During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic鈥攚hen school buildings across the country were shuttering and districts were making historic shifts to online classes鈥擜. Katrise Perera saw a news clip that sparked what turned out to be a life-changing idea.
It was about how people were attempting to fight off the loneliness of stay-at-home orders and stay connected socially through online video calls.
Perera, now the superintendent in Lancaster, Texas, was struggling with feeling isolated professionally and overwhelmed by the number and magnitude of decisions she had to make, and decided to give it a try.
She reached out to roughly 20 other women in superintendent positions across the country鈥攕ome of whom she knew well, others not so much鈥攁nd asked if they鈥檇 like to meet over Zoom for an hour or two of chatting, brainstorming, and being in the presence of other women who 鈥渏ust get it,鈥� Perera said.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e superintendent, you鈥檙e the only person in that role in the whole district and everybody鈥檚 looking to you for all the answers, and I didn鈥檛 have all the answers,鈥� Perera said. 鈥淚 was able to talk to people who were experiencing the same things and could ensure I felt empowered, validated, and encouraged to continue working.鈥�
The calls became a weekly affair during the pandemic. Many of the women said they would rearrange their personal schedules to attend. And over time, what started as a cry for professional support became lifelong friendships and a particularly important network for a group of people who are vastly underrepresented in the superintendency across the country.
Just over a quarter of superintendents leading the nation鈥檚 school districts are women, a stark contrast with the teaching workforce, which is more than three-quarters female. So, in theory, finding a fellow female district leader to connect with could prove challenging. But, in practice, many women who hold a superintendent position say they鈥檝e made deep personal and professional connections with other women who understand their jobs, and the challenges and causes for celebration that are unique to those leadership positions.
Those informal networks have helped propel the women through hardships and celebrate victories both big and small, Perera said. Now, the group of women call themselves the 鈥淪ister Supes鈥濃�攁n ode to their deep professional and personal ties.
A bond based on shared experience
Smaller groups of women superintendents supporting each other have been around for years, but they鈥檝e generally been more informal with more sporadic conversation, often stemming from connections made at conferences, said Martha Salazar-Zamora, the superintendent in Tomball, Texas, and a part of the 鈥淪ister Supes鈥� group.
But then COVID-19 hit, upending education and creating endless new challenges for district leaders. From virtual learning to new health and safety protocols to personal health concerns and increased stress, superintendents were 鈥渂uilding the plane as we were flying it,鈥� Salazar-Zamora said. The women superintendents Perera had brought together 鈥渂egan really leaning on each other as thought partners, and that grew into real, lasting friendships.鈥�
In the thick of the pandemic, the women came together for weekly Zoom calls on Sundays during which they could let their guards down for a few hours to discuss challenges, ask for advice, brainstorm ideas, or just have a drink and connect with like-minded women.
鈥淚t was a very uplifting time where, no matter what was going on in my life, I was going to be on that call,鈥� Salazar-Zamora said, 鈥渂ecause that was time I needed as a leader and as a person.鈥�
It鈥檚 not that the women feel unsupported by male superintendents鈥攊n fact, many said men have been big supporters of and advocates for them. But some experiences are unique to women, and only other women will understand them, Salazar-Zamora said.
Sometimes, it didn鈥檛 even take words to feel the bond, said LaTonya Goffney, the superintendent in Aldine, Texas.
鈥淭here鈥檚 this powerful connection where you don鈥檛 really have to say, 鈥業 had a tough board meeting,鈥� or 鈥業鈥檓 having to raise my daughter during all of this.鈥� You can just say, 鈥業 need prayers,鈥� and the women don鈥檛 have to ask questions, they just understand,鈥� Goffney said.
Even superintendents who have been on the job for a while have found solace and support in the group.
Heidi Sipe, superintendent of Umatilla schools in Oregon, has been a district leader for more than 17 years, and was part of the original group of women who joined the weekly Zoom sessions.
At the time, it was a much-needed outlet during a stressful and overwhelming time for which there was no playbook. There were times, Sipe recalled, when someone on those calls would notice she just wasn鈥檛 herself and follow up privately afterward to check in or send a note of encouragement.
鈥淚t has really embodied my favorite phrase: 鈥榊ou can鈥檛 compete with me because I want you to win, too,鈥欌�� Sipe said. 鈥淥ur female colleagues are often hesitant to ask for help because they don鈥檛 want to be seen as unprepared or like they don鈥檛 know what they鈥檙e doing, but everyone in this job wants every single other superintendent in the nation to be successful.鈥�
New connections reignited a passion for mentoring
Even with the height of the pandemic in the past, the women have maintained a group chat and talk regularly. They also periodically meet up for a Zoom for old time鈥檚 sake. Participants often connect at conferences and other events for dinner. Some recently held a celebration for Salazar-Zamora, a finalist for the 2024 Superintendent of the Year award, in February at a conference in San Diego.
When they meet women who have just become superintendents, it鈥檚 not uncommon for new additions to flow into the group chat, be invited to an event dinner, or hop on a Zoom call, Salazar-Zamora said.
There鈥檚 never a set agenda. The women have exchanged advice about an upcoming performance evaluation, celebrated when a member lands a job in a new district, traded intel on ed-tech vendors, cheered the birth of grandchildren, and grieved the death of parents.
鈥淥ur lives are bigger than our work, and when you can share the both the personal and professional, I think that鈥檚 when the magic happens,鈥� Salazar-Zamora said.
For Sipe, it also reignited a passion for supporting her colleagues across the country.
Before the pandemic, she was actively participating in and forming local groups of women leaders, but as time passed, her enthusiasm for this networking died down. But the Sister Supes reminded her of the power in numbers and camaraderie, and prompted her to continue forging new connections.
She鈥檚 since been instrumental in forming an Oregon-specific Sister Supes group, arranging informal gatherings of fellow women superintendents at local restaurants, and organizing local women in leadership conferences.
鈥淚t was the boost I needed to reignite some of the passion for that work, and it reminded me that if I鈥檓 supporting someone else to get better, then I鈥檓 going to improve, too,鈥� Sipe said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 through that support for one another that we can all grow and improve, which all ties back to the children winning, which is all that we ever want.鈥�
