Superintendents as Chief Education Officers

Recent focus groups conducted by the New Jersey Association of School Administrators (NJASA) revealed some interesting findings. One of the more significant conclusions was that the general public does not seem to know the scope of a superintendent’s responsibilities.

If you couple that fact with the recent misconceptions created by some media accounts, superintendents are being shown in an improper light. With that in mind, I think it is important to point out some attributes of a superintendent:

· Superintendents are Chief Education Officers running one of the biggest organizations in town 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
· Chief Education Officers have earned advanced degrees – in many cases a doctorate – from accredited institutions and take on-going courses for additional expertise.
· A Chief Education Officer is ultimately responsible for moving education forward through instructional leadership.
· Instructional leadership is the ability to provide the highest quality education; establish and preserve the financial stability and integrity of the district; ensure the health and safety of children; maintain the morale and retention of teachers and staff, and have the overall oversight of facilities in a school district.
· A Chief Education Officer effectively communicates to parents; faculty and staff; business leaders, and the community at large.
· The average salary of New Jersey Chief Education Officers is considerably less than that of many business leaders, private school head masters, and heads of major universities and colleges in New Jersey.

With all these attributes, Chief Education Officers are setting the tone for the education process in their respective districts. Despite the variety of responsibilities due to districts’ size, demographics, and other factors, Chief Education Officers have one common goal – to move education forward for the betterment of New Jersey’s children.