“We try to offer a very wide breadth of programming—extracurricular and academic—that outmatches our size,” says Smith, who after seven years leading the Point Pleasant Beach School District was named New Jersey’s 2023 Superintendent of the Year.

What Smith is most excited about right now is the expansion of what his district calls “Gull Flight School”—which is not an aeronautics program. Rather, it gives students a chance to soar academically with more than 40 dual-enrollment courses in conjunction with nearby Ocean County College, Smith explains.

“We’re seeing more and more students get so many credits in high school, they’re entering college with a full year under their belts,” he continues. “And our parents and community members are now understanding how much of a tuition savings that is.”

More from DA: Teacher morale has not totally tanked. And here are 5 ways to rebuild it. 

The expansion of Gull Flight School is a natural outgrowth of one of the district’s most distinctive achievements. Point Pleasant Beach schools often have among the highest percentage of students taking AP classes in New Jersey. “Sometimes it’s hard for little schools to stand out because we can’t do as much,” Smith explains. “Our conversations are about access, and equity through access and how do you get all students to work at the level they’re capable of—and we believe in that work and we’ve made great strides.”

The other big initiative that has Smith fired up is Point Pleasant Beach schools’ “gamified” staff wellness program. The district offers free yoga and gym workouts and dozens of other events and activities in which teachers and other staff can win rewards. “Our tagline is ‘A healthy staff room is a healthy classroom,'” Smith says. “We believe that by attending to the social-emotional needs of our staff members, we get better performance out of everybody.”

How Point Pleasant Beach schools tackle challenges

Keeping Smith up at night is enrollment in his district. The community sustained heavy damage in Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and many older houses have been demolished and replaced by more expensive homes. This has made it harder for young families to settle in Point Pleasant Beach. The district has about 100 tuition-paying students, and its wide range of projects is a key selling point.

For instance, Smith and the school board found a way to maintain AP language programs even though only a handful of students were enrolled in the courses. Computer science and engineering classes were added when the district converted the high school media center into an “innovation collaboratory.” And when students asked for business classes for two years, the district launched a business program.

“We build what needs to be built,” Smith says. “We try to be responsive to what the needs are and we try to read the tea leaves for what’s going to position our students best for their post-secondary outcomes and dreams.”

One key to all these efforts is maintaining a strong working relationship with the school board and its president, in particular. That means Smith and his team try to be transparent when explaining the rationale behind their decisions to board members. It’s also important to remain flexible in adapting to the styles of communication and leadership of each school board member. Finally, establishing boundaries between the roles of district staff and elected officials also fosters productive working relationships.

“It’s not always rainbows and unicorns, but it’s an open line of communication,” Smith concludes. “If you continually remind everyone we have to be doing what’s in the best interest of kids—that’s what’s going to drive our programming, that’s where our budget’s going to go, that’s what every move is about—it helps you keep some of the ancillary challenges at bay.”

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In this article, we will delve into the importance of these relationships, the ways they can go wrong, and what stakeholders can do to build and maintain them. Remember, the only difference between the words “unit” and “unity” is the “y.” The unit is me thinking, and unity is we thinking. To that end, the “y” (why) matters. It is important for us to remember the “why” of strong board-superintendent relationships before even mentioning the “how.”

One of the most significant benefits of strong relationships between boards and superintendents is that they can lead to improved student achievement. Collaboration can foster the development of policies and strategies that prioritize student success. When boards and superintendents work together, they can set clear goals and expectations for student achievement and ensure that all students have the support and resources they need to succeed.

On the other hand, when boards and superintendents do not work well together, student achievement suffers. When these two groups are not aligned on goals and priorities, it can lead to confusion and inefficiency. For example, if a board prioritizes reducing class sizes while the superintendent focuses on teacher professional development, resources may be misdirected, and student achievement may stagnate. The savvy superintendent knows the value of constant dialogue with board members around common goals and plans.

Another critical benefit of strong relationships between boards and superintendents is they can lead to more efficient use of resources. With limited funding and resources available, it is essential that they work together to ensure resources are being used effectively and efficiently. When they collaborate on budget planning and resource allocation, they can ensure resources are being directed towards areas that will have the greatest impact on student achievement.

On the flip side, when boards and superintendents do not collaborate on budget planning and resource allocation, it can lead to wasteful spending and inefficient use of resources. Superintendents who keep their boards in the dark about budget decisions are not just harming the board-superintendent relationship, they are robbing themselves of tremendous thought partners.

