School superintendents are among the best-known figures in many communities, responsible for the education and safety of children, the well-being of large staffs, and the oversight of hefty property tax collections.
They’re expected to understand and reflect a community’s priorities and values.
And yet, superintendents in the Hudson Valley are on the move, spending less time in school districts before departing. Veterans with deep roots in a single community are becoming a rare breed.
Of 100 superintendents in seven counties in the Mid and Lower Hudson Valley, 56 have served in their current position for two years or less, according to an analysis by the USA TODAY Network-New York.
Harrison Superintendent Lou Wool, the region’s senior schools chief at 20 years (and the highest paid), said he’s worried instability in the top office will weaken public education over time.
“I think people may be going into the job unprepared, maybe too soon, without the training or support to do the job well,” he said. “You see turnover because the job is so demanding. To do it well, it almost requires undivided attention.”
Wool said it’s sad that he’s an anomaly at 20 years.
“To create a culture, you have to put down roots for a while,” he said. “I regret that people aren’t staying in one job longer.”
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The USA TODAY Network-New York looked at 101 school districts in Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, Orange, Ulster and Sullivan counties. One superintendent, John Evans, is the part-time schools chief in two of those districts, Roscoe (nine years) and Livingston Manor (six years), plus a third outside the region, Downsville, in Delaware County.
Of the 100 superintendents, 26 are women and 16 are people of color. But of the 56 who have served in their current job for two years or less, 19 (34%) are women and 10 (18%) are people of color.
There is no single, primary reason for the recent turnover. Rather, analysts say there are several long- and short-term factors driving the change.
Many superintendents during the 2010s were baby boomers who reached retirement age and have been replaced by less-experienced successors. Some who planned to retire pre-pandemic stayed on to see their districts through, resulting in a clump of retirements over the last year or two.
In addition, fewer people have been going into education as a career, with fewer still aiming for school administration or the top job.
Finally, the pressure that superintendents have long faced has been turned way up since 2020. Community conflicts over COVID policies and “culture war” issues have forced many superintendents to absorb the angst of parents and others, while sometimes irritating the relationship between superintendents and the school boards they report to. School boards in New York have annual elections, so superintendents must be able to work with ever-changing slates of bosses.
“Some are deciding to get out of Dodge and go somewhere else,” said Ken Mitchell, a retired South Orangetown superintendent who consults with superintendents and school boards. “Some boards may want to get a new superintendent, but it’s hard to get a good one.”
He said districts are getting far fewer applicants for superintendent jobs than they did pre-pandemic, meaning some districts will wind up with less prepared candidates. One search firm in the region said the number of applicants for many superintendent posts is down from a range of 40-80 to 30-40.
“The job is a heavy burden,” said Mitchell, associate professor of educational leadership at Manhattanville College. “You’re on call 24/7. You’re responsible when other people screw up. The pandemic exacerbated things, and the political environment. Now I hear younger people say they want work-life balance.”
Some school boards are clinging to the superintendent they have. The Pelham board gave a sudden contract extension to Superintendent Cheryl Champ in June, drawing criticism from some who thought the board should have waited. Last week, the Eastchester board surprised some in the community by abruptly ending its superintendent search and giving a three-year contract to Ronald Valenti, a veteran in the field who had become interim chief only weeks before.
No agency tracks the comings and goings of superintendents on a regular basis. But the USA TODAY Network’s analysis shows that turnover in the Hudson Valley increased during the pandemic, said Bob Lowry, deputy director of the New York State Council of School Superintendents. The organization found in 2019 only 14% of Hudson Valley superintendents had been in the job for a year or less.
“We can’t quantify it, but some part of it is due to people who deferred retiring to lead their districts through the pandemic,” Lowry said. “Throw in the stress from managing the pandemic and this national political polarization. The old adage was that all politics is local. Now all politics are national. Someone makes a decision in a school district and it’s interpreted as a response to national political dynamics.”
Superintendents are among the highest paid public officials, if not the highest paid, in many communities.
The average superintendent salary in New York this year is $195,507, according to an analysis by the New York State School Boards Association of state data obtained from school districts. Salaries vary a great deal by region, and superintendents in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties lead the way with an average of $274,102. Their colleagues to the north, in Dutchess, Orange, Sullivan, Ulster and Greene counties, make an average of $211,801.
With the high pay and benefits come high expectations. Superintendents are expected to produce students who are well-rounded scholars/citizens/artists/athletes; drive up test scores and college acceptance rates; smoothly manage finances and facilities; and generally oversee a school system that will enhance a community’s reputation and property values.
To succeed in a school district, it’s best to be well-prepared going in and to have a strong network of support, said Brian Dunn, who became Pine Bush superintendent July 1 after four years leading a district west of Albany.
“If you don’t have that, your chances of being successful in the long term are definitely diminished,” he said.
“Superintendents bear the weight of all the emotions in a community with any given issue,” he said. “It can be very taxing.”
Mount Vernon’s new superintendent, Waveline Bennett-Conroy, has worked in the district since 2001. She said the relationships she’s developed over that time, and the trust she’s earned, will help sustain her as she takes on a difficult job.
“Trust is a big piece,” she said. “If the community doesn’t trust you, it’s a problem.”
Kevin McLeod, who became Valhalla’s schools chief a year ago after a decade in the district in administrative roles, said the transition to the top job is difficult even when you’re well prepared and know the community.
“You kind of have to get used to the pace and volume of the work,” he said. “You can’t describe it until you actually sit in that seat.”
Even though the superintendent can be a lightning rod during difficult times, the job is tremendously fulfilling, said Stephen Walker, who became schools chief in Croton-Harmon in January after leading the Sullivan West district.
“Everything in this job is about relationships and trust, which take time to build,” he said. “To me, it’s genuinely about getting the chance to provide support to do what I believe to be the most nuanced and challenging work there is, teaching young people. I say to our faculty all the time, they don’t work for me, I work for them.”
Harrison’s Wool said that superintendents who are most concerned with pleasing their school board won’t last.
“For me the secret has always been the same: I’m clear on what I’m trying to accomplish,” he said. “I’m here for the kids I serve. Keeping that in your head helps you stay focused when you’re pulled in multiple directions at once. You can’t be trying to make everyone happy or tamp down controversial issues. If you don’t stand for anything, you’re standing in quicksand.”
The pandemic, and its constantly changing rules for schools, took its toll on superintendents everywhere, said new Port Jervis Superintendent John Bell, who has returned to the district he graduated from 37 years ago. He last served as schools chief in Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania, and was recently president of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators.
“I’ve been in this business for 30 years,” he said. “I think the last two years were harder than the first 28 years combined.”
Gary Stern is a veteran editor/writer covering K-12 education in the Hudson Valley. Reach him at gstern@lohud.com. Twitter: @garysternNY.
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