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Illinois School Board Journal
January-February 2000
It's a seller's market for superintendents
Not long ago, most school boards that needed a new top administrator could count on taking their pick from a large pool of outstanding candidates. If your board is facing a change in the top job in the near future, you still will find good candidates to fill the position. However, unless your district is considered highly desirable, don't count on having the number of candidates you would have had just a few years ago.
Early retirement coupled with the high stress level of the job has resulted in the pool of candidates shrinking to a puddle, says Walt Warfield, executive director of the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA). A district that may have had a hundred good applicants for its last vacancy might get fifty these days. Districts that are not seen as desirable can expect to see their applicant pools shrink accordingly.
Warfield doesn't see the dwindling number of superintendent candidates as a crisis at this point. "A district only needs one superintendent," he comments. "So it's the quality of the puddle, not its size, that really counts."
However, down the road, the current serious shortage of principals will further shrink that puddle. (See "Good Principals May Be Endangered Species," on page 11.) Nearly half of Illinois' current superintendents started out as principals, and another 30 percent as assistant principals, according to "The Illinois School Superintendency" a study conducted for IASA. The figures are for the 1998-1999 school year.
In addition to a potential shortage of good candidates, job turnover is an ongoing concern. However, that may be more a perception than a fact. The mean length of service for a superintendent in Illinois is about six years, the IASA study shows. But that's misleading, Warfield says. Length of service tends to cluster at both ends of the scale, with many superintendents staying much longer in a single district and, at the other end of the scale, those who stay in a job only a year or two. More than 78 percent of those surveyed for "The Illinois School Superintendent" had held only one or two superintendencies.
In motion
Still, there is plenty of movement in the field. In five years, Warfield says, only one in four superintendents will be in the same job they have now. The rest will have retired or changed jobs. The movement is not necessarily negative -- for one thing, it creates opportunities for more women and minority candidates to enter the job. In 1998-99, 90 percent of superintendents were male and more than 96 percent were white.
IASB Senior Field Services Director Doug Blair agrees that, while the size of the pool is shrinking, the quality remains high. "In all the superintendent searches I've done, I've seen a strong group of candidates," he notes. Smaller districts that try to do their own searches, as well as those suffering under the burden of administrative cost caps, may have trouble finding good candidates, he observes.
Mid-size cities
"I'm concerned about the mid-range urban districts, such as Springfield, Decatur, Alton, Rockford and so forth," says John Allen, IASB field services director. "With declining scores, plummeting student populations (bright flight?) and years of public misperceptions, recruiting teaching and administrative staff is becoming a challenge."
"The skills needed in these cities are the same ones needed by large suburban school systems," Blair points out. But often the downstate districts can't or don't match the salaries paid in the suburbs.
One problem these districts face, says Warfield, is the perception that the communities are unwilling (rather than unable) to pay salaries that compare to those in suburban districts.
School boards that can expect real problems, Warfield says, are the ones with a reputation for beating up on superintendents or meddling in administrative matters. (You know who you are -- and so, in the small world of public education, do job candidates.)
Questions that job candidates will ask are, how long do superintendents remain in the district, and why do they leave. With contract packages fairly standard, such issues take on added importance.
Stress
On its face, a school superintendency would appear to be a plum job. Salaries, by and large, are good and the job has the potential to provide enormous satisfaction to the individual who wants to make a difference. In the IASA study, 80 percent of Illinois superintendents agreed with the statement "I feel that my work as a school superintendent gives me a lot of pleasure."
So why are superintendents seizing the opportunity to retire early -- and why aren't candidates lining up in droves to snap up the jobs?
One reason is that the job is extremely stressful. The position does not enjoy the status and respect it once did, points out Doug Blair. Wall-to-wall unions make life hard for superintendents in many districts. So does the widespread perception that schools are failing.
Some communities are polarized over such issues as religion. In these districts, the superintendent may have to choose between a rock and a hard place: for example, violate laws protecting the constitutional separation of state and religion or become a target for the anger of vocal segments of the community.
Expectations dumped upon the public schools by Congress, the legislature and the public are unrealistic (and often unfounded in fact), and when local schools are perceived as not meeting those unrealistic expectations, the superintendent is the target for anger.
In some troubled communities, it may be literally impossible for any superintendent to create positive change -- but that won't keep the community from blaming the one who tries.
Add to these problems burdensome state and local regulations (such as special education requirements), and it is easy to see why many school superintendents retire as soon as they can.
In a seller's market, what can your school board do to make sure your next superintendent search will turn up the right person for the job?
First, treat your current superintendent right. Every professional interviewed for this article and the related "Good Principals May Be Endangered Species," commented on the fact that word spreads quickly about which districts are or are not desirable workplaces for teachers and administrators. School boards that don't work well with their administrators will find it harder and harder to find good ones to replace those who leave.
If your long-term incumbent is planning to leave, expect to have to pay a hefty salary increase to attract a new person of similar quality. If your district has administrative cost caps, you may have to offer other incentives.
In some cases, helping a candidate's spouse find a job in his or her field is a tempting incentive.
A comprehensive, up-to-date policy manual ensures that even though the superintendent changes, progress continues toward the school board's goals, points out Cathy Talbert, IASB director of policy services. A carefully-maintained policy manual is also a signal to discerning job candidates that your board is a good employer.
The characteristics of your school system and your community will play a large role in determining which candidates you draw. Almost every community appeals to some candidates, points out Warfield. Some will prefer an urban or suburban setting, others a small rural district. Make sure candidates know about the advantages your community offers.
Hire smart. Hiring a new superintendent is a difficult and stressful undertaking. Even in the best of times, you don't want to do it any more often than you have to.
Be clear about the qualities and skills you want in this key person.
Changing job
"The job isn't what it used to be," says Walt Warfield. "What I did in 1978, when I was a superintendent and what superintendents do now, are totally different." Superintendents today must be true educational leaders, he says. They need to know curriculum, be good communicators, teamworkers and planners, and possess a host of other leadership qualities. A search consultant will help you define the qualities you need, but the board should participate in the process.
During the hiring process, recommends John Allen, build a strong base of support for the new superintendent by involving all parts of the system in the hiring process. While this may make for a less tidy process, "the board and new superintendent will operate with a much broader mandate."
The final interview is often the trickiest part of the process, Warfield warns. Most school board members have little experience in hiring and interviewing a top executive. If you aren't careful, you could end up hiring the best interviewer instead of the best CEO for your district.
Conversation
Approach the interview as a conversation designed to determine whether the candidate is a good fit with your district, Warfield advises. Your search consultant and/or screening committee will have weeded out the unqualified, so don't waste time asking
about certification, degrees, etc. Instead, focus on identifying the candidate who has good chemistry with your board and your community. Ask questions about educational and personal philosophy and look for an individual whose personality works well with that of the board.
There still are enough good superintendents to go around. It may take a little extra work to find the one who is best for your district. But whatever effort your board must make to find a qualified, compatible top administrator will pay off richly.