AASA 2020-21 Superintendent Salary & Benefits Study
See this publication from the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) around salary and benefits for district superintendents. This is a national study with detailed information on everything from retirement benefits to cell phone stipends. The report also highlights differences between sex, race and experience.
Recruiting Option for Schools
Perhaps you don't need help leading the entire search process for a new district or building leader? Maybe you just want to make sure you have the most qualified and diverse candidate pool. In that case, Grundmeyer Leader Services can help specifically with promoting and marketing your job opportunity. This includes posting your job on the GLS website, social media, Indeed, Teachers-Teachers, personal phone calls and emails among other outlets to get your job exposure you might not otherwise get. This will lead to a larger and more qualified candidate pool.
Contract GLS with questions or to request a quote for marketing your job!
Contract GLS with questions or to request a quote for marketing your job!
Comparing Search Firms
School boards and business managers are often tasked with consider search firms to hire district leaders. The cost and services can vary from firm to firm. It is important that the business manager and school board trust the search consultant and value what they offer in recruiting and hiring the next district leader. The below resources is a comparative document that school boards can utilize in comparing the costs and services different search firms may offer and some key questions to ask.
Articles that support the need for great leaders
Superintendent Evaluation Information
These documents are model documents supported by School Administrators of Iowa (SAI) and Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB). The state has adopted new NELP Standards as of July 1, 2021.
For more info:
SAI Video: link
SAI Google Site (learning tools and resources)
IASB tools (for members): https://t.co/QL8M5Oz7zW?amp=1
For more info:
SAI Video: link
SAI Google Site (learning tools and resources)
IASB tools (for members): https://t.co/QL8M5Oz7zW?amp=1
District Information Packets for Finalists
Role of the School Board & Superintendent
School boards are corporate bodies who are responsible for implementing legislative policy as well as formulating local policies governing schools as long as they do not conflict with state statutes. Board members are state officers who act as a body when conducting official business of the state. Most of their power is derived from the legislature either expressed or implied through proper delegation. Individual board members have no power beyond that which is provided to the board as a corporate body.
Points of Emphasis:
1. Local boards are responsible for formulating policies that facilitate the goals of their respective districts.
2. Their powers are granted by the legislature.
3. School boards in most jurisdictions are responsible for selecting a local superintendent.
4. The superintendent is accountable to the board and is responsible for executing board policy.
5. The board-superintendent relationship is best described as a legislative executive relationship.
Note: Above text borrowed from the book School Law and the Public Schools written by Nathan Essex. Copyright 2012.
Points of Emphasis:
1. Local boards are responsible for formulating policies that facilitate the goals of their respective districts.
2. Their powers are granted by the legislature.
3. School boards in most jurisdictions are responsible for selecting a local superintendent.
4. The superintendent is accountable to the board and is responsible for executing board policy.
5. The board-superintendent relationship is best described as a legislative executive relationship.
Note: Above text borrowed from the book School Law and the Public Schools written by Nathan Essex. Copyright 2012.
Do's and Don'ts of Interviewing
DO
· Take written notes; include only job-related comments. Give notes to administrator in charge.
· Ask all applicants the same questions.
· Use a written list of interview questions that directly relate to the job description.
· Work at making the applicant feel at home. If the candidate is nervous or ill at ease, it is probable that you are only going to get surface-level information and not the true picture of attitudes, feelings, motivation, etc.
· Be aware of your own biases or preferences. Some people tend to accept or reject someone automatically because of a certain background factor or personal characteristic.
· Let the applicant do most of the talking. If you are doing much of the talking, you will learn very little about the candidate. Rule of thumb: interviewer(s) should talk about 20% of the interview.
· Phrase questions in a way that does not suggest the answer you are looking for. Candidates want to please you. If your point of view is implied in the question, you may not get a totally frank response.
· Avoid asking questions that can be answered with ‘yes’ or ‘no’ (unless this type of answer is sufficient). Yes/no questions may force you to explain or ask another question in order to get more information from the candidate.
· Be careful of your non-verbal communication. Non-verbal actions can “turn-off” or make a candidate nervous.