More from DA: 3 big districts make big hires to fill superintendents’ posts

Another key benefit of positive relationships between boards and superintendents is they can help to foster trust and transparency within the broader educational community. When they work together openly and honestly, they can build trust with their stakeholders and demonstrate their commitment to improving the educational system. This can help to build a sense of community and shared responsibility for student success. For example, when a board and superintendent are transparent about their decision-making processes and communicate clearly with teachers and parents, it can create a sense of trust and ownership in the community.

Perhaps the biggest area of conflict arises when boards and superintendents do not prioritize transparency and trust-building, as it can lead to a lack of confidence in the educational system. For example, if a board and superintendent make decisions behind closed doors without consulting with teachers or parents, it can create a perception they are not responsive to the needs of the community. This can lead to disengagement, decreased morale, and a lack of support for the educational system.

Building positive relationships between boards and superintendents can provide a model for collaboration and compromise in the face of polarization on a grand scale. By finding common ground and working towards shared goals, they can set an example for other stakeholders in the educational system. This can help to create a more cohesive and effective educational system that prioritizes the needs of all students.

However, when boards and superintendents are unable to find common ground or prioritize collaboration, it can exacerbate the already-existing polarization in public education. When these two groups are not aligned, it can create a perception that the educational system is not working towards a common goal. This can lead to increased political and ideological divisions that make it even harder to achieve consensus on important issues.

To build and maintain positive relationships, boards and superintendents should prioritize communication and collaboration. Communication is key to ensuring that both groups understand each other’s priorities and goals. Collaboration enables boards and superintendents to work together towards common goals and develop policies and strategies prioritizing student success. To this day, I regularly ask other superintendents about ways they communicate with their boards and in what ways they build collaborative experiences. I regularly hear new ideas, share some of my own, and firmly believe we all get better as a result.

Finally, the board superintendent team should prioritize building a culture of respect and trust within the educational community by valuing different perspectives and acknowledging the expertise of others. When boards and superintendents demonstrate a willingness to listen to different viewpoints and work together towards common goals, it can create a sense of unity and shared responsibility for student success. It is always a good reminder that we are coming together to “do right” and not “be right.”

In building a case for good board-superintendent relations, we must remember strong relationships between boards and superintendents are crucial to improving student achievement, ensuring efficient use of resources, fostering trust and transparency, and creating a model for collaboration and compromise. When these relationships are not prioritized, it can lead to confusion, inefficiency, lack of trust, and exacerbation of existing polarization. By prioritizing communication, collaboration, and respect, we can work together to build positive relationships that benefit all students and improve the educational system. Remember, the people beside you are more important than the task in front of you; with this understanding, we can accomplish great things together.

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Many leaders have watched experienced superintendents forced out by newly elected school board members over political differences sparked by curriculum choices, social-emotional learning and other hot-button issues. But even though those clashes have made local and even national headlines, they don’t appear to be the norm in public education.

“I have an excellent relationship with my board,” says Carl Dolente, superintendent of the Cumberland Regional School District in New Jersey. “When I hear or read some of the horror stories my colleagues are faced with, I can’t help but feel incredibly blessed and fortunate to have such a supportive, student-focused BOE that understands the complexities of running an efficient and effective school district.”

“Secrets” to superintendent-school board relationships

Here, four superintendents talk about the keys to maintaining strong school board relationships that lay the groundwork for student and staff success.

Stephen Rodriguez, Pottstown School District (Pennsylvania)

After seven years as superintendent, Rodriguez describes his relationship with his board as “excellent” and “mission-driven.” He counsels that relationships take time and effort to build but are easily damaged and can unravel quickly.

“I believe the key to collaborating effectively with the school board is continuous communication and honesty, especially in difficult situations,” Rodriguez explains. “If both the board and administrative team are sensitive to the importance of trusting relationships and don’t take each other for granted, the students and the community will be the beneficiaries of positive, excellent sustained leadership.”

Keith Miles, Bridgeton Public Schools (New Jersey)

Bridgeton Public Schools is experiencing “unprecedented shortages in math, science, special education and bilingual teachers.” Keith Miles and his team are also grappling with aging buildings while working to update the curriculum to keep up with the college-and-career aspirations of students.

“The key to effective collaboration is transparency, frequent communication, and trust,” Miles says. “Keeping the board informed of all challenges as well as the changing needs of the district’s students, families, and staff is vital to maintaining a strong and positive relationship.”

*Miles recently agreed to become the superintendent of the School District of Lancaster in Pennsylvania this summer. 

