Opinion
School & District Management Letter to the Editor

District Heads Have the Best Job

October 07, 2020 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

In Education Week’s August 26 issue, a brief discusses a report by the American Enterprise Institute that summarizes a series of conversations with school district or Catholic diocese superintendents (“In Coronavirus Era, Worst-Job Honors Go to District Heads”). The article’s title mischaracterizes the leadership of superintendents in America’s public schools.

While I cannot comment on the role of a private school superintendent, the public school superintendents who were among the 12 interviewed for the report were undoubtedly frank and truly characterized the “unwinnable situations” presented to them throughout the pandemic. However, the small sample size does not represent the American public school superintendency.

I am a public school superintendent and I am not in the worst job in America. I am one among hundreds who are the chief advocates for public school children, prioritizing and championing efforts to serve students in healthy, safe, and academically engaging environments.

Being a superintendent means resisting political pressure and railing against inequities perpetuated by state governments. And, yes, sometimes there are impossible choices to be made in the midst of competing priorities. But the job of public school educators and school leaders is one of the best on the planet. My colleagues and I have the opportunity to wake up every day to wonder, strategize, and deliberate in creative educational environs.

In the midst of unprecedented times where politics has created confusion, I offer congratulations to my superintendent colleagues for a job well done! Navigating challenges to better the lives of children, and facing inevitable criticism, is what we do best.

Bob Ike

President

New York State Council of School Superintendents

Albany, N.Y.

A version of this article appeared in the October 07, 2020 edition of Education Week as District Heads Have the Best Job

Events

English-Language Learners Webinar AI and English Learners: What Teachers Need to Know
Explore the role of AI in multilingual education and its potential limitations.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Mathematics Webinar
Pave the Path to Excellence in Math
Empower your students' math journey with Sue O'Connell, author of “Math in Practice” and “Navigating Numeracy.”
Content provided by hand2mind
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Recruitment & Retention Webinar
Combatting Teacher Shortages: Strategies for Classroom Balance and Learning Success
Learn from leaders in education as they share insights and strategies to support teachers and students.
Content provided by DreamBox Learning

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Opinion I Teach Educators How to Change Their Minds. Here’s How
Four important lessons for how educators—school and district leaders, especially—can create opportunities for growth.
Jennifer Perry Cheatham, Erica Lim & Carmen Williams
5 min read
Video stills
The students from the Leaders of Learning class taught by Jennifer Perry Cheatham at the Harvard Graduate School of Education last year.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week
School & District Management Opinion The 4 Gifts Principals Should Give Teachers This Year (Hint: Not Another School Mug)
Instead of a staff pizza party or a school-branded mug, give them meaningful gifts that really nourish their craft.
4 min read
A Large yellow bow across the foreground of a  photo illustration group of teachers line up happily closely together along a wall
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management After Teachers, America's Schools Spend More on Security Guards Than Any Other Role
New estimates from the Urban Institute indicate school resource officers cost more than $2 billion every year.
4 min read
Illustration of Police silhouettes and a subtle dollar sign to show SRO funding
Wildpixel/iStock
School & District Management Explainer What Does a School Principal Do? An Explainer
Learn about the principal workforce, what makes principals effective, and how schools can retain the best leaders.
Image of staffing.
Andrii Yalanskyi/iStock/Getty