Superintendent ballot plan deserves an F

There's no shortage of candidates running for Salt Lake mayor.

Nationally, a gaggle of Republicans and Democrats are running for president.

Here's another opportunity for elected office: school superintendents. Utah lawmakers are considering a bill to subject school superintendents to retention elections every two years. Superintendents interviewed by the Deseret Morning News were baffled by the proposal, sponsored by Rep. Kenneth Sumsion, R-American Fork. Sumsion said he is sponsoring HB144 to enhance local control of schools.

HB144 is troubling on a lot of levels. First, superintendents are not supposed to be political creatures. They are administrators, no different from city or county managers. They make recommendations to their respective school boards, but they have no voting authority.

Because they are not subject to election, superintendents provide another check in the system. They can offer a sterile analysis of school population numbers when it comes time to shift boundaries or close a school. They can provide the latest education research on a proposed instructional program.

Because they not subject to the ballot box, they are less burdened in making these recommendations. They can push back when they believe school board members, who are subject to political pressures, are making unwise decisions. School patrons benefit from this give-and-take.

Make the superintendents undergo retention elections and you'll turn them into politicians, too. Most superintendents I know are guided by a single mantra — "Is this in the best interest of students?" Do we really want superintendents to instead be hounded by the worry that "one slip and there goes the retention election"?

If a school superintendent is worth his or her salt, the respective school board will renew his or her contract every two years. If they're not doing a good job, a school board can send them packing. School boards should make these decisions because board members have a broad view of a superintendent's overall performance.

If the public doesn't agree that their superintendent is up to snuff, they can pressure the elected school board to do something about it. If the school board member doesn't follow the public's wishes, he or she can be voted out of office.