Awards Award Winners Superintendents to Watch Honorees Cheri Burke

The Superintendents to Watch award recognizes up to 25 school district leaders each year who have fewer than five years of experience as a superintendent and who demonstrate dynamic, fast-paced leadership with strong communication at its core. 

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One evening in September of 2024, Granby Public Schools, like so many other districts across the nation, responded to the threat of a school shooting. The situation involved comments made by an angry high school student. Classmates overheard the comments and reported them to administrators. Superintendent Cheri Burke and the school principal acted immediately. They notified the police and met with the student and family. The police investigated and determined that no one in the school community was in danger.

This situation was urgent and complicated, and it continued to develop as the following morning brought new information. Mrs. Burke and the police continued to actively investigate the matter. Meanwhile, word of the threat, rumors, and a great deal of misinformation spread rapidly through social media. Families and students throughout the district became understandably concerned about a school being under threat.

Although the school principal had sent a communication earlier to high school families, Superintendent Burke wasted no time in responding to the community’s heightened concerns. She sent out a district communication to all families that shared the facts, how the district responded, and what families could expect going forward. Mrs. Burke was empathetic and acknowledged the fear and anxiety that these types of incidents cause for students, families, and the entire community.

Mrs. Burke did not end her crisis response there. She immediately started collaborating with her school community and the local police to reflect on the district’s actions. To guide future crisis responses and to respond to community concerns, Superintendent Burke created a Crisis Response Protocol presentation and a Communications Plan for Incidents and Emergency Responses. Both of these documents were thoughtfully presented at the next Board of Education meeting and posted to the district website.

During the presentation, Mrs. Burke and the chief of police responded to the many “what if” questions their school community had been asking. They took time to educate the community on the district’s protocols. They clearly outlined what parents should do and should not do in the event of a school crisis.

This event demonstrates many aspects of Superintendent Burke’s leadership excellence. First and foremost, Mrs. Burke understands that the safety and security of her school community is her priority. Next, she is an active listener who asks the right questions. She acts quickly to gather the necessary facts, acts decisively when required, and when more information becomes available, she recalibrates if needed. She understands the importance of reflecting on the district’s response to a crisis to determine where improvements can be made. Mrs. Burke communicates both during and after a crisis.

Superintendent Burke responds to school community concerns with empathy and clarity. She is responsive to her many district audiences and their desire for transparent and clear communications.

Communication and Engagement

Superintendent Burke has implemented a series of initiatives to improve district communications with the school system’s audiences. Here is a healthy, but by no means comprehensive, list of what she has accomplished in a little over a year.

Faculty and Staff
This past summer Mrs. Burke collaborated with central services team members to undertake a major upgrade of their employee internal website. The objective was to help staff members quickly find the information they needed. The team also worked to streamline internal staff processes so that all staff members understood where to look and who to ask to find answers to specific issues.

Families
In the last year, Superintendent Burke has organized several professional learning opportunities for teachers and administrators to help them communicate more effectively with families. Teachers and administrators learned about tailoring communications for their audiences, writing for busy readers, and the importance of readability and proper formatting, among other things. They learned how to craft simple, concrete, engaging, and sticky messages and the power of emotion and stories. Administrators chose a standard platform for school newsletters and are working towards additional alignment in newsletter practices across schools. This will help families easily transition as their children move from school to school.

All Audiences
When Superintendent Burke joined the district, many schools were still operating with pandemic restrictions for visitors. Mrs. Burke’s research revealed that some families and community members felt excluded by these practices. This caused distrust of the school system. Mrs. Burke responded by personally connecting with families, parent groups, and community groups. She hosted and attended a great number of events and worked to increase family and community engagement in school activities.

Mrs. Burke created an “Ask the Superintendent” blog to answer questions from all audiences. She created a dedicated email address (askgps@granbyschools.org) to direct these questions to her attention. The blog is linked on the district website. Mrs. Burke also launched a superintendent Facebook account and an Instagram account to share positive student and staff stories with the school community. She posts regularly and enthusiastically.

