There is money to be made in the school business

By Jeff Orvis

It's the middle of July and while thoughts of most of us center on how to keep cool during the current heat wave, young people around the country are preparing for their first year in college, or if they have already been in school for a year or two, are probably wondering what to declare as a major.

Many of these students are focused on a career in education. Even in this era of government deficits and layoffs in school districts across the country, some students have been so inspired by one or more of their teachers over their careers that they still want to join the ranks.

I have to admit that if I were that age, facing the educational crossroads of declaring a major and if I was a whole lot smarter than I was at that age, I would seriously consider becoming a teacher or a nurse or doctor. People continue to get sick and children are born each day that eventually will need to be educated.

There's that old saying that you will never get rich being a teacher. But a recent newspaper report indicated that there's still money to made in education, if you are willing to take the right path. The Muscatine School board recently hired a new superintendent at a starting annual salary of $192,000, plus 11 paid holidays, 25 days of vacation, up to 25 sick days and various paid health and life insurances. The new hire is coming to Eastern Iowa from a non-profit education position in Omaha and the board also included up to $35,000 for moving expenses.

While I didn't ascertain what the salary for a beginning teacher is in the Muscatine district, I'd be willing to bet that you could hire at least five first year teachers for what the superintendent will be making. And while I also hope this is not true in Muscatine, I do know that there are districts all across this country where teachers feel compelled to spend their own money to help pay for supplies for their classrooms.

Being the superintendent of a school district of any size is a tough job. They have to wear many hats, sometimes several in one day. They have to be experts in school finance, curriculum, human resources and public relations. They have to be diplomatic in their dealings with legislators as they fight for every dollar they can get for their schools. They also often have to be well-versed in school construction and upkeep. While many districts have other employees to initially take care of many of these areas, the superintendent must still know enough to make a final decision or an informed recommendation to his board.

During my years working in weekly news media, one of my favorite beats was covering the local schools. I've spent countless hours sitting in school board meetings and have seen various administrative styles of superintendents.

If I stopped to try and count the number of superintendents I have known over the years, it would make my head hurt. A vast majority of the men and women I've seen in that position started out as classroom teachers. Some of the best also had coaching backgrounds. I don't say this just because I'm a sports nut. But good coaches have to know how to inspire their athletes, work through tough times and develop winning game plans. Sounds like a typical day in the superintendent's office to me.

Unfortunately, I've also been acquainted with a few school leaders who seemed to take more pleasure in being the boss from their office than being directly involved with the education process. Those were the ones who evoked more fear than admiration from the staff and students.

Superintendents should be not only heard, but seen in their schools. The last superintendent I covered hit all of these points really well. When Belle Plaine decided to share a superintendent with the neighboring HLV district, there were doubts among residents of both districts on if this would work. But they picked the right guy to start this grand experiment. Bill Lynch, already a veteran school leader, is a financial wizard. He restored the school budget to good health and found a way to spearhead building projects in both of the districts he represents.

But he also realizes that he works in education and can often be found visiting the schools in each district. Every year he's found a way to attend commencements in both school districts, even though they are often held on the same day, within two hours of each other. He is a great supporter of extracurricular activities at both schools, sports, concerts, plays, etc.

I realize that recruiting good superintendents is a tough, expensive business. But I'm concerned that there might be a growing disconnect between our school leaders and the teachers and other staff they lead. If you are going to pay a leader upwards of $200,000 or more, you want to see that your money is being well spent. How will a leader making that kind of annual salary be able to successfully relate to the young teacher struggling to live a comfortable, simple life while repaying student loans and scrounging for pens and copy paper for their classroom?

As that high-paid superintendent struggles to justify his or her salary, more and more of his or her time is spent crunching numbers in the office. Those days of standing in front of a classroom or coaching a team become ever-decreasing memories.