THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 10, 1995 TAG: 9509100043
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALETA PAYNE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
``Wanted'' - the ad might say - ``a dynamic, hard-working education leader to steer our large, highly regarded but recently jinxed school division into an uncertain future. Expertise in handling crises a plus. Willingness to take your lumps in a highly political coastal city a must.''
Sound appealing? To some people it would, several experts say.
As the Beach school system battles back from a run of bad luck and bad decisions, the search for a new superintendent continues. And the consensus among people who work with and recruit education administrators is that recent events, such as the division's $7.4 million budget shortfall, actually might intrigue some job-seekers looking for a chance to make their mark.
``It can be a distraction. But I do think Virginia Beach is the kind of complex system that is appealing to superintendents. It is a challenge,'' said Vincent Cibbarelli, executive director of the Virginia Association of School Superintendents and an associate professor of education at the University of Virginia.
School officials are working with the Charlotte-based Sockwell & Associates executive search firm to find a leader to succeed Sidney L. Faucette, who left in June to take a job in Georgia. A profile of what the system needs in a superintendent is being developed, and the search is slated to begin within a couple of weeks. The board hopes to name someone to the job in November.
Phillip Riles, an associate with the California search firm Wilson Riles and Associates, said that a series of problems alone would not scare someone off from the district - but problems combined with a difficult School Board might.
``If the board is split and divided, I could see someone having a very difficult time walking into this situation,'' Riles said. ``But if the board is going to support him to do what he needs to do, he may see it as a challenge. I can see someone being very much attracted to that.
``If someone can do something very positive, that's attractive. No one wants to get chewed up, though.''
Candidates also may be wary of the district's track record for keeping someone in the job. The school system has had four superintendents in six years, not counting the current interim leader. Nationally, the average length of stay for superintendents of large districts is four to five years.
``The environment in which superintendents operate in urban and large suburban settings is a pretty volatile one,'' said Jeremiah Floyd of the National School Boards Association. ``There are a lot of expectations, a lot of pressure to get things done yesterday.''
When the pressures become crushing, ``some people leave and try to find a less volatile atmosphere. Some people get turned out,'' he said.
As far as the Beach schools are concerned, Floyd doesn't see recent problems as a deterrent as long as they are carefully and truthfully explained to candidates.
``You don't put a spin on it. You just answer the questions when people ask about it,'' he said. by CNB