Question 3: The BOE is essentially the board of directors of our schools. In a corporate setting, board members bring best practices from the outside world to the company they serve. What one best practice would you like to share with the Verona BOE?
David Rullo: The number one thing I will bring to the Board from my professional and personal life
experiences thus far would be my no-nonsense pragmatism. I have learned that there are no fast or easy solutions, but, there are simple ones. And, as I stated in my last answer, oftentimes the simplest solution is the right one.
Arriving at the “simple solution” is often never easy, it requires lots of hard work, compromise, and teamwork. Too often in government, people will charge in with solution to a problem that has existed forever. This will be done under the mistaken assumption that no one had contemplated solving it until they got into the shower that morning. I have learned my lesson on this plenty of times, it never works regardless of how clever of a solution it is. This is not to say these ideas don’t have a place, however they should be thoroughly explored and used as constructive input, not some hill to die on.
My next best practice would be my ability and appreciation for collaboration and hard work. I have learned – mostly through trial and error – that the best way to solve a problem is to dive in deep and start breaking things. Then you spend as much time as you need putting the pieces back together as a team. On top of time and energy; this requires taking input from everyone involved and letting them play up their strengths while being honest about their weaknesses. A big part of this is having diverse voices, because when you over-specialize you breed in weakness. My background and journey to this point is a unique one and that will be a huge boon to the board and our amazing public schools.
