Hesitancy Toward the Job

State of the Superintendency

Several factors discourage administrators from applying for superintendent posts. The order of the five leading reasons has not changed much over the past decade, according to a study by the New York State Council of School Superintendents.

The top three hesitancy factors continue to be scope of the role, loss of job security and having school-age children. For almost two-thirds of the superintendents without children, scope of the role ranked as the No. 1 or 2 reason for reluctance in applying for a superintendency. For two-thirds of those with children at home, raising children ranked first or second as the inhibiting factor.

Out of 94 female superintendents in the survey, only 14 had school-age children. Out of 256 male superintendents, 128 had school-age children.

Compared with survey findings in 2006, the cost of living became less of a consideration while the potential loss of job security took a major climb in the latest survey.