INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT: SEARCH FIRMS
Executive Consultants Seek the Right Fit
School Administrator, June 2015
The most memorable superintendent search Tom
Jacobson has managed over 24 years was for a tiny school district in the San
Juan Islands in Washington. The district contacted his firm, McPherson and
Jacobson, seeking to find a superintendent. Jacobson asked what the district’s
enrollment was.
“Ten,” came the answer.
“Ten, you mean 10,000?” Jacobson asked.
“No,” was the reply, “10 students.”
Jacobson’s story illustrates a distinguishing quality
of superintendent search work: No two superintendencies are exactly alike, and
not every educator is well-suited to each opening.
Three large superintendent search firms and dozens of
other much-smaller companies are part of an industry that act as matchmakers in
a field with high demand for new talent but not always a ready supply of
well-qualified candidates. The client is the board of education, and the
elusive target is the best-fitting candidate.
The top executive
search firms bring to the task a deep knowledge base of the job market and the
job-hunting process, as well as their experience and expansive professional
networks. These qualities enable them to put data on the superintendency job
market into a useful context as they plan searches and advise clients and
candidates.
McPherson &
Jacobson, Ray and Associates and Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates are the
three largest firms. McPherson & Jacobson, based in Omaha, Neb., has grown
to nearly 100 associates in 36 states and handles 45 to 55 national and
regional searches per year. The oldest firm is Ray and Associates in Cedar
Rapids, Iowa; it manages up to 50 searches a year. Led by Gary Ray, the
40-year-old company employs 170 associates. CEO Louis Gatta runs Hazard, Young,
Attea and Associates of Rosemont, Ill., which has 125 associates; HYA handles
from 80 to 90 executive searches per year.
AASA’s Salary Survey
When details of the 2014 AASA Salary Survey, published
in February, were shared with the CEOs of these firms, they affirmed the
findings matched what they saw in their work: Salaries are rising and increase
with enrollment, base salaries vary dramatically (from $36,000 to $315,000),
more women and minorities are getting the top job, and women are making gains
in salary over men except in districts with the largest enrollments. (See
related story with details about the salary study below.)
Just why women’s salaries are higher than men’s are is
not clear. “They do have more years of instructional experience when they come
to the superintendency than men do,” says Bob McCord, a consultant who assisted
with the survey analysis.
Job Opportunities
Supply and demand is at work (in today’s job market),”
says Jacobson. “[I]f superintendents are not place-bound, they can go anywhere
(they) want.” Likewise, when jobs require specialized knowledge and background,
the few candidates who are well-qualified command top dollar.
In Palm Beach,
Fla., Robert Avossa will take the helm July 6 at a salary of $350,000 and be
responsible for a $1 billion budget. In San Francisco, Superintendent Richard
Carranza’s salary will increase to $310,000 on July 1.
“The superintendent’s job is more complex than ever
and requires specialized knowledge in many fields to understand the problems,”
says Ray.
Digging Deeply
Search firms want to develop a portrait of what the
board feels is the ideal candidate. They research the district’s history,
board-superintendent relationships, board and superintendent turnover, and
priorities and problems. They look at board minutes, newspaper articles and
blogs. (Search firms encourage candidates to do the same due diligence on a
district to which they may be applying.)
Next, firms actively recruit candidates through their
professional networks and advertise openings. The goal is on getting a
sufficient number of well-qualified applicants, knowing that a pool of 20 will
be too small and a pool of 60 will be unlikely.
Recruiting requires a firm to assess candidate
strengths, skills and experience. Sometimes applicants think they are qualified
when they are not. “There’s a misperception that a superintendent somewhere …
can do every job,” Ray says. “That is not the case. Some superintendents have
outstanding records passing bond issues, others are change agents, and others
are strong in instruction.”
Potential candidates must do a self-critique and divulge
to the firm (and thus the board) any thing that might be raised as a problem.
During the vetting process, a firm will research each applicant to gain a
precise and accurate profile.
“Discussions with a candidate will touch on problems
that occurred under the superintendent’s tenure,” says Jacobson. “Sometimes a
superintendent has been dismissed from a previous position. The question that
comes up is “What happened? Did the board change and the philosophy of the
board changed? Was there wrongdoing on the part of the superintendent?”
This is where candidates are advised to be
forthcoming. “Divulge everything upfront if it may be a problem that would come
up in research,” says Gatta. “Realize that in the age of the Internet, it’s not
whether it will come up — it will come up. Many
boards can deal with incidents that were problematic, and consider them in the
past if they know of them beforehand,” he adds.
The Best Fits
Applicant profiles are reviewed by the board, which
makes the final decision. The firm then helps with contract negotiations.
“The best firms deliver candidates who will make a
good fit because there is a congruence between the candidate’s skill set,
vision and leadership style and the values and vision of the district, Gatta
says. “(A good fit) means the leader will fit in with the culture of the
community, and be comfortable with the board’s priorities and dynamics.
Liz Griffin is managing editor of School Administrator. E-mail:
lgriffin@aasa.org
AASA Salary Survey Highlights
For superintendents looking for a way to benchmark their
compensation against their peers, the findings of AASA’s 2014 Salary Survey of
1,711 respondents from all 50 states provide a good start. Published in February,
the survey shows a compensation picture that has mostly held steady, with a few
noteworthy trends emerging over the past three years.
Highlights include these:
- Wide salary
range: One striking finding is the range of salaries reported. Respondents’
annual base salaries range from $36,000 to $315,000, averaging $122,000. Median
salaries grow with district enrollment; the highest salaries are paid to
superintendents of the largest districts. Assistant superintendent, principal,
and teacher salaries also rose with district enrollment.
- Slowly improving
economic conditions: The economic state of the respondents’ districts is
important for understanding the big picture of superintendents’ salaries. It
has been improving over the last three years. This year, more than half of the
respondents describe their district as stable, 10 percent described theirs as
strong and nearly 40 percent described theirs as in declining condition.
Three percent of respondents reported strong and stable
conditions. Those reporting declining conditions dropped by 6 percent from the
2013 study. While not dramatic, this marks an improvement over two years. Given
the recovery from the 2008 recession, this trend is expected to continue slowly
but steadily.
- Benefits:
Nearly nine of 10 respondents have a retirement package based on their salary.
Over three quarters of respondents (76 percent) have medical/hospital coverage
through the district. Post-retirement insurance is present in 23 percent of
respondents’ contracts.
- Respondent
demographics: Respondents are predominantly male (79 percent) and white (94
percent) and represent rural districts (73 percent). The average age of a
respondent is 52 years old, with female respondents trending slightly older
than males.
Greater
understanding of the significance of the salary and benefit data can be gained
when one considers the findings of the AASA-sponsored decennial study of the
superintendency by Theodore Kowalski in 2010. It documented the evolving role
of the superintendent and accompanying changes in superintendent performance
expectations. Compensation, including pay incentives, for superintendents has
become more clearly connected to the success of the district.
The full report is available at www.aasa.org/2014-salary-study.aspx. “The
American School Superintendent: 2010 Decennial Study,” also sponsored by AASA,
is available from Rowman & Littlefield Education.
Leslie Finnan is a policy
analyst at AASA. E-mail:
lfinnan@aasa.org. Twitter: @LeslieFinnan