Carl Dolente, Cumberland Regional School District

None of the members of the Cumberland Regional School District’s board take an “individual approach” to making district decisions. That means their personal views take a back seat to what’s best for students and staff, Dolente asserts.

More from DA: Student success—What have we learned about what does and doesn’t work?

“They do a phenomenal job of looking at the district as a whole, through a global perspective, not a singularly focused lens often associated with hidden agendas,” he says.

Two keys to collaborating effectively with the board are total transparency and humility. “It is essential for there to be mutual respect for the roles we play respective to our different positions and an understanding that we will not always agree or see eye-to-eye on every issue, and that’s OK,” Rodriguez adds. “It is also important to address their issues and concerns with a sense of urgency and provide them with immediate follow-up to inquires or investigations.”

Erick Pruitt, Ankeny Community School District (Iowa)

In just two years as superintendent, Erick Pruitt has led his team in producing a five-year strategic plan, a profile of a graduate and a DEI framework. Now, the priority is collaborating with his educators to envision and shape the future.

“Clear and transparent communications are vital. I meet with each individual board member once a month for a check-in,” Pruitt says. “The relationship is based on being honest about the strengths, growth areas and challenges we experience throughout our schools.”

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Superintendent Diana Greene will leave Florida’s Duval County Public Schools in the coming weeks after having served in the post since 2018, according to multiple reports. Her departure comes just two years after she was named her state’s Superintendent of the Year.

The Duval County school board voted 4-3 to approve a severance agreement with Greene, whose contract was renewed last summer but had become embroiled in a controversy over teacher misconduct, News4Jax reported. In March, the Duval County School Police Department arrested a performing arts high school music teacher on suspicion of lewd conduct involving a student. Three other DA teachers were removed from classrooms but not charged, according to the station.

Greene will receive a $114,942 severance payment, News4JAX added.

More from DA: Morale champs—Did your state make one of these teacher top 10 lists?

On the flip side of this ongoing wave of superintendent turnover are several new hires, including in some other big Florida districts that have seen high-profile departures.

Late last year, Mark Mullins left his post as superintendent of Brevard Public Schools after his strength as a leader was called into question by a newly installed board, according to local reports.  The Brevard school board has now named Mark Rendell, a high school principal in the district, to replace Mullins. Rendell was formerly superintendent of Florida’s Indian River County Schools.

In a less controversial Florida situation, interim superintendent Leslie C. Ricciardelli has been named the permanent leader of Collier County Public Schools by a 3-2 vote of the district’s school board.

Ricciardelli—who replaces another former Florida superintendent of the year, the retiring Kamela Patton—served as Collier’s deputy superintendent, where she was responsible for financial services, school leadership and district operations, including transportation, nutrition services, safety and security, facilities and maintenance.

In another notable hire, 30-year educator Elgin Card has been named superintendent of Princeton City Schools near Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2012, Card became the first principal of color hired in a nearby district, Lakota Local Schools, where he currently serves as the senior director of diversity and inclusion.

And in Vermont, Wilmer Chavarria has been chosen as the next superintendent of the Winooski School District, replacing Sean McMannon, who is moving to the top spot at the Kingdom East School District. Chavarria, a multilingual educator who has worked as a principal and district-level director in other Vermont districts, is a former refugee who was born inside a fenced camp during the Sandinista-Contra war in Nicaragua.

Tracking superintendent turnover

In other K12 leadership shifts, there were lots of new hires:

• Ben Collins, Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 (Illinois)
• Marie Digirolamo, Ichabod Crane Central School District (New York)
• Melissa R. Friez, Mt. Lebanon School District (Pennsylvania). Friez is currently the superintendent of the North Allegheny School District, also in Pennsylvania.
• Richard Rivera, Weslaco ISD (Texas). Rivera previously served as the district’s superintendent from 1996 to 2011.
• Robert Sormani, Manor ISD (Texas)
• Randy Bridges, appointed interim superintendent of the Wake County Public School System (North Carolina). Bridges was previously superintendent of Orange County Schools and the Alamance-Burlington School System, both in North Carolina.

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Rather, leaders are focusing on issues such as mental health and staff shortages that stand in the way of student achievement.

“As a result of having few resources and the lowest-paid professional staff in the county, our students have not performed to their academic potential and some even suffer from self-esteem issues,” says Stephen Rodriguez, superintendent of the Pottstown School District in Pennsylvania.

