Published in the School Administrator Magazine February 2025

By Joseph P. Batory

Back in 1984, I became the superintendent of schools in Upper Darby, located just outside of Philadelphia. This was hardly planned.
Within a span of four years, two formidable superintendents in Upper Darby had succumbed to heart attacks because of the extreme pressures of what had been happening in this District (declining enrollments, union strikes, media criticism, and loss of faith by the public).

The Upper Darby School Board named me as one of the “still-standing” administrators for this leadership role. And so, I began my superintendent career on a very ominous note with great trepidation.

Encountering a Guru
There were several significant issues to deal with in my new role. But the first one I tackled was the tradition of lengthy Upper Darby central meetings involving principals and other district administrators. I viewed these school district meetings as too much “wasted time” while keeping key leaders away from their primary responsibilities for too long. Many of the presented issues at these sessions dragged on and on, some without universal importance to all the attendees.

I theorized that lesser time and better definition of priority issues in advance of these meetings would allow these principals to get back to their schools and address the needs of students, staff and parents. Likewise, central administrators would be able to return to their duties much sooner and be dealing with specific issues of need in their areas of management. But how to get this done?
It wasn’t long after starting in my new job that I attended a national seminar meeting featuring a time management guru, Dr. Ivan Fitzwater. He decried long administrative meetings and argued that “ all such sessions while necessary should have a one-hour limit.”

Dr. Fitzwater’s unique and practical suggestion might be considered as outrageous by some, but it hit home with me.
And so, at the next central meeting in Upper Darby, I issued an edict: “All future central staff meetings would be no longer than one hour. Anyone still talking will be cut off at the 60-minute limit.”

My Upper Darby administrators looked at me as if I was crazy. But I was the new boss…and I was determined!!!

A Built-In Component
Amazingly, over the next 15 years, better “team planning” of all central meeting agendas by principals and administrators in the Upper Darby School District created “timed presentation items,” effectively streamlined for efficiency. School principals and central administrators soon adjusted well to shorter but much more focused sessions and appreciated being able to return to what mattered most, their prime duties and responsibilities.

Dr. Ivan Fitzwater’s time management time-limitation edict for school leadership meetings became the practical and productive “modus-operandi” in the Upper Darby School District.

As for online meetings, which have become commonplace these days, in theory these should be time-savers. But in too many cases, these small and/or large group computer sessions often replicate in-person meetings which are too lengthy. Without enough planning, and orchestrated focus, these too can drag on incessantly.

Time management of agendas for all central meetings should be a matter of school district leadership better defining what issues should be discussed/presented and with how much depth to best address the needs of the school system. Central meetings are of course necessary, but these should be limited in length to maximize school administrator productivity where it matters most.

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Joseph P. Batory was the Upper Darby (PA) School District superintendent of schools from 1984 to 1999. E-mail: josephbatory@comcast.net