In Search of Comic Book Qualities for the Next Millennium

School Administrator, Nov, 1998 by Calvin A. Roesner

Anyone who has been around the superintendency for even a short while has witnessed profound changes in the role of that job. Start by considering tenture.

Only generation ago, a superintendent could expect to serve 10, 15 or even 20 years in the same place--and have many school board members do the same. Today the average tenure of a superintendent is more like eighteen months to two years in some places. And few board members stay beyond a term or two.

What used to be a provision of service to a community has, in some cases, become a bully pulpit for a single issue or a steppingstone to other elective offices.

Public perception of the superintendency also has changed. The position has shifted from one representing power, prestige and purpose to that of news media bull's-eye.

As our society has become increasingly litigious, school communities have become ever less reluctant to approach the superintendent for the most trivial matters. The thinking seems to be, "Why mess with the underlings when you can go directly to the top." This seems to hold true for matters such as appeals to well-deserved student suspensions. And what parent hesitates to call the superintendent at home in the evening to complain about the length of junior's bus ride.

Superhero Skills

Given these changes, what might the job description of the superintendent look like in the new millennium? With credit to consultants Bill Banach and Peter Drucker, songwriter Jimmy Buffett (who sings about "wasting away in Margaritaville") and DC Comics, I offer the following job compilation:

Qualifications: More powerful than a locomotive. Faster than a speeding bullet. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Reports to: Whomever perceives the officeholder as a leader.

Supervises: Whomever can be persuaded to follow.

Job Goal: Always be able to count to four. (In places with other than seven board members, adjust number accordingly to achieve majority.)

Job Responsibilities: Manage hostility. Suffer fools gladly. Grow people. Think globally, act locally. Practice situational leadership. Take risks cautiously. Model integrity. Act as a cheerleader for the district. Neither develop ulcers nor be a carrier. Feed and care for the magnificent seven. (Adjust number as with job goal above.)

Also, take the job--but not yourself--seriously. Stay out of jail. Practice strategic abandonment. Cultivate constructive dissatisfaction. Realize that running with the ball means that you will fumble and get knocked down from I time to time. Remember that, as with dog sledding, the view only changes for the lead dog.

Evaluation: Daily by all--board members, staff, news media and the public.

Compensation: The probability of being a fairly highly paid migrant worker.

Term of Contract: At the will of the board.

Outside Inspiration

While this job description is meant to poke fun at the situation superintendents face, my colleagues who ponder the responsibilities listed may find, sadly, that they contain more truth than fantasy. The superintendency is indeed a privileged position with a far-reaching effect on the life of a community, the working lives of adults and the futures of children.

So what can a superintendent or someone aspiring to the superintendency do to prepare for the new millennium and the constantly changing demands of the job? One thought is to continuously seek new sources of inspiration. Along with the Banachs and Druckers be sure to include a liberal dose of Buffett--and DC Comics.

Cal Roesner, a former superintendent, is business manager of the Reed-Custer Community Unit School District 255-U, 255 Comet Drive, Braid-wood, Ill. 60408.