Leaders are also priming their teams to tackle issues from inadequate funding to technology. Here’s a rundown of the top seven education challenges:

Beating the biggest education challenges

1. Supporting mental health and student safety

A concerning number of students experimenting with recreational drugs and others bringing weapons to schools are two signs of how the national youth mental health crisis is playing out in the Ankeny Community School District north of Des Monies, Iowa, Superintendent Erick Pruitt says.

In response, Pruitt and his team are working to ensure students are involved in the arts, athletics or other extracurricular activities. The district is trying to educate parents about the mental health resources available at school and in the community. He is also looking at how to better utilize data around students who need more support.

“We also want to ensure parents are aware of how to keep kids safe at home and at school,” Pruitt continues. “We see what’s happening around us, and we want to make sure our facilities and classrooms are safe, and that our staff have the resources they need to react when issues arise. “

Bridgeton Public Schools in New Jersey now screens every student multiple times a year to track their social-emotional health as proficient, an emerging concern or at risk, Superintendent Keith Miles says. Teachers in Bridgeton have infused SEL lessons across all grades in health, physical education and social studies.

“While we provide all students SEL lessons across all grades, we have additional school counselors, SEL specialists, crisis counselors and clinical practitioners on hand to follow up with at-risk students with more frequent individual and group therapy sessions,” says Miles, who has reached a deal to become superintendent of School District of Lancaster in Pennsylvania this summer.

2. Tackling teacher shortages

The shortage of classroom teachers and aspiring leaders is like nothing that Principal Melissa Shindel has ever seen. “We had never started school year without a full staff,” says Shindel, principal of Glenwood Middle School in Maryland’s Howard County Public School System. “This is the second year in a row that’s happened. We’ll be in a real crisis if we can’t figure out how to better grows kids in college and attract them to this field.”

A colleague of Shindel described the situation as “emotional whiplash.” The same teachers who were hailed as heroes during remote learning in the darkest days of the pandemic are now being villainized over curriculum and other issues.

In Pottstown, Rodriguez says the “competition is fierce.” His district fills positions but often loses teachers to more affluent districts. His district has been forced to increase class sizes and “put other teachers on permanent overload schedules.”

“We have had multiple positions open throughout the entire school year, and some buildings have not been fully staffed,” Rodriguez says. “Our teachers who show up every day for students end up getting almost no break because they are covering classrooms that have no teachers.”

Bridgeton Public Schools has experienced unprecedented shortages in math, science, special education and bilingual instruction, Miles says. Teachers and support staff have had to fill vacancies while the district has contracted with a company that provides virtual teachers who can supplement the instruction provided by substitutes. “We have targeted students in courses with substitute teachers with one-to-one in-person and virtual tutors,” Miles says.

3. Sustaining success

The Pottstown School District has been a “highly underfunded entity for several decades,” Rodriguez says. As the community’s tax base has slipped, the district has struggled to pay competitive salaries to teachers, particularly in special education.

More from DA: Ex-Broward schools superintendent is cleared of perjury charge from Parkland probe

The district’s No. 1 education challenge? Support in achieving financial security for the future. “Our biggest concern is in sustaining the excellent growth we started this year,” Rodriguez explains. “With more resources, we have been able to make a real difference for students and the community. Parents and other communities have noticed, but being able to continue on this path will require appropriate and fair funding, which is still a question mark for future years.”

Among the biggest education challenges for a high-performing like Ankeny is driving student achievement higher, says Pruitt. Some 85% of the district’s students are proficient in English and about 70% have hit the mark in math. “We’re asking what is our compelling ‘why’ around how we push for continuous improvement,” Pruitt says. “What’s our message moving forward in a district that does so well in serving kids from multiple backgrounds?”

4. COVID relief crunch

Sustaining success will be further complicated by the looming ESSER deadline that will put pressure on district leaders to make shrewd spending decisions, says Carl Dolente, superintendent of the Cumberland Regional School District in New Jersey.

“Many of the programs, positions, and technology will be hanging in the balance,” Dolente points out. “Trying to find ways to sustain these important and much-needed improvements we were able to make over the past three years will take a great deal of creative budgeting and resourcefulness.”

5. Holding assessments accountable

Superintendent Dana Bedden of the Centennial School District near Philadelphia urged Congress to change the current punitive nature of standardized testing and state accountability systems during a recent 100 Superintendent March to Congress (where he was accompanied by District Administration). “Let’s make the system about spotlighting opportunities rather than a hammer for punishment,” Bedden said.

