The Covid-19 virus has turned a number of institutions on their sides ““ including education. Educators are taking early retirement. Many of them with existing health problems are not returning. School administrators ““ Assistant principals, principals and superintendents, are joining the exodus. The school superintendents in Denver CO, New Rochelle NY, Farmington NM, Dripping Springs TX, Loudon County, VA and my hometown- Albuquerque NM are in the group. When schools return to normal, a number of school districts will need a new superintendent.
Our school board has been conducting a search for a replacement since our superintendent submitted her resignation. In addition to hiring a professional search team they asked community residents for input. 8,244-members of the community were polled that included parents and guardians (5,070) School employees (3,921), other Community members (304) Students (257) Business Community members 117) Elected Officials (36) The groups were asked “what characteristic would you look for?” Their responses to the questions are below:
- Puts the needs of students first
- Possesses a background in education
- Promotes safety and security at all levels of district leadership
- Takes responsibility for decisions and actions
- Promotes student participation in sports, and other extracurricular activities
- Experience managing a budget of a large organization
- Inspires and motives others
- Spends time in classrooms
- Sets high expectations for all students
- Experience increasing student achievement
- Uses data to make informed decisions
- Establishes strong relationships with outside parties such as community members, local businesses, and elected officials
- Provides opportunities for communication between educators and parents
- Values school autonomy
- Provides equitable access to technology across the district
- Effectively communicates vision
- Prior experience as a superintendent
- Holds a Ph.D. or Ed.D.
- Delegates responsibility
- Values a strong central office
I found it interesting that all of the stakeholders ranked the list as it appears above in the numerical order. The one exception was that the school employees rated “Puts the needs of students first” as number 2.
Can any readers of this posting thine of additional questions, they would add? If so, contact me at [email protected]