“The eight-week courses, the program being completely online, and no travel—that’s what did it for me.” – Dr. Jessie Cline, online Superintendent Certification student
As CFO of Clint Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, Dr. Jessie Cline holds an unusual distinction. She previously worked as a teacher and then a district testing coordinator focused on data and accountability. When her district’s previous CFO left the position after 28 years, it left a large gap to fill. Cline jumped at the opportunity, and her district soon discovered the value of her unique combination of academic and finance expertise. “My instructional background brings a whole different lens to finance. And especially after COVID, [addressing] learning loss in our academic needs is even more important. I’ve been able to bring that instructional background to finance to help our academics as well.”
Dr. Cline generously shared time to explain why she applied to UT Permian Basin’s online Superintendent Certification program. Conversation topics ranged from our program’s unexpected networking opportunities to its flexible pace and newly updated curriculum.
A Flexible, Accelerated Program for Working Professionals
Early in our discussion, Dr. Cline shared why she decided to take a step toward superintendency: “Once I was in this [CFO] position, I saw all the different facets of a district. You have your operations, you have your HR, you have instruction, you have finance. There’s a lot going on in the district that I’d like to learn more about. And so, my next goal is for superintendency. That’s why I started the UTPB program.”
“I did research quite a few programs,” Dr. Cline continued, “and what drew me to this one is the eight-week courses. It’s very convenient and lends itself to working professionals. That timeframe is a little bit shorter. It is more intensive—the coursework on a weekly basis—but it’s manageable for a professional. It being online was another benefit to me. Some of the other programs required some travel and this one did not, so it’s easily accessible. And again, with COVID we’ve all shifted to Zoom and Teams and it isn’t a scary thought anymore, taking an online program.”
Dr. Cline expects to complete her certification in early 2023, less than one year after starting the program. “The eight-week courses allowed this to be, I believe, the shortest program that I could find. Others were two years or more.” When asked how she manages coursework alongside her professional responsibilities, Dr. Cline explained, “Sometimes I don’t even get to [assignments] until Friday evening. But I’m able to spend all day Friday, Saturday, Sunday reading, doing my discussions … If you’ve got the flexibility during the week to jump in and do things, [you can], and if not, you’re able to take that one week to do all your assignments.”
Concerns Overcome and Connections Made
Dr. Cline had some reservations coming into the program. “Part of education is networking. One of my first hesitations [was], ‘Will this really get me the experience and [access to] the people to talk to that I need to move up in education?’ But it’s been the opposite. One of the advantages with [UTPB’s program] being online is in our courses there are people [from] across Texas and out of state. I’ve been able to interact with educators in other districts and hear their perspective. There are some charter schools as well. [This program] has also allowed me to network with Dr. Uzat, who’s been very supportive. He helped me write a scholarship letter for TASA to try to get some scholarship funds.”
Dr. Cline went on to explain that she had previous experience teaching online as an adjunct professor and was now seeing changes for the better. “It was difficult before COVID being all online. There wasn’t much interaction. It was just a lot of submissions. But this [UTPB] program is not that way. There’s quite a few interactions in the digital platform and we have live [online] meetings.”
Immediately Applicable Skills From a Highly Relevant Curriculum
Dr. Cline has already applied some of what she’s learned in our program. “Right now, I’m in the operations class [EDLD 6464 – Educational Change and Design of Facilities], and I’ve already shared that with my cabinet. It’s allowing me to jump into topics that I may not have the opportunity to do in my job. We’re looking at outdoor furniture because the course [highlights] the advantages of outdoor learning. It’s already having an impact with my knowledge as the current CFO and my school district to better our facilities and better our program areas.”
Dr. Cline was particularly impressed with the topicality of our curriculum. “My first course, EDL 6475 – Education & Sociocultural Change, was one that I did not have a lot of background knowledge in. It had a lot of hot topics related to safety, which we know is a high priority right now. And the idea of parent involvement within instruction.”
“I really had to reflect on what’s happening in my community board meetings,” Dr. Cline added. “Are we having parents come and express concerns on certain topics? In El Paso we don’t have a high parent turnout at our board meetings. Our community, you know, trusts us as educators and we’re able to do our job. But when I’ve heard stories from other districts of how involved the community is, and not always in a positive way, it helped prepare me, because I may not be a superintendent in El Paso.”
A Recommendation Without Reservations
Dr. Cline readily recommends UTPB’s online Superintendency Certification program to others. “100%. Yes, I would [recommend the program]. I’ve already recommended it to people here within my district that are looking to move up. You hear stories of, ‘Oh, there’s an easy program. Do this program, you’ll get through it quickly.’ And this program is not easy, but it is very relevant to what’s happening right now.”
Dr. Cline continued, “When I was talking to Dr. Uzat, he was saying that he’s revamped the program, that it’s a newer one, and he’s redone the coursework. That’s an advantage to us as students because it’s not old information. It’s not just ‘get through the coursework.’ It’s extremely relevant. We even shifted our coursework to talk about school safety and what’s happening right now within our schools. And so that’s what I appreciate is you will learn in this course. You can apply it right now. And as a superintendent it’s going to help prepare you.”
Graduates of UTPB’s program will be prepared not just for their new roles but for their all-important certification exams as well. Dr. Cline recalled, “I’ve told [my site supervisor] everything I’m doing, and he said, ‘I didn’t do that in my coursework. All we did was read something and submit an assignment. I wasn’t prepared for my assessment.’ I told him, ‘Trust me, this is going to prepare me for my certification exam.’ Even he was surprised at the coursework and the projects that we’re doing. And so, I chose the right path because [the program’s] helping me grow and I should not have an issue with the certification exam because of how relevant the topics are.”
Advice for Prospective Superintendent Certification Students
“I’m at an advantage because I’m already in the cabinet level at my school district and am able to talk to our superintendent more readily,” Dr. Cline offered. “What I’m seeing is a lot of the individuals who are joining [the UTPB program] are principals. They have an amazing background that’s preparing them for this position. But just knowing that you’ll have to network with your district leadership, that’s something to be aware of. Set aside that time and the opportunity to work with district level and different leaders across the district. It’s a positive thing because it’s an opportunity to see what’s going on within your community and network within your own district as well.”
Just like Dr. Cline, you can experience immediate and lasting benefits from our online Superintendent Certification program! Request more information and apply here.