Minneapolis Sups Short Term

Here's a cautionary tale about Superintendent searches gone wrong. Not can picking a Superintendent can be a risky crap shot, it can quickly turn into a costly fiasco. But it is amusing to note the dollar figures involved. We should get away so cheap!

From the Minneapolis Star Tribune,
School superintendent buyouts: What went wrong?
Buyouts of Minneapolis and Osseo superintendents raise questions about search processes.
Norman Draper, Star Tribune

Superintendents in two of the Twin Cities' largest school districts were bought out and sent packing within two weeks of each other. Tens of thousands of dollars were spent to get rid of them. One had been superintendent for a year and a half; the other, only seven months.

What went wrong?

The outcome might have been unavoidable. Finding a good superintendent is a complex process, often involving national search firms that patch together profiles of what communities and boards of education want and match them with the available talent. With different people wanting different things, selecting just the right superintendent is no slam dunk.

"In the end it's a crapshoot," said Bob Lowe, a former Minnesota superintendent who is now an official with the Minnesota School Boards Association.