Today’s school accountability systems are used “as a hammer against districts,” added Karla Loría, superintendent of the Adams 14 School District near Denver, during U.S. Capitol visit. she noted that most assessments do not account for the experiences of the whole student, such as race, background, poverty levels, disability and mobility, English-language learning and trauma.

Loría pointed out that every school and district monitored under Colorado’s accountability system is rural, poor or has high populations of English learners. She added that her district is trying to “change the narrative” by testing multilingual learners in their native languages and in English. And these students are showing growth. “Our system fails to serve the whole child,” Loría said.

6. Updating aging buildings

Outdated facilities have a direct impact on the quality of the education schools districts can provide, particularly when it comes to preparing students for their futures in higher education and the workforce, says Miles at Bridgeton Public Schools

Miles listed maintaining aging facilities and developing new buildings to accommodate population growth, particularly in grades 6-12, as his biggest education challenges.

New Jersey’s School Development Authority is currently helping the district plan a new middle school and is also providing funds for a high school expansion that includes a new gym, a three-story classroom addition, a bigger cafeteria, and additional parking and office space.

7. Distracting devices

During lockdown and remote learning, students’ mobile devices provided a critical connection to the outside world. Post-pandemic, those digital lifelines have become a major learning obstacle, says Dolente of the Cumberland Regional School District.

“Cellphones have become a major distraction in classrooms,” Dolente notes. “We are currently exploring creative ways to detach our students from their personal devices, which they were conditioned to utilize as their only means of communication, education and entertainment for almost two years.”

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“For the first time on what we call the Treasure Coast, based on the most recent performance on our standardized test, we were the highest performing district. That has never happened,” Prince says.

SLPS is a high-poverty district, he adds. Yet, they’ve been able to outperform districts that don’t have the same challenges.

“This the sixth consecutive year that our graduation rates have exceeded 90% in the state of Florida,” he notes. “Only four counties out of 67 in Florida can say that.”

And in 2022, his time came to take over the helm at SLPS. Although he had big shoes to fill, he came armed and ready with the tools to succeed.

Prince is an advisory board member of the District Administration Leadership Institute, an opportunity that he says has helped drive his district’s success from a leadership perspective.

They’re gearing up to send their second cohort of principals through DA’s Principal Leadership Academy after seeing just how impactful it was for their first bunch.

“I sent my chief of schools through the leadership academy and the professional development he got was really powerful,” he says. “They had the principal cohorts for the principal training and we wanted to send a cohort through of about seven or eight principals, and each ranged from newer principals to principals who were veterans.”

Several of them questioned why more PD was even necessary. “They thought they were being punished,” he says, amusedly. Fortunately, it was an experience none of them would regret.

“They went through it and it was like the greatest thing since sliced bread,” he says. “Some of the challenges we have with principals is providing quality professional development for them. And when they went through that, they felt like it really resonated with them and addressed some specific things they could bring back to their campuses and apply.”

In fact, the district was so happy with the outcome that they plan to send all of their principals through the academy.

“We’ve got about seven or eight principals that are going through the second cohort now,” he says. “It’s just been really, really effective professional development.”

Prince is also a product of DA’s Leadership Institute, which he notes he’s grateful for. “I went through their Superintendents Academy in preparation for potentially applying to this job, and it was the best professional development that I had ever been through,” he says. “And you pay it forward.”

More from DA: ‘What this technology can do is mind-blowing’: ChatGPT offers ‘quick wins’ for educators

The close of the current school year also marks the end of Prince’s first year as superintendent. As far as priorities lie, Prince says his primary goals for his district in the years to come remain the same: student outcomes and attendance.

“My priorities for student achievement are unchanged,” he explains. “Covid has really had a huge impact on our students in negative ways—the socialization issues that we’re having, the mental health challenges that we’re having with our kids, and really the attendance of our students.”

Absenteeism, he adds, has almost become the norm for students and parents since the pandemic. As families got used to their children missing school, the academic-related consequences soon began piling up, which Prince hopes to reverse.

“They’ve kind of carried that forward to where if their child misses a day, they think, ‘Eh, it’s no big deal.’ But one day compounds and all of a sudden you’ve got 20 to 25 days, and if you’re a first-grade kid, you’ve missed a significant amount of your developmental time, especially with early literacy. So, we’re really putting a new emphasis on attendance, making sure kids are in school and communicating that to parents.”

