Superintendent of Schools
From Ballotpedia
The Superintendent of Schools, or Superintendent of Education, a position also called the Chief School Administrator, is a position in state government responsible for overseeing and coordinating the state's elementary and secondary schools.
Within the U.S., school superintendents are usually selected by members of the particular district's school board. Often, the superintendent sits on the board as a non-voting member. School boards may consist of either appointed or elected members. Likewise, the superintendent's position also varies by state.
Some states may require a candidate for the superintendency to hold a Ph.D., Ed.D., or similar terminal degree. An active teaching certification is also a common requirement.
An appointed superintendent may have a set term at the end of which she must go through appointment again. In addition to this, appointed superintendent serve at the pleasure of the appointing body or official and may be fired or asked to resign. For instance, in August of 2010, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie dismissed the state's Commissioner of Education.[1]
Elected vs. appointed
While the vast majority of the states that do have the statewide governmental position authorize the governor to appoint an individual to the office, there are at least 14 others who have opted to have public voters select the office holders. These states include Arizona, California, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Current officeholders
Elected
| State | Office Holder | Title of Office | Assumed office | Length of Term | Party | Doctoral Requirement? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | John Huppenthal | Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction | 2010 | 4 years, 2 term limit |  Republican
| |
| California | Tom Torlakson | California Superintendent of Public Instruction | 2010 | 4 years, 2 term limit | Non-partisan | |
| Georgia | Dr. John D. Barge | Georgia State Superintendent of Schools | 2010 | 4 years | Republican
| |
| Idaho | Tom Luna | Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction | 2006 | 4 years | Republican
| No |
| Indiana | Dr. Tony Bennett | Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction | 2008 | 4 years | Republican
| |
| Montana | Denise Juneau | Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction | 2008 | 4 years |  Democrat
| |
| North Carolina | June St. Clair Atkinson | North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction | 2004 | 4 years | Democrat
| |
| North Dakota | Dr. Wayne G. Sanstead | North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction | 1984 | 4 years | Democrat
| |
| Oklahoma | Janet Barresi | Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction | 2010 | 4 years | Republican
| |
| Oregon | Susan Castillo | Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction | 2002 | 4 years | Non-partisan | |
| South Carolina | Mick Zais | South Carolina Superintendent of Education | 2010 | 4 years | Republican
| |
| Washington | Randy Dorn | Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction | 2008 | 4 years | Non-partisan | |
| Wisconsin | Tony Evers | Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction | 2008 | 4 years | Non-partisan | |
| Wyoming | Cindy Hill | Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction | 2010 | 4 years | Republican
|
Appointed
| State | Office Holder | Title of Office | Assumed office | Appointing Official or Body | Doctoral Requirement? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Dr. Joseph B. Morton | Alabama Superintendent of Education | 2004 | State Board of Education | No |
| Alaska | Les Morse | Commissioner of Education | 2010 | Governor & State Board of Education | No |
| Arkansas | Dr. Thomas W. Kimbrell | Arkansas Commissioner of Education | 2009 | Governor & State Board of Education | |
| Colorado | Robert Hammond | Colorado Commissioner of Education | 2010 | State Board of Education | |
| Connecticut | George A. Coleman | Connecticut Commissioner of Education | 2011 | Governor & State Board of Education | |
| Delaware | Dr. Lillian M. Lowry | Delaware Secretary of Education | 2009 |  Gov. Jack Markell
| |
| Florida | Dr. Eric J. Smith | Florida Commissioner of Education | 2007 | Governor & State Board of Education | |
| Hawaii | Kathryn Matayoshi | Hawaii Superintendent of Education | 2010 | State Board of Education | |
| Illinois | Dr. Christopher Koch | Illinois Superintendent of Education | 2006 | State Board of Education | |
| Iowa | Jason Glass | Iowa Director of Education | 2010 |  Gov. Terry Branstad
| |
| Kansas | Dr. Diane DeBacker | Kansas Commissioner of Education | 2010 | State Board of Education | |
| Kentucky | Dr. Terry Holliday | Kentucky Commissioner of Education | 2009 | State Board of Education | |
| Louisiana | Paul Pastorek | Louisiana Superintendent of Education | 2007 | State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education | |
| Maine | Stephen Bowen | Maine Commissioner of Education | 2011 | Governor & State Board of Education | |
| Maryland | Dr. Nancy S. Grasmick | Maryland Superintendent of Education | 1991 | State Board of Education | |
| Massachusetts | Dr. Mitchell D. Chester | Massachusetts Commissioner of Education | 2008 | State Board of Education | |
| Michigan | Michael P. Flanagan | Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction | 2005 | State Board of Education | |
| Minnesota | Dr. Brenda Cassellius | Minnesota Commissioner of Education | 2010 | Gov. Mark Dayton
| |
| Mississippi | Dr. Tom Burnham | Mississippi Superintendent of Education | 2009 | State Board of Education | |
| Missouri | Dr. Chris L. Nicastro | Missouri Commissioner of Education | 2009 | State Board of Education | |
| Nebraska | Dr. Roger D. Breed | Nebraska Commissioner of Education | 2009 | State Board of Education | |
| Nevada | Dr. Keith W. Rheault | Nevada Superintendent of Public Instruction | 2004 | State Board of Education | |
| New Hampshire | Dr. Virginia M. Barry | New Hampshire Commissioner of Education | 2009 | Governor & New Hampshire Executive Council | |
| New Jersey | Christopher Cerf | New Jersey Commissioner of Education | 2011 | Gov. Chris Christie
| |
| New Mexico | Hanna Skandera | New Mexico Secretary of Education | 2010 | Gov. Susana Martinez
| |
| New York | Dr. David M. Steiner | New York Commissioner of Education | 2009 | Governor & State Board of Education | |
| Ohio | Deborah S. Delisle | Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction | 2008 | State Board of Education | |
| Pennsylvania | Thomas Gluck | Pennsylvania Secretary of Education | 2010 | Gov. Ed Rendell
| |
| Rhode Island | Deborah A. Gist | Rhode Island Commissioner of Education | 2009 | State Board of Education | |
| South Dakota | Jarrod Johnson | South Dakota Secretary of Education | 2010 | Gov. Dennis Daugaard
| |
| Tennessee | Kevin Huffman | Tennessee Commissioner of Education | 2011 | Gov. Bill Haslam
| |
| Texas | Robert Scott | Texas Commissioner of Education | 2007 | Gov. Rick Perry
| |
| Utah | Dr. Larry Shumway | Utah Superintendent of Public Instruction | 2009 | State Board of Education | |
| Vermont | Armando Vilaseca | Vermont Commissioner of Education | 2008 | State Board of Education | |
| Virginia | Dr. Patricia I. Wright | Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction | 2008 | Gov. Tim Kaine
| |
| West Virginia | Jorea Marple | West Virginia Superintendent of Schools | 2011 | State Board of Education |
External links
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