LM Sept 2021

Is a Superintendent Shortage Looming? Jason Nevel IASA Director of Social Media and Publications

In July, IASA began to dig deeper into the question of how big a role the pandemic will play on the superintendency moving forward. Nationally, the issue gained traction after the departure of superintendents in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. In our story, “After Difficult School Year, Are Illinois Superintendents Opting Out?” IASA examined membership data, which indicated at least 53 superintendents in Illinois retired June 30, 2021. That figure was up from 35 superintendents who retired on June 30, 2020. Nevertheless, even before the pandemic hit, another problem was festering—fewer people were becoming certified to take on leadership roles in schools. According to experts, the decline can be attributed to a combination of factors, including personal decisions, professional demands and statewide policies that have shrunk the overall pool of educators in Illinois. That begs the question, if the pandemic is pushing more superintendents out, will there be a strong enough pipeline to replace them?

“School boards do not have as many candidates to choose from as they once did,” said Diane Robertson, an IASA Field Services Director who also conducts executive searches. “I worry about there being enough superintendents down the road.” Educator Shortage Well before the pandemic put school leaders in the middle of untenable situations, Dr. James Rosborg, a retired superintendent and semi-retired Director of Master’s in Education at McKendree University, said he’s been concerned about a superintendent shortage looming. On a broad level, the concern is simple—fewer people are becoming educators. Illinois’ teacher shortage is well documented and has worsened in recent years. According to the Illinois State Board of Education, the state had about 1,000 unfilled teaching positions in 2017. This year, that number climbed to nearly 1,700. Meanwhile, the latest survey from the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools was conducted in early October 2020 and included

20 LM September 2021