Register for this summer’s Principal Leadership Academy, June 20-23, 2023

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The march is on its way to becoming an annual event organized by the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents and the National Alliance of Black School Educators. The five superintendents who spoke in a hearing with congressional staffers at the U.S. Capitol raised the alarms on student mental health and teacher shortages. “The students are the ones who are hurting and when they hurt, we all hurt,” lamented Diane Hatchett, superintendent of Berea Community Schools in Kentucky.

More than half of Berea’s students have struggled with mental health recently, Hatchett said as she told the story of receiving a call at 11:45 p.m. one night last year informing her that a 14-year-old boy in the district had committed suicide. The boy, whose father and siblings work for Berea Community Schools, had been playing video games with friends earlier in the day but an alarm was raised when he did not show up for his football team banquet.

The suicide sent shockwaves through the district, leaving traumatized friends, teammates and educators to question what they could have done to help the student. Hatchett pressed Congress to allocate $4 billion for mental health and well-being services in schools. “Mental health touches every socioeconomic group, it touches every race, every gender,” she asserted. “There’s no escape.”

Today’s school accountability systems—particularly the way that assessment results are used “as a hammer against districts”—are putting further pressure on students and teachers, cautioned Karla Loría, superintendent of the Adams 14 School District near Denver. Most assessments do not account for the experiences of the whole student, such as race, background, poverty levels, disability and mobility, English-language learning and trauma.

“Our system fails to serve the whole child,” Loría said. Every school and district being monitored under Colorado’s accountability system is rural, poor or has high populations of English learners, she pointed out, adding that her district is trying to “change the narrative” by testing multilingual learners in their native languages and in English. And these students are showing growth.

She urged Congress to work with district leaders to revamp accountability systems to make them more expansive and “ensure states do not weaponize accountability against our most fragile students,” she said.

100 Superintendent March takes on teacher shortages

Teacher shortages now impacting more than just STEM, special education and other specialized disciplines, warned Dana Bedden, superintendent of the Centennial School District near Philadelphia. The impacts of this “huge shortage” are being felt in declining teacher morale, student achievement and community engagement, added Maria Navarro, superintendent of Charles County Public Schools in Maryland.

More from DA: State takeovers are traumatic. Do they actually turn schools around?

Funding teacher preparation training programs that prioritize diversifying the pipeline will give superintendents more hiring flexibility and be a critical step toward ending the staff shortages, Navarro said. She urged Congress to support President Joe Biden’s budget proposal, which includes more than $90 million for professional development and $132 million for teacher quality partnership programs.

“If we have this federal funding, my colleagues and I can figure out very creative ways to get people to come into the professions,” she said.

Superintendent Francisco Duran of Arlington Public Schools urged all superintendents to reach out to elected officials and advocate for their students, staff and district on mental health, teacher shortages, English learners and other issues putting pressure on K12. “If we don’t tell our story, it will be told for us and not in a way that is going to benefit what our students need or what we need as superintendents,” Duran concluded. “As you go back to your respective communities, how are you getting more people to hear the real narrative, the real story, the real needs and [how are you] challenging and confronting the headwinds that are out there right now against public education?”

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No. 1: Let’s start with a make-or-break kind of tip—no surprises. Try to prevent parents from becoming difficult in the first place. “This is probably the most important thing to keep in mind throughout the year: Make sure you keep parents apprised of any issues,” veteran educator Suzanne Capek Tingley recommends. For instance, if a student has learning problems and needs to be tested, contact parents early to get the student analyzed and back on track.

2. Never ignore. If you’ve reached this point, the consistent communication suggested above hasn’t solved the problem: “If a parent is angry, don’t ignore it.” That comes from the National Education Association pre-pandemic, but this guidance for teachers and other educators remains on point about what to do, for instance, when you receive that angry e-mail.

“What you notice first in a note like that is that they’re upset, but often what they’re really looking for is your side of the story. Don’t take their feedback personally, and try to provide information or context that they may not have had initially as quickly as you can,” suggests, adding a warning: “The longer you ignore it, however, the more upset the parent may become.”

3. Stay calm. This is obviously challenging—and essential—in the face of anger and abuse. “Obviously, you can’t break out in a yoga pose as a parent unloads, but there are simple and subtle ways of settling your mind,” educator Anne Gomez Rubin writes on We Are Teachers. Gomez suggests relaxing your shoulders, unclinching your jaw, and breathing deeply. “When you can stay calm, you can stay in control.”

4. Protect others. When dealing with a parent who has a history of being verbally abusive, administrators must protect teachers and other staff. “While it’s not important or appropriate to share all the details, you can tell them when a parent has a history of bullying adults in the school building,” Gomez advises. “Let them know that you are their ally and be prepared to step in when necessary.”

