A person who wishes to have a career in the administration aspect of education may wonder, “What is a typical day for a school superintendent?” A school superintendent is like the CEO of a school district, and they typically have experience in teaching and administration. Understanding what a typical day is like for a school superintendent could help a person decide if this is a career path well-suited to their skills and preferences.
Make Administrative Decisions
School superintendents spend much of their days reviewing information and using it to make administrative decisions. Along with the school board, they make decisions about budgets, policies, goals, staffing and facilities. They may review new state guidance on curriculum and use it in order to design the upcoming school year’s curriculum and class schedules. They may review inspection reports of the facilities and allocate budgets for repairs and upgrades. School superintendents also make administrative decisions about rules, policies and procedures for students and staff.
Observe and Evaluate Administrative and Teaching Staff
School superintendents make recommendations and often have the final say for the hiring, discipline and dismissal of administrative and teaching staff. They may spend some of their time visiting different classrooms in the district’s schools in order to see what individual teachers are doing and how effective they are at their jobs. They may also conduct performance evaluations for administrative staff, including school principals and vice principals. As a part of these observations, they may decide on professional development activities that can help teachers or staff perform their jobs more effectively.
Manage Budgets, Facilities, Equipment and Supplies
School superintendents manage budgets for the school district. Along with the treasurer and school board, they set priorities and allocate money for specific activities. Most school district budgets have different categories, but the proportion of funds allocated to each category might change from year to year in order to accommodate known issues. For example, the facilities maintenance and repairs category may need to be increased one year in order to replace a school’s central air conditioning and roofing systems. School superintendents may also make recommendations for equipment and supplies. They allocate supply budgets to departments or to individual teachers.
Meet With Teachers, Parents, Students and Members of the Community
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, another routine activity for a school superintendent is meeting with parents and students. They might meet with parents who are concerned about a child’s behavior or academic performance. They may also meet with parents who have a question or concern about a district policy. School superintendents also meet with teachers in order to find out if they have everything they need in order to do their jobs or to ascertain the teacher’s performance or satisfaction. As the public face of the school district, superintendents may also meet with the media or government officials.
Related Resource: Master’s in Educational Leadership
School superintendents oversee all of the activities in a school district. They report to the school board, which is the body that hires or dismisses them. Knowing the answer to, “What is a typical day for a school superintendent?” helps a person understand more about how school districts operate and whether or not this administrative career path within the field of education is a good match to their aptitudes and personality traits.
