By Peter Partheymuller
Members of the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) recently agreed to remove the requirement for school superintendents to have classroom experience to serve in that position. The decision was intended to expand the pool of candidates to lead the state’s more than 1,200 school districts, but it hasn’t come without controversy.
If the move gains approval from the State Board of Education, the new requirement will mean that an applicant can substitute three years of managerial experience in a school district for teaching experience. Alternatively, the new ruling also allows a school board to hire candidates who 1) have at least a bachelor’s degree, 2) enter a superintendent preparation program and 3) pass a subsequent certification test. In such a case, the district will have to post publicly the reasons it came to hire the candidate and what qualified the individual for the position.
Previously, superintendents were required to have certification as a principal, which in turn requires that person to have classroom experience.
Several business leaders had petitioned Texas Education Agency officials to change the requirements in order to permit school districts to attract a more diverse pool of candidates for superintendents.
However, several teacher and school administrator organizations unsuccessfully opposed removing the requirement. State Board of Education member Marty Rowley indicated some hesitance to vote for the new ruling but said he’d keep an open mind.
“I’ll certainly look at the competing arguments,” he said. “My initial reaction is: I think [the experience] would be valuable.” Rowley also noted that current regulations allow for exceptions to the classroom experience requirements.
The members of the SBEC are appointed by the governor, and the board’s makeup is strictly prescribed: four classroom teachers, one counselor, two administrators and four citizens. SBEC member Susan Simpson Hull is superintendent of Grand Prairie ISD and casts her vote for the looser requirement as vote for local control.
“I very strongly support an alternative because I support a school board’s right to make the decision for their district,” she said.
Submitted editorial: This story originally published Strategic Partnerships, Inc