Board officials say appointed superintendent better for education
Believing appointed school superintendents to be better for local education than elected superintendents, the Warren County School Board voted last week for the second time in as many months in favor of the current method.
The practice of appointed superintendents, who are now termed directors, was brought about by the Education Improvement Act passed by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1992. The practice was instituted locally with the school board’s appointment of Dr. Jerry Hale as Director of Schools in 2000.
Over the past 10 years, legislation has been introduced in the General Assembly every year which would allow counties to revert to the process of electing school superintendents. This legislation has been sponsored by statewide organizations representing the interests of counties and municipalities, many of which believe elected superintendents provide greater accountability to the public.
At present only three states – Alabama, Florida and Mississippi – continue to allow elected superintendents.
However, the Tennessee School Boards Association, whose resolution in favor of appointed superintendents was passed by the school board last week, believes elected superintendents actually provide the pubic less accountability.
An elected superintendent, the organization says, cannot be replaced for failing to meet standards or goals. Instead, he or she is entitled to a four-year term – even if his or her performance is poor and not up to the board’s established standards.
By removing residency restrictions, the appointment of candidates also provides school systems a broader pool of qualified candidates, allowing selection to be based on professional qualifications and leadership ability. When electing superintendents, the group maintains, the pool of candidates is instead limited to only those men and women with political know-how who happen to live in a particular district and are willing to run for office.
“The bottom line,” said school board Curriculum Committee chair Mike Holland, “is that if we had elected superintendents we would not have Dr. Hale. I don’t think he’d mind me saying that he wouldn’t run in an election like that. I used to think that elected was the way to go, but I’ve come to see now that appointed superintendents are better for education.”