· Pause a few seconds after a candidate appears to have completed a response. The pause may encourage the candidate to continue and reveal useful information s/he might have withheld.
DON’T
· Include extraneous observations in your notes (e.g. references to appearance, mannerisms, etc.).
· Prejudge a candidate. This occurs when the interviewer develops positive or negative expectations of the applicant before the interview based on the written materials or a verbal comment from someone else.
· Rely on first impression. Some people unconsciously ‘lock in’ their first impression and, during the interview, look only for the information that will back up that initial impression.
· Compare candidates with each other until all have been interviewed. Research has found that if you rate an ‘average’ candidate after evaluating 3-4 unfavorable candidates, you tend to rate the average one very high.
· Make the “halo effect” error. The “halo effect” occurs when the interviewer is overly impressed by one positive or negative factor and then judges all other factors in the same light.
· Rely on your intuition. Some interviewers feel that their “intuitive feel” is more reliable than objective factors or evidence. Research has shown that this is not a desirable practice. Our memory conveniently allows us to forget the number of times our intuition let us down.
· Waste time by asking questions that are answered on the application form or other written information.
· Ask trick questions or questions designed to trap the candidate.
· Ask questions that violate the candidate’s civil rights.
· Contradict or argue with the candidate or appear to cross-examine him/her. These things can cause the candidate to “clam up” or be deceptive about his/her true feelings.
· Take written notes; include only job-related comments. Give notes to administrator in charge.
· Ask all applicants the same questions.
· Use a written list of interview questions that directly relate to the job description.
· Work at making the applicant feel at home. If the candidate is nervous or ill at ease, it is probable that you are only going to get surface-level information and not the true picture of attitudes, feelings, motivation, etc.
· Be aware of your own biases or preferences. Some people tend to accept or reject someone automatically because of a certain background factor or personal characteristic.
· Let the applicant do most of the talking. If you are doing much of the talking, you will learn very little about the candidate. Rule of thumb: interviewer(s) should talk about 20% of the interview.
· Phrase questions in a way that does not suggest the answer you are looking for. Candidates want to please you. If your point of view is implied in the question, you may not get a totally frank response.
· Avoid asking questions that can be answered with ‘yes’ or ‘no’ (unless this type of answer is sufficient). Yes/no questions may force you to explain or ask another question in order to get more information from the candidate.
· Be careful of your non-verbal communication. Non-verbal actions can “turn-off” or make a candidate nervous.
· Pause a few seconds after a candidate appears to have completed a response. The pause may encourage the candidate to continue and reveal useful information s/he might have withheld.
DON’T
· Include extraneous observations in your notes (e.g. references to appearance, mannerisms, etc.).
· Prejudge a candidate. This occurs when the interviewer develops positive or negative expectations of the applicant before the interview based on the written materials or a verbal comment from someone else.
· Rely on first impression. Some people unconsciously ‘lock in’ their first impression and, during the interview, look only for the information that will back up that initial impression.
· Compare candidates with each other until all have been interviewed. Research has found that if you rate an ‘average’ candidate after evaluating 3-4 unfavorable candidates, you tend to rate the average one very high.
· Make the “halo effect” error. The “halo effect” occurs when the interviewer is overly impressed by one positive or negative factor and then judges all other factors in the same light.
· Rely on your intuition. Some interviewers feel that their “intuitive feel” is more reliable than objective factors or evidence. Research has shown that this is not a desirable practice. Our memory conveniently allows us to forget the number of times our intuition let us down.
· Waste time by asking questions that are answered on the application form or other written information.
· Ask trick questions or questions designed to trap the candidate.
· Ask questions that violate the candidate’s civil rights.
· Contradict or argue with the candidate or appear to cross-examine him/her. These things can cause the candidate to “clam up” or be deceptive about his/her true feelings.
School Administrators of Iowa (SAI) Mentoring Program
School Administrators of Iowa (SAI) Hiring Resources
Cost Turnover Calculator
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Use this The Results Group calculator to identify the general cost of replacing employees in your organization. |
