How do we find and retain superintendents?

School boards nationwide, particularly in urban areas, know they are in for one of their toughest challenges when they try to recruit and then retain a high-quality superintendent. Some high-profile school districts, such as Portland, Ore., and Washington, D.C., have had frustrating experiences in the past year finding suitable replacements for a departing school system leader. The task will only become harder.

Many school boards have chosen to either appoint interim or acting superintendents as a stop-gap measure at great expense until a capable, long-term replacement is found or they appoint someone from industry, the military or public service rather than rely on someone from the traditional education pipeline. Neither option has met with great success in improving student achievement significantly.

Better Matchmaking 

In light of the challenges faced by school boards in landing top school leaders, we have developed five action steps for consideration:

* Assess the district's needs and recruit accordingly.

One reason superintendent turnover is high in some districts is that school boards seldom know what or who they are looking for, other than a replacement superintendent. The all-too-common result? The wrong person for the wrong job.

Before rushing headlong into a search, board members should reach a consensus on the leadership skills required for their particular district's needs and target their search accordingly to ensure the best match. Districts have different needs at any particular time, and superintendents bring different sets of skills to the table--some are instructional leaders, some finance and bond wizards, others especially adept at dealing with personnel issues.

School boards could become more effective in their matchmaking by adapting recruitment strategies used in the private sector. Professional search firms can help do this.

* Raise homegrown contenders.

School boards must identify talented younger leaders and nurture them into the job. Every district has talented school administrators, but a more concerted effort must be made to encourage principals and central-office administrators to move up the administrative ladder.

Research demonstrates the effectiveness of this approach as locally hired superintendents (insiders) have longer tenures than outsiders unfamiliar with school district culture and politics. The reigning National Superintendent of the Year, William McNeal, is an insider, having spent 30 years in the Wake County, N.C., system.

The higher turnover rate among outsiders makes it extremely difficult to initiate and sustain systemic change within a school district. Accordingly, board members need to seek out quality personnel from within their own districts, providing nurturance and support to promising candidates. In particular, school boards should adopt a succession planning model and provide financial support and release time for principals to pursue advanced degrees and professional development opportunities that will prepare candidates for future administrative vacancies.

* Revamp the role.

The superintendency has grown increasingly complex. The job for many has become impossible to do well. No individual can take on and excel in all the roles and responsibilities (curriculum, instruction, finance, construction, law), particularly in large urban school districts. If the job has become impossible for any one person to perform well, then boards should consider distinct roles for various district leaders.

School boards might restructure the position by divesting the superintendent of some areas of control and concentrating work in those areas that benefit most from top-level oversight. In some large districts where the superintendent operates as a CEO, the superintendent is responsible for business, finance and management, while placing responsibility for curriculum and instruction in the hands of a chief academic officer. Policies promoting role specialization and decentralization of decisions would make the job of superintendent more manageable and the position more appealing.

Feeling Recognized

* Improve the payoff.

The remuneration of superintendents has not kept pace with salary increases within and outside education. In many districts, teachers, principals and other central-office administrators are now paid high salaries, dampening the incentive to take the top spot for only an incremental pay increase.

In relation to their broad management and budgetary responsibilities, superintendents earn considerably less than CEOs in industry with comparable responsibilities and budgets--a disparity that's particularly acute in large urban districts. Although it is not uncommon for small suburban districts (enrolling fewer than 2,500 students) to pay their superintendents $120,000 or more, urban districts with larger enrollments and more difficult-to-educate students seldom pay their top leaders significantly more.

* Recognize good work.

Research clearly shows the need among superintendents for more school board support, less micromanagement and greater rewards for their accomplishments. Several studies indicate that what superintendents most desire is the backing and support of their boards, particularly when undertaking difficult, complex initiatives.

School boards are quick to criticize superintendents when the going gets rough while seldom rewarding them for improvements. Quite simply, superintendents need love, too, and many believe that acknowledgement and recognition for a job well done are seldom forthcoming from board members.

Lance Fusarelli is associate professor and coordinator of the educational leadership program at North Carolina State University, Box 7801, Raleigh, NC 27695. E-mail: [e-mail]. Barbara Jackson is professor of educational leadership at Fordham University. The co-authors acknowledge the help of Bruce Cooper, a professor at Fordham, in contributing to this column.