Shared Superintendency: Expectations and Perceptions of Shared Superintendents and School Board Presidents

Abstract

The problem: Are the expectations and perceptions of job performance or job competencies by the superintendent similar or different than the perceptions and expectations of the board presidents of the two or more districts being served by the same superintendent? Procedures: A survey was developed and distributed to 51 superintendents and 102 school board presidents; one hundred seventeen were returned for a rate of 90% for superintendents and 68% for school board presidents. Data were analyzed with The Single Factor ANOVA-Independent Measures treatment. Those scores found to be significant were analyzed with Tukey's Test to determine area of significance. Findings: Superintendents tended to rank their job performance at a lower level than did the board presidents in most areas, i,e., trust level, effective instructional leader, communication and community advocate. The only areas of major discrepancy where the superintendent and board presidents disagreed were in the areas of increased work load and proper compensation for a shared position. Conclusions: Awareness and agreement between board presidents and superintendents about the job requirements and performance of the shared superintendency needs to show improvement. Recommendations: Further study could focus on demographic differences in the shared superintendency or the effect of sharing administration on other participants, i.e., principal, board secretaries, or professional staff.