More from DA: Mass exodus? 5 states show teacher turnover may be living up to the hype

5. End unproductive meetings. If emotions start to boil over or language becomes abusive, it may be time to pause and reschedule the meeting. NEA recommends bringing in a third party to help ease tensions at the follow-up. Gomez adds: “Standing up from your desk and opening the door is the universal symbol of a finished conversation,” she counsels. “On the phone, ending the conversation can be challenging. If you can’t get a word in edgewise, speak calmly over the parent and let them know that you are hanging up.”

6. Create guidelines for behavior. Phew, now we’re back to being proactive. “When you notice that bad behavior has become widespread, consider creating guidelines for parent behavior,” suggests Gomez. She connected with a school administrator in Sydney, Australia, who uses a parent code of conduct to keep expectations clear in her pre-K-through-12 community.

7. Finally, a little humor. Know with whom you’re dealing. Difficult parents are as diverse as the children or causes for which they’re advocating. This breakdown from the National Association for Secondary School Principals aims to help administrators identify—and successfully communicate with—10 types of disgruntled parents. For instance, when dealing with the “Distrustful of Public 
Education Parent,” administrators should avoid falling into a power struggle over who is “right or wrong” and focus on what is best for the student.

*Note: The quote in the sub-headline comes from Brett J. Novick, a certified social worker and family therapist in New Jersey.

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Most administrators should not be surprised that women make up a majority of the teaching ranks. What may be shocking is that female teachers earn about $4,000 less than males in the profession and discrimination may be among the reasons, according to a new analysis by the Brookings Institute, a nonprofit public policy organization. “This means a 7% bonus paid to women only would be needed to fully equalize pay between genders,” the authors of the report said. “These wage gaps are real and pervasive across many settings.”

All of the report’s comparisons were based on female and male teachers with similar characteristics and in similar contexts, and teacher wage gaps were evident in both base salary and supplemental compensation. Male teachers make about $700 more in base pay and $1,500 more in supplemental compensation. One reason is that male teachers are somewhat more likely to take on extra duties and get paid for them, and this gap is even wider in schools with male principals, the study asserts.

Why is there a teacher wage gap?

At the top of the K12 ladder, female superintendents earn about the same as or more than male leaders, according to a new survey released last week by AASA, The School Superintendent Association. The Brookings report may give superintendents and their more insight into what’s going on with compensation at the classroom level when.

“Gaps due to women’s personal choices to work less after school hardly merit a policy response, though a response is warranted if men are getting paid more than women for the same after-school work,” the report’s authors assert.

Here are the report’s three key findings:

1. All school income sources show gender wage gaps: Wage gaps narrow when adjusted for teaching assignments, school, and state differences. Further discrepancies can plausibly be explained by labor supply factors in which men tend to choose to work in more competitive and higher-paying settings. Gaps that remain after these adjustments are more attributable to discrimination, which was most evident in compensation for activities outside a teacher’s main responsibilities.

2. Differences in extra duty pay suggest discrimination: Signs of unfair pay practices emerge most obviously in how male and female teachers are—or aren’t—compensated for extra work. Male teachers are more likely than females to take on additional duties between ages 21 to 36, when women are most likely to be having children. Still, this does not explain when men are more likely to be compensated for extra work. “Similar patterns of women disproportionately performing extra work (often uncompensated) to support employer needs are also observed among college professors and in laboratory settings,” the report attests.

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3. Gender wage gaps shape-shift depending on the union context: Teacher wage gaps exist in states with and without collective bargaining, regardless of the size of the district or its teachers union. The largest disparities exist in the small districts in non-collective bargaining states. The gaps were smallest where unions have the biggest influence—in large districts in collective bargaining states.

How schools can achieve equal pay

The are several steps that the report suggests district leaders take to close teacher wage gaps:

• Increased pay transparency: Regularly collecting and reporting high-level patterns in payroll data, with a focus on gender equality, would make a district’s compensation practices more transparent. Leaders could create supplemental pay policies that prescribe extracurricular sponsors’ expected qualifications, skills, duties, and compensation.
• Strengthening collective bargaining: Only six state mandate that these agreements cover supplemental compensation, the biggest driver of K12 wage gaps. Gender disparities widened in Wisconsin classrooms after recent changes to state bargaining laws.
• Salary history bans: These policies prohibit employers from accessing information about a new hire’s past compensation. If a teacher has been unfairly compensated in the past, using salary histories could perpetuate gaps across districts.
• Participatory budgeting: With this relatively novel approach, schools invite parents, community members, and teachers into the decision-making process.

