What is a Superintendent?
If a principal is in charge of a school, then the superintendent is the next level up, tasked with overseeing the educational direction of an entire school district or even multiple districts, depending on the role.
They are typically elected by the school board. The role is highly specialized and requires someone with a commitment to extensive training, lifelong learning, and the kinds of demands that might turn away many others. Schools are a hugely complicated business, and the superintendent provides oversight on everything from academic direction to fundraising, and from district-wide tone to the prep work required for state and federal clearance exams.
They work extensively with budgeting and cost issues for the schools in their district, and they also need to stay abreast of national and global trends in education that might require their districts to change direction to better conform with changing standards.
How to Become a Superintendent
A position at this level — at the pinnacle of the education industry — requires a great deal of learning and experience. It’s typical for superintendents to start out as educators and earn a doctorate in their chosen field of study, or for them to enter the field through the business management track by pursuing graduate and doctoral-level degrees in education administration.
Aspiring superintendents need to know that, though it’s definitely possible to rise to the role, it does take some time. Majoring in education or management is a good start, as is teaching at the high school level with a graduate degree on your way to a doctorate.
The real-world experience will let you see first-hand what it’s like in a school and what it takes to keep one running, and that’s the kind of thing that simply can’t be taught in a college classroom.
Superintendent Career Outlook & Salary
Precise figures can be hard to come by for many superintendent jobs simply because of the wide variety in positions from state to state, and even from city to city. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does expect that competition for superintendent jobs will stay fierce because of the higher pay levels and the relative prestige and power the role affords.
The field will grow slightly over the next few years, but not much. Superintendents typically earn between $80,000 and $130,000 nationally, but again, those figures are very soft, and the discrepancy underscores how much pay can change based on location, experience, and what the specific job entails.
In order to compete for superintendent jobs, applicants should consider the likelihood of relocating a few times in order to spread their experience base and prove themselves in multiple markets.
