An impossible job?

Byline: The Register Guard

People in the Cottage Grove area can be proud that Krista Parent, superintendent of the South Lane School District, is a finalist for the honor of being named 2007 National Superintendent of the Year. They should also be worried. Parent works 60 or 70 hours a week. That's a burnout pace - and even if Parent can keep it up, others in public education will be unable or unwilling to take on such heavy leadership responsibilities.

A 2003 report from the University of Washington's Center on Reinventing Public Education asked whether the superintendency is "an impossible job." Parent proves that it's not. The report focused on urban school districts, and Parent, after being named Oregon Superintendent of the Year in October, said South Lane, with 2,900 students, is different: "We're not so big that there's a lot of bureaucracy, but we're not so small that we can't be innovative and creative."

Yet leaders in public education face many of the same problems, regardless of the size of their districts. Superintendents and principals stand at the spot where rising expectations and declining resources converge. They're hemmed in by state and federal regulations, school board policies, union contracts, parental demands and community expectations. People who started out as educators find themselves working as politicians, human-resources managers, labor negotiators, counselors and public-relations specialists.

Under these circumstances, it's not surprising that a nationwide shortage of superintendents and principals is developing, affecting even highly regarded districts in Oregon. Teachers understand that moving into an administrative position means greatly increased responsibilities, a tougher schedule and an unspectacular pay increase. Teachers also understand that moving up means moving out of the classroom, and away from the direct work with students that attracted them to education in the first place.

Parent offers proof that effective leadership can bring rewards. Since becoming superintendent in 2001, the South Lane School District has raised its standards and gone far toward meeting them. Advanced placement courses in calculus, chemistry, music theory, physics, Spanish and statistics have been added at Cottage Grove High School. A literacy initiative has been launched at all grade levels. The percentage of students meeting or exceeding statewide reading standards is up by more than 50 percent, and the number meeting or beating the math standards has doubled.

Such results are what a superintendent strives for and are gratifying in themselves, but recognition is also important. Effective leadership needs to be acknowledged and rewarded - it's one way to obtain more of it. Another is to ensure that educational leaders get the support they need from the school board, the staff and the community. Both encouragement and support will attract future leaders, keeping the pipeline full for the next generation.

The South Lane School District is fortunate to have an extraordinary superintendent - but Parent could not have compiled her award-winning record of achievement alone. She's done it with the backing of her colleagues and community. Without it, being a school superintendent is an impossible job.