Dangerous Expectations: Why a Superintendent Search Often Breeds Discontent and Unsatisfying Results

School Administrator, Feb, 1997 by Susan Jernigan

Everyone has high hopes during a superintendent search. School board members want new vision and high energy. Candidates are inspired by a new opportunity to exercise leadership. Sometimes the entire community gets caught up in the contagious excitement of a pending appointment.

So what goes wrong? Why is the average superintendent's half-life so short? Why do so many relationships between superintendents and boards of education self-destruct--often within the period of the first contract?

Sometimes the search process itself nurtures the seeds of future discontent.

Flawed Methods

The objective of any professional superintendent search is to define a district's issues, determine the qualifications needed to address them, and design a strategy to identify and attract the best possible candidates. Tough organizational issues demand premium candidates. But far too often, school boards and candidates are constrained by flaws in traditional superintendent search methodologies.

When such process defects limit the quality of the candidate pool, the stage is set for dashed expectations. If school boards aren't getting the best candidate choices and the best candidates can't discreetly explore career opportunities, everyone must settle for less.

Modifying the traditional search process can maximize the odds for the best possible match. Luckily, school boards don't have to reinvent the search wheel. Executive searches have been evolving over 50 years in the corporate and not-for-profit sectors. When I compared notes with others in the search consulting business, several alternatives emerged that seemed capable of producing better choices for both board members and candidates.

The very best matches are made when superintendent searches:

* Don't rely on ads and applications;

* Don't assume that "public" and confidential" are incompatible adjectives;

* Don't allow inappropriate employee and community participation;

* Don't tolerate candidate pools that can be severely limited by outdated state certification requirements and the restraints of state retirement programs; and

* Don't create unrealistic expectations.

Ineffective Promotion

Too often, school boards have pinned their hopes to a notice of vacancy in the local newspaper, an ad in one or more state education trade publications, and an ad or two in national education periodicals. Since this may produce no more than 50 applications today (many unqualified), some boards now run similar ads in The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times.

This pricey strategy can flood the post office box with applications, too many of which have been broadcast-mailed by overzealous, indiscriminate, and often unemployed (or soon to be unemployed) job seekers. One such applicant has actually applied for more than 20 superintendent searches conducted by our firm. Every resume was identical; each cover letter was customized for a specific position. The districts ranged from 4,500 to 112,000 students; many were in the Sunbelt. The "man for all districts" applications stopped when he was hired by a small, Midwestern district earlier this year. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

The old adage still holds true: most outstanding candidates are too busy to be reading the want ads. School boards that pro-actively recruit a targeted group of "best fit" candidates are far more likely to end up with strong choices. To "woo a few" can take more time and effort than evaluating, and eliminating "wannabees," but it is worth it. We all want to be wanted.

Assure Confidentiality

While statutes in a few states mandate full disclosure, most superintendent searches could offer far more confidentiality to candidates. Almost without exception, quiet dialogue about the district and the board's expectations enhance the quality of the candidate pool. Just the rumor that a sitting superintendent is considering another opportunity is certain to land on the front page and the six o'clock news. The best candidates won't risk the inevitable fallout without a guarantee of private consideration time. They need to assess the new board's level of interest and commitment. It's one thing to roll the professional career dice as one of two or three serious finalists. It's something very different to be one of 6 or 10 or 50 publicly identified applicants for the position.

The longer confidentiality can be maintained, the better. Sometimes, just the freedom to explore an opportunity without a signed application frees a candidate from potential complications in his or her current district. For instance, an artificial application deadline can eliminate an outstanding potential candidate because a voter initiative or a district activity might be compromised. A minor delay can make a big difference.

The school board must balance attracting the strongest possible candidate slate against potential criticism from the news media and some of the public. There are always reporters, staff members, and citizens who demand to know every detail of the search process. Few in this group would tolerate their own career decisions being aired prematurely. A wise school board understands that, in the end, the public interest is best served by recruiting the best candidates.