Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: This is trojan media network.
[00:00:07] Speaker B: Welcome to behind the Business.
This is a student run podcast where we usually talk with local business owners about how organizations work behind the scenes.
[00:00:17] Speaker C: Today is a special edition. Schools are not a business. But we felt it was important to talk with someone whose role affects every student and teacher in our county.
[00:00:26] Speaker B: We're joined by Dr. Roger Olsup, who will officially begin serving as director of schools for Franklin county on July 1st. Dr. Olsup, thank you for being here with us today.
[00:00:37] Speaker A: Thank you for the invitation. I'm very excited to be here with you this afternoon.
[00:00:43] Speaker B: You will officially begin serving as director of schools for Franklin county on July 1.
[00:00:48] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:00:48] Speaker B: How are you preparing for that transition right now?
[00:00:51] Speaker A: Well, right now I'm in a learning, talking, visiting, just paying attention to what's going on phase.
You know, I still have several months before I take office, starting July 1st.
The current director of school is Dr. Holman is here. And so we are meeting every day. We talk about things every day.
You know, we are currently working on the budget for the next school year. So we're doing that together and that'll be something that he'll hand off to me.
You know, I'm also the still the human resources supervisor and deputy director of school. So I have those duties and responsibilities and I'm still responsible for
[00:01:37] Speaker C: what has time between being elected and your official start date been like for you so far?
[00:01:42] Speaker A: It's been very hectic. You know, I've had a lot of people reach out to me and I'm very excited to, you know, the anticipation is definitely there.
You know, again, I'm just trying to learn that different aspect, you know, from being a HR supervisor, deputy director to being the person in charge. And you know, it's very similar, but in some ways it's very different. And you know, just learning the different leaders in the, in the county and trying to learn some of the other teachers, different people in the, in the buildings.
Plus I need to get more, you know, familiar with and learn about my school board and the county commissioners and the county mayor.
You know, those are some of the political things that are important for that role.
[00:02:31] Speaker B: As you get ready to start on July 1, what have you been learning about the scope of this job and is it much different from the HR director?
[00:02:38] Speaker A: It is. It's much different. You know, it's a big job, you know, and the thing that I've understand and I knew going in was, you know, the buck stops with the director schools. You know, I work for eight board members, but now there's a person between me and the board that can kind of help that I bounce things off of. But I won't have that person, you know, after I take over.
You know, I take it very seriously.
I'm very proud that the Franklin County Board of Education selected me. It's quite an honor.
But there's. There are a lot of little things, a lot of things that need to be done between now and then.
[00:03:18] Speaker B: You've spent the last two years as the district's HR director.
How has that role shaped you and how are you thinking, and how has it shaped how you are thinking about this next position?
[00:03:29] Speaker A: Well, I think just I'm in a position where I get to know more people in the district.
I was the high school principal, Franklin county high school principal, for nearly eight years prior to taking this position.
And I really just kind of learned, you know, the different personalities and personnel in Franklin County High School. But now it's expanded to the 11 schools in the county.
I think I've learned different things about, you know, human resources in a school district. You know, I've learned a lot about how people get a license to teach and the different ways that people can get different licenses for teaching. I've learned how hard it is to hire people and go through that process and get people to apply for jobs and want to come to work in Franklin County.
I've also learned the value of being transparent.
You know, we. We want people to know what's going on. There's nothing, nothing shady, nothing going on behind the scenes.
We are very open and honest about everything that we do.
And also the priority has always been to take care of our teachers and our support staff. That's. That's our most important resource. And we have to make sure that we're doing everything we can to not only recruit, but retain those quality employees.
[00:04:44] Speaker C: What are some things that you want to or plan to address first when starting this position?
[00:04:49] Speaker A: I think just getting to know the people better, you know, the leadership and the buildings, the teachers, the support staff, and, you know, in the county government level, just getting to know them a little bit better.
I think that's what's important. And just continuing to look and listen, pay attention to what's going on, learn, you know, the dynamics of the school district
[00:05:15] Speaker B: before working at the district level. You are a principal, what parts of being in a school building do you think will matter most when you step into this role?
[00:05:24] Speaker A: I think just the value of our teachers and making sure that we serve, support our teachers.
I've always done that Teachers that have been a principal in multiple schools. And my teachers have always liked working for me because I'm not a micromanager, for one thing. And I also try very hard to give them the resources that they need.
So I want to continue that.
I think, you know, coming out of the classroom, going into a position as administration, if you've been in administration a long time, you kind of forget what that's like to be in that classroom.
And so being in the hr, you know, I'm. I'm even farther removed from the classroom, and I'm. I'm very aware of. Of that. I'm very aware of how important it is for me to communicate with teachers and get their ideas and hear their concerns and their suggestions.
[00:06:15] Speaker B: Looking back, what did being a principal teach you about students that still guides your decisions today?
[00:06:21] Speaker A: Well, yeah, there we are here for the students. Everything outside of that classroom is a support role, and we have to make sure we're providing the teachers the resources, like I said, to educate kids, we're here for the kids, and that's important. In every decision that I make, I think about what is the best interest of our students.
