Legal Counsel on Contracts

STATE OF THE SUPERINTENDENCY

The use of an attorney by superintendents to negotiate their work contracts with school boards has increased sharply over the past decade, according to AASA’s annual superintendent compensation surveys published in 2014 and 2024.

While 21 percent of the 1,711 respondents in 2014 indicated their use of legal counsel, that figure shot up to 37 percent of the 2,077 superintendents surveyed 10 years later.

Where sufficient numbers existed in the latest survey, a relationship was evident between district enrollment and use of outside counsel. Superintendents in larger districts were much more likely to use attorneys in contract negotiations.

Source: “2024-25 AASA Superintendent Salary and Benefits Study,” edited by Christopher H. Tienken.