Is Michael Hanson a rock star?
If you think Michael Hanson, superintendent of Fresno Unified got a gold-plated contract, be afraid -- be very afraid. A story from the Christian Science Monitor says school superintendents with the fireproof underwear required to run the nation's high-pressure schools systems are being treated like rock stars financially. What do you think about that?
Patrik Jonsson reports that to go to work in Clayton County, a failing school district in Georgia, former Pittsburgh superintendent John Thompson wants $275,000 in salary, a $2 million consulting budget, a Lincoln Town Car with a driver and money to pay a personal bodyguard. Is that a good use of education tax dollars?
The Journalism Center on Children and Families points out that might seem a bit hefty for someone likely to pull a power lunch in a junior high cafeteria -- but in this competitive atmosphere, maybe not.
Fewer qualified candidates, rising expectations, and a near-impossible job description are creating a new breed of superintendents. These candidates say that, for the right price, they’re willing to do an unpopular job that can take a heavy personal and professional toll to whip underperforming districts into shape.The pipeline for candidates also is drying up even as the number of U.S. school districts, because of consolidation, has dropped from 35,000 in 1965 to 13,000 today. Some 20% of school districts are actively looking for a superintendent, according to the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). That’s because principals and central office staff who would typically fill the superintendent job say the job is not worth the hassle. Minority districts that want to hire a black or Hispanic superintendent are in even worse straits: The number of educators coming out of black colleges has dropped by 70% in the past 20 years, according to the National Association of Black Educators in Washington.
Comments
How odd. Its as if the educational system has been breaking for a long time.
Much like record companies suing individuals or Bush and pals saying Irag is working.
Clearly a new approach is needed, instead of leading the way these institutions simply defend there actions and continue to do buisness as usual.
To quote a great saying "Insanity is doing the same thing day after day expecting different results."
Posted by: John Zacharias | April 1, 2008 10:07 AM
If qualified superintendents are indeed in such demand, why not spend our resources training new ones, instead of bidding up the costs of hiring one of these "rock stars"?
Posted by: Mike D. | April 1, 2008 10:50 AM
I cincur with Mike we need to train up new people to run these districts. Less money paid to the rockstar types would mean money for more teachers to have smaller classes and be able to work with the students with some one on one and afterschool tutoring. You can't see improvement with 33-37 kids per teacher. I still think they need to take a look at the lower scoring students to evaluate what primary language is spoken at home and make it mandatory for parents to take English classes. I believe this would make a huge difference in the children being able to understand better. The money needs to be used for the ones who are actually teaching the children not the paper pushers.
Posted by: Jackie Krage | April 1, 2008 3:42 PM
Yeah John, the educational system was hurting,...and then they mandated "no-child-left-behind"... (as if they could save every child from the rapture)... kidding aside, Teachers I know and respect have told me that "n.c.l.b." is a diabolical scheme to deny a generation of kids any critical thinking skills. This would make for a very malable population, a right-wing utopia...
Posted by: swift | April 2, 2008 12:39 PM
Actually Swift my Aunt was a teacher in Reno for a long time. Now that she has retired she spends her time writing books to help hispanic children read english and crusading against N.S.L.B. She even has buttons made up.
In my opinion you go to school in order to learn how to go to school. Heck I could not even learn that right. There are easy cheaper and more effective ways to teach people how to do jobs. The goal of most schools though is to get a higher degree and saddle yoruself with debt.
information is too easily available nothing is locked up in schools. The internet is the newest form of communication and it is revolutionalising every industry it touches. Oppurtunities abound within it since it is barely in its infancy. Around 2 decades in the publics hand and we have so much from it?
I cant wait to see how else we use this tool.
Posted by: John Zacharias | April 3, 2008 5:42 AM
"N.S.L.B."? What is that - "no superintendent left behind"?
Posted by: Mike D. | April 3, 2008 9:29 AM
Typo. N.C.L.B. but what you said is funnier. ^^
Posted by: John Zacharias | April 3, 2008 9:31 PM