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According to 2022 data from the Superintendent Research Project, nearly half (49%) of the 500 largest school districts have faced leadership changes since March 2020. The reasons why are complicated and diverse, but in most cases, they fall down to two driving factors: politics and blameless inexperience.

Causes of turnover

Michael Collins, president of Ray and Associates, the oldest superintendent search firm in America that specializes in school executive leadership searches, says the business has never been more important.

“Part of it is the turnover factor, and part of it is the attack on public education,” he says. “To be quite honest with you, if we’re going to find the best leaders, we’re going to have to cultivate them because right now the demand far exceeds the supply.”

Over the past two years, he says they’ve conducted searches for superintendents at a much higher rate, and it’s getting progressively worse. It all follows a trend, he says. It started with the common turnover that is a result of society simply getting older.

“Let’s face it, superintendents were 50 to 70, typically,” he says. “They were going to start leaving in bigger numbers than before anyway. And then you add the pandemic to it. So, what you had at the end of the 2019-20 school year was a vast majority of them not leaving because they didn’t want to leave their district, because their school boards were pleading, ‘Don’t go, don’t go.’”

By the end of the 2020-21 academic year, he adds, was the beginning of a “mass exodus.” Districts faced normal turnover coupled with the resignations of those who decided to stick it out one more year but inevitably decided at the height of the pandemic it was time to step down.

From 2019 to the present day, Collins says, there will have been more than 3,000 more superintendents leaving than there normally would be.

“If you’ve got a teacher shortage, a bus driver shortage and shortages in corporate America, you’re going to have the same thing in public schools,” he points out.

Beyond the challenges that drove leaders out during the pandemic, like masking, safety protocols, remote learning and new instructional technology, he makes note of two driving factors for superintendent turnover: political interference and blameless inexperience.

“Now we have this whole attack that comes out of that political, adult-idea law conversation that, pardon me, continuously forgets to talk about what’s best for children and their learning completely,” he says. “Where is the largest number of searches? They’re in those states that are being most prohibitive.”

The principalship is also dwindling, according to Collins. It was once the dominant pipeline for recruiting district leaders. Now, leaders are coming from less suitable positions and are expected to cultivate the next generation of learners. It’s simply challenging, he says.

“The principal departure rate is higher than it’s ever been now, particularly secondary principals,” he says. “That was the number one spotting ground for superintendents over the past 50 years, let’s say. There were over 20% of America’s principals that didn’t come back this past year.”

So where do districts look to next if not their school principals? Well according to Collins, they’re looking to their cabinets, which are being “drained.”

“In past years, we would typically replace seven to 10 cabinet members per year,” he says. “In the last six months, we’ve conducted 21 searches.”

As far as preparing aspiring leaders to enter the superintendency, he says coaching has reached levels of importance that could never have been anticipated. The profession looks vastly different than it did even five years ago.

“You used to have to be able to chew gum and walk at the same time,” he says. “You’ve got to be able to chew gum, walk and run a marathon right now.”

Collins has spent the last three Saturdays with aspiring leaders and superintendents in Zoom workshops focusing on how to prepare for the job. In 2023, he says they must understand what it now entails.

“All I hear [from school boards] is, ‘Can you bring us leaders that can deal with social-emotional and behavioral challenges of students and staff, close learning gaps, understand the communication and political skills to deal with the public and select school board members?’ Those are the things we’re being asked for.”

Recommendations for new and aspiring leaders

For those who are new to superintendency or those who aspire to be, Collins says there are three key elements to understand. First, it’s being able to envision yourself as a leader from now until 2030, not, “‘How do I get back to 2015 to 2018.’” It’s about preparing leaders for what’s in front of them and what’s to come.

“Because, like I said before, what once was isn’t coming back,” he says.

Secondly, the most important thing they can do is build cultures that are student-centered and welcome the thoughts and engagement of parents without losing sight of what’s best in an educational environment, not a political environment.

Lastly, and perhaps the most critical, focus on taking care of yourself.

“Build an environment where staff is also encouraged to take care of themselves, otherwise they can’t stay in the work very long,” he says.

Future leaders should also take advantage of coaching services like District Administration‘s Superintendents Academy, a nine-day hybrid academy that seeks to equip participants with a solid mastery of the “complex academic, political and logistical rigors inherent in running a K12 school district,” according to their website.

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