Two big Sacramento-area school districts face tough searches for new superintendents

Wanted: A good manager, effective communicator and academic visionary to take over a school district reeling from millions of dollars in budget cuts, declining enrollment and the ongoing pressure of raising student achievement.

Make that two.

Two of the region's largest school districts are looking for new leaders to navigate them through these tough times. On Wednesday, San Juan Unified Superintendent Steven Enoch confirmed that he will leave at the end of June for a position in the East Bay.

Two months ago, Sacramento City Unified Superintendent Maggie Mejia said she will leave the district when her five-year contract expires, also at the end of June.

Officials in both districts – and outside observers – say finding replacements in the current climate could be a tall order.

"Being a superintendent is a challenge; finding qualified people is a challenge," said Joe Cirasuolo, chief operating officer for the America Association of School Administrators. "I don't envy the boards in those two school districts."

Trustees in California and nationwide are finding it increasingly difficult to find the right leadership, Cirasuolo said. The struggle in large part can be attributed to the job's demands, he said.

Superintendents work 70- to 80-hour workweeks, with engagements almost every night. Pay is not always commensurate, he said, and scrutiny of public education is at an all-time high.

"Being a superintendent is probably more challenging now than it's every been before," Cirasuolo said.

He did it himself for 23 years in Connecticut. As he described the job, he mused aloud, "I must have been out of my mind."

Nationwide, the average tenure of a superintendent is about eight years, Cirasuolo said. In urban districts, that drops to about three.

Mejia has been at the helm of the Sacramento City for five years; Enoch at San Juan for three.

Their districts, each with just under 50,000 students, share two heavy burdens: deep budget cuts and declining enrollment.

After already cutting $20 million, Sacramento City board President Manny Hernandez said trustees are agonizing over the last $4.5 million.

"Honest to goodness, we're pretty much at an impasse," he said. "We're struggling mightily."

In San Juan, cuts have been limited to $4 million. And while enrollment continues to drop, the decline has dwindled from about 1,200 students a year three years ago to about 600.

Still, Enoch said he believes the district is operating as many as 20 schools too many, and he'll propose several school closures before he leaves.

The new San Juan superintendent is also likely to inherit a struggle between the district and its teachers union. Tom Alves, president of the San Juan Teachers Association, said the two sides are locked in a cycle in which "we struggle, we go to war, we make peace" – a cycle he wants to see broken.

Dave Gordon, superintendent of Sacramento County schools, said he is disappointed to see Mejia and Enoch leave their positions, and acknowledged the districts are in for a difficult search.

"The challenges aren't going to get any less," Gordon said. "If anything they're going to be greater. It's getting harder to attract good superintendents."

But he and others remain optimistic that the Sacramento region and these two districts in particular hold much appeal.

"I think there's a foundation to build on, and I'm confident that they will find good leadership," Gordon said. "But there really isn't anything more important that a board does than choose a superintendent to lead the district.

"That challenge is before them."

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