State of the SuperintendencyVASS Annual ConferenceHotel RoanokeMay 6, 2013

Participation Rate

One hundred thirty-three school superintendents in Virginia were emailed invitations to participate in the survey. One hundred superintendents completed the survey, resulting in a 75% response rate. Three incomplete responses to the survey are included in the report as appropriate.

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RespondingGroup

Number of Responses

(n)

Max Possible Responses

(Nmax)

ResponseRate (%)

Superintendents 100 133 75%

Board Tenure

Typically, my Board of Education members serve:

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Less than four years

Four to six years

Seven to nine years

Ten or more years

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

4%

58%

24%

13%

Board Meeting Frequency

The number of times, on average, that my School Board meets for meetings or work sessions.

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One time a month

Two times a month

Three times a month

Four or more times a month

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

52%

39%

8%

0%

All Responses

Board Meeting Length

The average length of a Board meeting including Closed Session is . . .

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5

Two hours or less

Three hours

Four hours

Five or more hours

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

25%

47%

17%

11%

All Responses

Role of the SuperintendentMy Board sees the primary role of

the superintendent to be in . . .

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70%

15%

7%4% 3%

Day to day management and administration Curriculum and instructionPublic presentation Government/politicalFinance

7

Student Achievement and TestingRecently, the importance my community places on improving student achievement has:

My community feels that there is too much emphasis placed on testing.

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Strongly increased

Increased somewhat

Remained about the same

Decreased somewhat

Strongly decreased

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

11%

43%

44%

1%

0%

Strongly Agree

Agree

No Opinion

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

37%

48%

12%

2%

0%

Spending Reductions

In the past three years, my district has curtailed spending in a way that has diminished our capacity to help all students reach high standards.

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Strongly Agree

Agree

No Opinion

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

36%

48%

3%

12%

0%

Weekly Time SpentWhat percent of your week is spent on each of the following?

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Average Median

Public Relations 15% 15%

Responding to concerns and issues of low priority but high demand 13% 10%

Board Meetings 12% 10%

Personnel Issues 12% 10%

Data-Driven Instruction 11% 10%

Curriculum 11% 10%

Media Relations 7% 5%

Legal Matters 7% 5%

Teacher Evaluation 5% 5%

College and Career Readiness 4% 5%

Teacher Association Issues 2% 1%

Operating Budget Cuts

Over the past four years, which areas of the Operating Budget have seen the largest cuts or reductions in funding?

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10Note: Percentages added may exceed 100 since a participant may select more than one answer for this question.

Instructional (e.g., AP or IB courses, personnel)

Functional (e.g., business office, transportation, internal)

Programmatic (e.g., athletics, extracurricular)

Internal (e.g., building closure, opening new schools)

Physical (e.g., merger, annexation, regional)

None of the above

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%100%

81%

72%

30%

21%

15%

1%

Social Media Effect

How has social media affected your role as Superintendent?

© 2013 K12 Insight

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Social media has improved communication for me.

Social media has disrupted my district's communication hierarchy.

Social media has allowed the rapid spread of unsubstantiated rumors.

Social media has not affected my role as Superintendent

Other

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

39%

19%

52%

17%

5%

Note: Percentages added may exceed 100 since a participant may select more than one answer for this question.

Job Satisfaction

My position is more stressful than I expected.

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Strongly Agree

Agree

No opinion

Disagree

Strongly disagree

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

19%

40%

10%

27%

3%

Job Satisfaction

Please rate your level of agreement.

13

I like the superintendency well enough to encourage a son or daughter showing the aptitude to pursue it.

I share with others why I find my job satisfying.

My district has a succession plan for the superintendency.

There are sufficient opportunities for informal guidance/mentorships.

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

68%

85%

13%

68%

"Strongly Agree" or "Agree"