Many districts seek new superintendents

A search for a new schools chief usually takes about three months.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- More than two dozen school districts around the state are searching for new superintendents for next year, leaving recruiting consultants striving to fill an unusually large number of spots.
The Ohio School Boards Association is conducting more than three times the number of searches it was at this time last year. It's the most the association has seen in 20 years, said Kathleen LaSota, deputy director of board development and search services.
Most of the superintendents leaving their posts this summer are retiring rather than taking new jobs, officials said. At least 25 public school districts out of 612 already are looking, and more are expected to begin as the year goes on. Sometimes, choosing one superintendent creates an opening in another district.
"With state mandates and the constant battle for funding, it's a high-pressure job," said LaSota, who's working with several districts, including Rocky River in suburban Cleveland. She said she has 14 candidates for that job so far.
Delayed retirement
Many superintendents delayed their retirement after a change to educators' pension benefit formula five years ago, said Paul Pendleton of the search firm Finding Leaders. The new formula increased the payout for an additional five years of service.
An educator now can get 88.5 percent of his or her final average salary for retirement after 35 years on the job, said Laura Ecklar of the Ohio State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio.
But Ecklar cautioned that the apparent spike in superintendents leaving could be an aberration because many educators need to work longer to cover higher living costs.
Searching for a superintendent usually takes around three months. The school boards association charges about 8,000 for its help, while private firms usually receive 10,000 to 50,000.
In Northeast Ohio, Lorain plans to spend 16,000 with a national firm, while Westlake has budgeted 7,500. Cleveland spent about 100,000 last year while searching for new Chief Executive Eugene Sanders, but the cost was covered by private foundations.
One board's decision
In Fairfield, north of Cincinnati, the school board opted Friday to go with a Butler County educational services organization, which is charging 2,000, instead of the state group, which quoted a 9,000 price, for the search to replace retiring Superintendent Robert Farrell.
Mark Morris, board president, said the search leader knows the community, but the board will have to shoulder a lot of the work.
"I don't think we can offload this on someone else," he said. "I just hope the board realizes the intensity."
Searches generally extend to candidates nationwide, but school boards seem to gravitate to candidates from Ohio because members believe they will know state laws and standards, said Rob DeLane of the school boards association.
Maynard Bauer of Finding Leaders said his firm is discovering it must actively recruit candidates, even for prime openings.
"There is not a huge crowd of candidates out there," he said.