Retirement deal entices top leaders at schools

 

With administrators taking offer, 'brain drain' a concern

A can't-pass-up job opportunity combined with a retirement incentive for Michigan educators sealed the deal for Cheryl Kreger, superintendent of Okemos Public Schools who will retire from the district this summer.

At least two other veteran administrators in Okemos have announced their retirements.

Officials worry there might be more administrators taking surprise retirements - perhaps too many.

"We anticipate a tremendous amount of what we consider brain drain," said William Mayes, executive director of the Michigan Association of School Administrators.

"Individuals who have had key positions, who have the history, who have the experience in administration, will choose to leave at this time, and it certainly will make replacing them somewhat difficult."

Nearly 57,000 school employees are eligible to sign up for the retirement deal, which sweetens the pension pot for workers who are at least 55 and have at least 30 years of service. The majority are teachers, but many administrators qualify, as well.

Mayes said the number of candidates for superintendent jobs has been dwindling in recent years.

"I predict that we will have a number of positions that will be difficult to fill and certainly I predict that the pool of candidates for each position will be smaller," he said.

Twenty years ago, he was one of 61 applicants for his first superintendent job, in a small district in Michigan's Thumb.

Fewer candidates

"Today, you can get a superintendency open in a beautiful area like Traverse City and you can have 20 to 25" people who apply, he said.

Part of that might be the increased demands of running public school districts with less money. Virtually every district in Michigan has had to make tough budget cuts within the past year, and an estimated 40 or more are on the brink of insolvency.

"It has not been fun being a superintendent in recent times," Mayes said.
"You're forced to make cuts and you're forced to do away with programs that you feel are important for children."

Kreger, who starts July 1 as president of her alma mater, the all-girls Mercy High School in Farmington Hills, said she thinks there is plenty of talent within the ranks of Okemos administrators to run the district after she departs. Both deputy superintendents, Patricia Trelstad and Catherine Ash, will be staying.

"They are incredible leaders, and so are the principals and teacher leaders," she said.

"What we've accomplished in three years has been tremendous. It would have been nice to have stayed and seen some of the fruit of that work."

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Source: Lansing State Journal, 6.7.10