How are my decisions affecting those kids.
Yeah.
[00:06:48] Speaker C: You also served in the military. Thank you for your service.
[00:06:50] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:06:51] Speaker C: What lessons or habits from that experience still influence how you lead?
[00:06:55] Speaker A: Well, a couple things.
One is, you know, being. Being in the military, you're very mission focused.
We. We do a lot of training, but I've also spent some time in a combat zone. And, you know, whenever you're in a combat zone, you have to focus on the. On the task at hand and the mission. So I think one of the important things that I learned being in the military is being mission focused.
Being an officer, an army officer, taught me how to take care of my subordinates, my employees, so to speak, you know, my troops and the value that of our. Of our troops and making sure they're well trained, make sure they have plenty of food and make sure they have plenty of ammunition. You know, if you're in a combat zone, you don't want to run out of ammo for sure.
So I think just making sure those, those resources are there. So I guess the two things. One is mission focus, and two is making sure you're taking care of your troops.
[00:07:58] Speaker B: Are there ways your military background prepared you for leadership and education that people might not expect?
[00:08:04] Speaker A: Sure. Again, you know, I think the mission focus. I think just the time that I spent in a combat zone was very important to me.
When we, you know, I. I I led people in combat, and I. I asked people to put their lives on the line because we would, you know, we went outside the wire, we were out right in the middle of the battlefield. And, you know, to be able to, I guess, be that kind of leader where they. People are willing to follow you in a very dangerous and hostile environment is important. So I think the. The lesson there is not. Not that teachers are going to be following me on the battlefield, but will they follow me? Will they follow me as a leader? Will they follow me, you know, in their role as a teacher? And will they put out their best effort to make sure that we're doing what we need to do for our students?
[00:08:53] Speaker B: Can you tell the difference between teachers who served and those who didn't?
[00:08:56] Speaker A: I can. I sure can.
And sometimes, you know, we've had to. I've had to have talk with the teachers about, you know, making sure you put the. Put the teacher hat on and take the. The. The soldier hat off. Because sometimes it.
[00:09:08] Speaker C: That.
[00:09:09] Speaker A: That soldier environment, that military environment is so different, and sometimes that can be a little off putting in the classroom as a teacher. So just, just. I think people understand that, and sometimes they just let things get caught, you know, get caught up in some things, and they have to understand that they need to maybe back up a little bit and back off a little bit. But I think, you know, they.
What I do see is they are very mission focused, and they are. There are certain things that they have expectations. And whenever you're a leader of soldiers, it's easier to get people to do what you need them to do. But students, you have to kind of. Maybe it's a little more coaxing, a little more convincing.
[00:09:47] Speaker B: What do you think people outside of education misunderstand most about the role of a director of schools?
[00:09:54] Speaker A: I think maybe the. The biggest misunderstanding is that, you know, it's, It's. It's. It's political, but it's not political.
I think, you know, to be a successful director of schools, you have to make decisions that are in the best interest of your students. And sometimes that rubs people the wrong way, and sometimes it rubs very important people the wrong way. And sometimes people don't understand all the dynamics behind those decisions that are being made.
So I think one of the things that people may misunderstand is what we go through in leaders before we make a decision. A lot of the times it's not me sitting in a room, just spur of the moment thinking, oh, I think I'm going to do this, or I think I'M going to do that without communicating that and pitching that out to some people and kicking it around. And we call that war gaming. When we go into staff meetings and just looking at all aspects of those decisions, we. We rarely make those impromptu decisions. A lot of times it's a lot of thought put into it.
Sometimes those decisions are hard and sometimes people, you know, you know, feeling as yet hurt. And, you know, we don't want to hurt anybody's feelings, but we also have to make sure we're doing what's best for our schools and our students.
[00:11:09] Speaker C: Does it worry you knowing not everyone will be happy with every decision? And how do you manage that stress on a daily level?
[00:11:14] Speaker A: Yeah, I can't worry about that. I know that's going to happen.
I know that people aren't going to agree with every decision I make.
And, you know, you can't. That is really not in the equation. You know, again, decisions are made based on what is best for students.
[00:11:33] Speaker B: How do you think a school system balances the same mission with new leadership? And how do you plan to address the pains of changing administration?
[00:11:41] Speaker A: Hopefully it won't be real painful.
You know, I've been here for 10 years in this, in Franklin County. People know me. They know my style. They know, you know, what I'm thinking. They should anticipate decisions that I make.
And I think just because I've been here and I think, you know, the board, you know, made that decision, you know, fairly soon we have good. A lot of time for transition. And with the new, with the old director, I just. I don't want anything. Just real abrupt. I don't. That's not going to happen. You know, I think people are going to be fine with just how that transition going to look. It'll be fairly seamless.
[00:12:23] Speaker B: The previous Director of Schools, Dr. Holman, served for two years. What did you learn from observing that period of leadership?
