Superintendents retiring at rapid pace

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- School superintendents in Missouri and Kansas are retiring at a rapid pace that promises to quicken in coming years as district leaders age and mounting job stress outpaces salaries.

In the Kansas City area, four superintendents have retired since 1998 -- in Blue Springs, Raytown, Independence and Oak Grove -- and three more will leave this year.

The situation is similar in Kansas where 70 percent of superintendents are more than 50 years old, and 16 percent of those are above 60, said Dale Dennis, deputy commissioner of the Kansas State Department of Education.

"I'd say that in the next three years, we will see quite a few superintendents retiring in Wyandotte County, Leavenworth and Johnson County," Dennis said.

The average retirement age for Missouri administrators is 56, slightly above the national average age range of 48 to 55. But age alone is not leading superintendents to retirement.

"In many cases, they retire because the stress is so high," Dennis said.

Contributing to the problem in Missouri is an attractive retirement package that pays retirees 75 percent to 100 percent of their salaries after 30 years of service.

"For many superintendents after they reach retirement eligibility, the retirement package is so good that there is no longer any incentive to continue to work," said David Hackett, who will retire this year from the Grain Valley School District in eastern Jackson County.

Kansas educators are eligible for full retirement compensation, which is calculated by a formula, when their age plus the years of service total 85, Dennis said.

Half within the decade

The exodus of superintendents is no surprise to education officials, after a 2000 survey by the American Association of School Administrators said that more than half will retire within the decade.

Many superintendents began their careers during the baby boom, when many teachers were hired to accommodate an influx of students. Now those educators, from superintendents on down, are reaching retirement age.

Replacing retiring administrators is not easy, as the person next in line often is also eligible to retire, said Roger Kurtz, executive director of the Missouri Council of School Administrators.

"It is a great concern of school districts across the state, because the pool of superintendents is shrinking," Kurtz said.

Additionally, many who are qualified to lead a district don't apply for superintendent positions anymore, Kurtz said, because the stress level has been raised "far beyond the job's salary range."

"You have to really love it and be willing to put in an enormous amount of time," said Kurtz, who likened leading a large district to being general manager of a major corporation -- with smaller compensation.

In response, school districts are focusing on nurturing and guiding young teachers and principals who show leadership promise.

"It's really not only the superintendency position but all administrative positions, because there just isn't the depth in the pool that there used to be," said Henry Russell, superintendent of the Raytown School District near Kansas City. "Districts are challenged, when they see people with the right gifts, to do what they can to provide them with the right experiences ... to grow into those positions."