how to get there.

“If we have varied approaches on where our end goal is, we end up leading people in different directions,” he said. “We need to define what success looks like together.”

Board members are also committed to improving their own performance. They participate in professional development and seek opportunities to strengthen their understanding of good governance.

“We’re not where we want to be,” Phillips said about his hope for the district’s growth. “But we’re better than where we were a year ago, and a year from now, we’ll be in a better spot.”

That mindset — progress, not perfection — is what helps Holton USD 336 continue growing as a united, effective leadership team.

As Tanking summed it up: “All of us are passionate about our schools. We may not always agree, but we know we’re working toward the same goals — and we respect each other every step of the way.”

Want to see more examples of how Kansas school districts are bringing the Eight Characteristics of Effective School Boards to life? Explore other district stories in this series:

• The 8 Characteristics of Effective Boards: An Overview
• Haysville's Vision Gets Community Buy-in
• Strong Values in Silver Lake Drive Student Success
• Lawrence Prioritizes Intentional Policymaking
• Collaboration Helps Rawlins County During Challenging Times
• Looking for Better Results, Burlingame Digs Into Data
• Focusing on People, Dodge City Aligns Goals and Resources