[00:12:30] Speaker A: Well, Dr. Holman and I both share a passion for educating kids. And what I've learned is he's come coming from a different background. He. He's been in different school districts and as. As have I.
But some of his experiences have been. He shared with me those. Those experiences which flavor his decisions and some things which I've learned from. So I've. I've learned from him, and I think he's learned from me, too.
[00:12:57] Speaker C: So what are you most focused on listening to or learning during your first months in your new role?
[00:13:04] Speaker A: Would you repeat that question?
[00:13:06] Speaker C: What are you most focused on listening to or learning during your first months?
[00:13:09] Speaker A: Oh, listening to. Absolutely, yes.
I just want to. I want to listen to my leaders, my subordinate leaders, you know, my central office administrators.
That's so important.
I have been going into all the schools. The HR department has spent a day in each of the schools this year. We still have three more to go. We spent a day actually at South Middle School back, I think, right after Christmas break, I believe.
And so it's been very important to have people come in and just, just talk to me and, and I want to be approachable and I want to be easy to talk to and I want to, I want to listen and take note and, and just process things and, and take ideas back to my, my staff and again, pitch them war game those ideas and see if those are some things we can implement.
[00:14:00] Speaker B: What do you think students should understand about how decisions in a school system are made?
[00:14:05] Speaker A: Yeah, you know, like I said previously that it's not knee jerk. It's not like, you know, abrupt decisions just coming out of nowhere.
A lot of thought, a lot of focus, a lot of years of experience being in education go into the decisions that are made, you know, and most of the time, you know, I get, you know, I, I am not going to surround myself in my position with people who just agree with me. I want people who don't agree with me. I want people that have other ideas and different thoughts. That is so important. And if I say, you know, if I, if I throw out an idea, and sometimes I'll do that even if I'm not sure I even like the idea, but I'll throw something out and just kind of get a feel for the room, whether they like that, or we can process that or we can make some mod, minor tweaks to that idea.
But those, you know, we spent a lot of time just make, you know, coming up with strategies and thinking through the different, you know, things that we need to do that might be a little different, you know, I don't, I don't see anything being. Just people aren't going to be just shocked at any of our, you know, suggestions or things that we change.
[00:15:18] Speaker B: How do you manage being able to be approachable but also stand firm with difficult decisions?
[00:15:24] Speaker A: Because I'm a listener. I'm a very good listener.
I.
Yeah, I think that's the main thing. I'm very calm.
I don't, I don't wear my emotions on my sleeve. You know, I think people understand that, and I think people understand that. I will consider all suggestions that are brought to me.
[00:15:49] Speaker B: What advice would you give to students who might be interested in education, leadership or public service someday.
[00:15:59] Speaker A: No, no greater career than being in education. You, you affect so many people.
This is my 35th year in education and people, my former students reach out to me all the time. I, I see posts on Facebook, they see my post and comment on it. When I, when I go back to where I taught, people will see me in Walmart and they'll come up and want to, they want to tell me, you know, what, what their life is, is like and they want to talk about their kids. And I hate to even say this, but some of my former students are grandparents that, yeah, I'm that old. But, you know, I just, I think educators make such a connection, lifelong connection with students.
And that is so important. And so, you know, I just, that is one of the things that I absolutely love.
You know, is there, is there a lot of money? Are you going to get rich being an educator? No, you're not. But I think people that go into education know that, they understand that. But there are a lot of upside to that. You know, I came into education because I wanted to help people. I wanted to be, be there for, for the kids.
And so it is, it's just really worked well for me.
[00:17:14] Speaker B: On a less serious note, if a student were to hear Dr. Allsup driving down the road on the way to work in the morning, what music would they hear coming from your car?
[00:17:22] Speaker A: Oh, wow.
So I like, I like 70s rock and roll.
Yeah.
You know, I, I think my favorite group is Rush. You probably don't know who Rush is anyway, but I like Eagles, the. Oh, that's probably one of my other favorite bands.
Ariel, Speedwagon, Journey, Foreigner. Yeah, that's, that's what I listen to.
Not real loud though.
[00:17:51] Speaker C: Continuing on that non serious note, what is the funniest or weirdest thing that you've had to deal with in a leadership that you can share with?
[00:17:57] Speaker A: Holy cow.
I don't know, I think, you know, people are funny. You know, I've had funny situations happen.
I don't know that I can remember, recall anything.
Nothing really comes to mind. I just, you know, people are funny, people do funny things and I've had some kids do some funny things and some things that I, I just cracked up laughing.
I, I just, you know, I don't take myself seriously. I like having fun. I like enjoying being around people. So I'm sorry, I can't think of an example.
[00:18:33] Speaker B: Dr. Allsup, thank you for taking the time to sit down with us for this special edition of behind the Business, and we look forward to your time as our director of schools.
[00:18:42] Speaker A: Thank you so much.
[00:18:44] Speaker B: We appreciate you being willing to be here and answer our questions. And once again, thank you for your service.
[00:18:50] Speaker C: This has been a special edition of behind the Business. Thanks for listening.
[00:18:53] Speaker A: 19.
