Each year since the passage of the Education Improvement Act, legislation has been introduced in the General Assembly to allow counties to revert to the process of electing school superintendents. 2006 will be no exception. Yet the reasons the General Assembly moved from elected to appointed superintendents almost 14 years ago remain the same reasons they should reject amending the law today:
- Availability : Appointments provide a broader pool of qualified leaders. The school board is not limited to a small number of candidates in the county or district who choose to run for office.
- Quality : The appointment of the superintendent allows the selection to be based on professional qualifications and leadership skills rather than political savvy.
- Accountability : The appointed superintendent is accountable to the board of education and may be replaced at any time if he or she is not achieving the standards and goals established by the local board and the state.
- Cooperation : The appointed superintendent eliminates any question of divided control of the school system or separate agendas. Since an appointed superintendent must answer to an elected school board, he or she works together with the board to meet common goals and carry out established policies.
Only three states in the entire country (Alabama, Florida and Mississippi) continue to participate in the outdated practice of electing school superintendents. Only 149 out of the more than 15,000 superintendents in the United States are elected - less than one percent.
Like Tennessee, states have patterned school governance systems after the business model, with elected school boards responsible for setting policy and board-appointed chief executive officers in charge of day-to-day administration of the schools, providing greater flexibility at the local level to run the schools and making school systems more accountable for results.
For more than 50 years, TSBA has led the charge to implement and retain the process of board-appointed superintendents. Our 2006 Legislative Agenda will reiterate the association's strong support of this process. All school board members must take an active legislative advocacy role if we are to prevent a complete unraveling of the Education Improvement Act's most important component. In 2005, the move to return to elected superintendents came up one vote short in the House Education Committee and many believe this committee to be the block to having elected superintendent legislation pass the full House and Senate.
We hope you will find the tolls available on our Web site useful to you in your efforts to serve as legislative advocates on this issue. From sample letters and resolutions to issue briefs and PowerPoint presentations from local community organizations, it is our goal to equip you with the tools you need to better communicate with your legislators about the importance of maintaining board-appointed directors of schools. Please check back often for updates and additional tools. This is a crucial time for public education and your support is greatly needed and appreciated!