Superintendent Burke added a student and staff awards and recognition segment to the beginning of each Board of Education meeting. These brief recognitions are building understanding and goodwill across her community. At the start of this year, Mrs. Burke introduced and publicized an “Addressing School Concerns” graphic to help everyone know where to go when they have a concern.

Lastly, Mrs. Burke collaborated with her administrative team to develop a theme for the 2024-2025 school year. The theme was introduced to all audiences this fall: CONNECT. BELIEVE. ACHIEVE. It unites school community members as they:

• Build relationships
• Trust that they can “do hard things!”
• Support children in achieving their highest potential

As a new superintendent, Mrs. Burke immediately connected with school audiences crying out for improved communication. The school community has warmly received each of these communication initiatives. Superintendent Burke’s words and actions have clearly demonstrated her commitment to quality communication.

A Champion for School Communication

Cheri Burke set two goals when she began her job as Superintendent of Granby Public Schools: 1) improve student achievement, and 2) improve district communications. These have been her lodestar since day one.

Mrs. Burke inherited an already established district strategic plan that did not have improved communications identified as a goal. However, she realized the goals that were specified would fall short without strategic communications support. She recognized that many of the district’s current difficulties were a result of inadequate communication with all audiences, including students, families, teachers, staff, and the community.

Immediately after Mrs. Burke announced that improved communication would be one of her goals, she got to work. She announced to all audiences that she would research the strengths and weaknesses of the district’s communications at all levels and would develop an improvement plan. Superintendent Burke accomplished this goal in her first six months on the job.

To develop the new plan, Mrs. Burke entered into a consulting contract with an experienced school communicator. The consultant and Mrs. Burke began their research by meeting with key district personnel to assess current communication tools and practices. They then advertised and hosted separate focus groups for district staff, families, and community members. They conducted detailed communication surveys of these groups. Secondary students were surveyed as well.

Mrs. Burke and the consultant developed a detailed three-year communications plan based on the research results. Mrs. Burke presented the draft plan to her Board of Education, and it was adopted in December 2023. The research results and the plan were posted on the district’s website and shared widely with all audiences.

In less than a year, Mrs. Burke has already accomplished a great majority of the objectives outlined in the plan. She is keenly aware of the importance of sharing the district’s progress in improving communications. She regularly updates the Board of Education on these initiatives. She marks progress in her monthly column in the community paper, in personal meetings with staff, during staff meetings, in parent communications, and on social media. She is meeting her goal while strengthening relationships and building trust.

One to Emulate

Cheri Burke is a superintendent who communicates exceptionally well. At times, her facility with communications appears to be natural and almost effortless. However, she has also set ambitious communication goals for her district and is putting in the time and work required for success.

When it comes to face-to-face interactions, Mrs. Burke is an outstanding listener. She is empathetic and patient. She listens to understand. She reflects, asks questions, affirms, and validates the speaker. Mrs. Burke is one of those people that makes you feel like you are the most important person in the world when you talk with her. This is particularly remarkable given the unrelenting schedule and demands on today’s school superintendents.

A superintendent’s communication skills are put to the test during conflict and crisis. Time and again, when challenging issues arise, Cheri Burke seems to instinctively know how to effectively connect with people, diffuse tension, and support everyone to work together in achieving common goals. She takes in multiple perspectives, thinks deeply, and strategizes when needed. She never fails to address harm and to work to repair it.

Mrs. Burke values relationships and community. She is responsive and transparent with all audiences, including the media. She faces questions and issues head-on. If she does not know an answer, she says so and honors her promise to follow up.

There is no question that Mrs. Burke is a highly visible leader. She is present in classrooms, at faculty meetings, in town meetings, and at an astounding number of school and community activities and events. Her positive energy and joyful spirit are contagious.

By her example, Superintendent Burke inspires people to embrace the school theme—to connect, to believe, to achieve. She inspires better listening, more empathy, and stronger relationships across the school community.

Superintendent Burke most certainly is a superintendent to watch, but, perhaps more importantly, one to emulate.