Non-Educators Can Now Run Pa. School Districts

Becoming a school district's top dog used to mean starting at the bottom of the education food chain.

Not anymore.

State leaders have made several changes to the Public School Code, among them waiving a requirement that superintendents be educators.

Under Act 24, which Gov. Tom Corbett signed June 30, the state expanded its eligibility criteria to include candidates who haven't taught but hold a graduate degree in business or finance.

"The change allows school districts to pull from a larger pool of individuals with experience running an organization," state Department of Education spokesman Timothy Eller said. "That's not to say that superintendents who are educators are not qualified. It pretty much just provides school districts with a larger applicant base."

While the change eliminates the classroom requirement, it includes provisions that non-educator candidates have at least four years of experience in business, finance or management and complete a leadership development program once hired.

Traditionally, superintendents start as teachers before moving into administration.

Through a waiver system, the state has allowed districts to hire non-educators as superintendent. As a notable example, Pittsburgh Public Schools hired Mark Roosevelt as its superintendent in 2002. Roosevelt entered education administration after a 20-year career in politics. He left Pittsburgh Public Schools last year.

"I think the governor and the Legislature are of the belief that there are other skills beside education that matter in running a school district," said attorney Ira Weiss, who serves as solicitor for several school districts, including the Highlands School District. "If you have such a person, the education expertise can be acquired through the assistance of other administrators."

There are opponents to the change, including long-time Deer Lakes School Board member Gary Torick, who believes the mindset that running a district like a business is flawed.

"So many people and board members liken a school district to a corporation and the fact is, it isn't," he said. "The school district is charged with educating the children of the community and corporate America isn't. Corporate America is out there charged with producing and selling a product for profit while school districts are given little in funding to produce the next generation of corporate leaders for no profit.

"I cannot see a person running a school district to its fullest potential without any background in education. I feel in the long run this will only hurt the educational process for our kids. Is it time for some sort of a change to the way things are done—maybe. I'm just not sure this is the answer at this point in time."

Deer Lakes Superintendent Dean Casello said he has trouble envisioning how a business professional can make good decisions about student and educator needs without classroom experience.

"I think there are some good business people out there who can do a good job with the financial side of it," he said. "But it takes a lot more than that to run an effective school system."

He suggested someone lacking teaching experience would struggle to develop strategies that create student success.

Casello taught for 11 years at the elementary school level in the Ambridge Area School District before moving into administration.

Leechburg Area School District Superintendent James Budzilek also questioned how someone with a business background can effectively make educational decisions.

"My only concern is that an individual with a financial background—how would (he) handle the curriculum/education side of school districts?" he said. "Would districts need to hire an additional person to handle this aspect especially in today's accountability and assessment rich backdrop of school systems?"

There are those who see certain merits to the change.

Tom Templeton, an assistant executive director with the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, said the change might be beneficial, especially for districts looking for someone with strong finance and management abilities.

"It could be (good) if a particular district is faced with a superintendent opening and a nontraditional candidate were to apply who has the skill set that district needs to lead it," he said. "Clearly, it would be a benefit to that district.

"It's a local decision and each district is going to have to determine if those types of candidates fit their needs."

"In a lot of ways, the change to the school code is good," New Kensington-Arnold School Board President Bob Pallone said. "As far as the business side of running a district goes, that person can come in and be a big help."

At the same time, he said, the benefits of having an educator as superintendent can't be minimized.

He also suggested that putting an administrator in place with a strong background in education to support a finance-minded superintendent makes sense.

"It's a balancing act," Pallone said. "Having a pure business leader strengthens your business side and offers a lot of positives but you're going to have to be careful you balance that with some kind of individual in the district who provides the educational leadership."