Public school administration

[Sarah0000]

Is it common to go through a superintendent a year (or sometimes even less!)? Is it common for the new superintendents to fire any person in a supervisory position that they can possibly find a reason for to get their "own people" in position? Is it common for the teachers and staff to be in a constant state of fear and panic that they can lose their jobs at any time?

 

It is in our local high school district. The adminstration is in complete disarray. So many good staff, some who have been working there for decades, have been replaced by people who often leave within the year because they can't deal with the work environment. Last week, tens of thousands of dollars of water damage was done to the gymnasium because no one knew where the shut off switches were. They refused to call the maintenance director they had just fired last week and let the water flood for hours while firefighters tried to control the flood zone.

 

Staff and teachers are angry and upset but feel they have no avenue through which to seek change. It's so bad, that only those who are retiring or who have already left the district are willing to give anybody a job recommendation for fear of retaliation. I do not work for the district. I'm only a concerned citizen. What can be done?

[wapiti]

The elected school board should be taking the heat.  Assume a *great deal* of politics is involved.  Before doing anything yourself, look into whether there may already be Facebook pages and parent groups who regularly complain to, and/or about, the school board members and the superintendent.  ETA, you can communicate with elected school board officials by direct email or by showing up to speak at a school board meeting.

 

In our district, it helps to know the elected members are not always who they set themselves out to be and may have the backing of other political groups on both sides of the spectrum.  The lay of the land is quite complex in our area.

Edited May 20, 2016 by wapiti

[Guest]

I would also make a phone call to your local elected officials. The school is getting city, state, and most likely federal funding so there are multiple interests at stake. I'm not sure which state you're in, but a phone call or letter to your state level agency and teacher's union never hurt either. On this type of stuff I feel one can never write too many letters or emails. Sometimes letters are more effective, sometimes they don't get through so I've been known to do both hard copy and email to make sure my tax paying opinion is loud and clear. That seems more effective than attending the school board meetings, where they're often known to shut down the venue or escort unhappy parents out. The school board may not care about your opinion when election day is far far away, but it seems legislators aren't quite as dismissive of public opinion, particularly in smaller towns. 

[73349]

Your district's location, size and budget (i.e., desirability) determine what kind of people are initially attracted to the superintendent job. It is customary for a superintendent candidate to have an Ed. D. or Ph. D. and experience as a principal. Your school board hires a superintendent--if hiring choices they make are poor, suspect incompetence or corruption, but OTOH it really could be that the district has something about it that candidates don't like. 

 

If your school principals or the board are clearly obnoxious to work with, that will run people off either before hiring or shortly after, leaving you with only local, underqualified candidates who may want the position as a stepping stone.

If your district needs a complete policy overhaul or has worse-than-customary budget problems, not everybody is interested in dealing with those, either.

 

What does your local newspaper say?

When is your next school board election?

Does your district or state have nepotism laws?

Edited May 20, 2016 by whitehawk

[daijobu]

I don't know how common this is, but I have heard (secondhand) about nepotism at the level of the superintendent, and the hiring of incompetent administrators resulting in retirements of the best teachers and high turnover.  My information came to me from a parent in the district who decided to homeschool, lol.  

[T'smom]

I don't think that is common. However, I took a job at a charter school and I worked there for a year and 1/4. In that time, we went through 3 administrators. A friend convinced me to not quit after the first year, then she ended up quitting herself. My second year, I quit just a couple months into the year- I was the 7th teacher to quit THAT year. Even with that, most of the teachers were single or the main breadwinner. (I was extremely lucky that I was married to a guy with a good job.) I suspect more would have left if they felt they had that option. I had nightmares for months after I left. So, it does happen.