Pandemic pressures aren’t seeing more local school superintendents leave jobs

Traditionally late winter and early spring comprise the time windows for superintendents to announce their departures, timing picked to allow school boards time to search for a replacement to come onboard by Aug. 1.

Mason’s Cooper, who applied for a superintendent’s position in Colorado and advanced to be one of three finalists before withdrawing his name Thursday evening, said his move was only exploratory.

“This was an opportunity that I didn’t seek, but felt like was something I needed to explore if I was to remain true to the very advice I always tell young leaders and my own kids – which is to take risks and be vulnerable,” wrote Cooper in his statement regarding his withdrawal.

Though he was impressed with prospects of the new job, he said “still, there’s no place I’d rather be than Mason.”

Kings Superintendent Tim Ackermann, who will finish out the school year, made no mention of the extraordinary pressures brought on in dealing with the pandemic in explaining his departure for an assistant superintendent’s position with the Hamilton County Educational Services Center.

Neither did former Lebanon Superintendent Todd Yohey in his November resignation announcement of his departure at the end of 2020.

But just a few years ago there was a historic turnover of superintendents in Butler and Warren County that saw an extraordinarily high number leave their jobs.

A 2017 Journal-News analysis showed of 22 public and private school districts — including the Cincinnati Archdiocese schools and county career schools — in the two counties, 14 have hired new superintendents since 2015.

In Butler County, nine of its 12 school systems at that time had new district leaders.

In Warren County, five of its 10 school systems had seen new leadership since 2015.

“It is cyclical that certain areas of the state will see more superintendent openings at a given time than other areas,” said Miller.