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Vermont superintendents describe retention trends, role complexity and call for workforce and funding supports
Summary
Leaders from the Vermont Superintendents Association outlined the superintendent’s responsibilities, turnover statistics, and legislative priorities including funding equity, pre‑K funding, and supports to recruit and retain educators.
Amy Minor, superintendent and president of the Vermont Superintendents Association, told the House Education Committee that superintendents play a complex role combining instructional leadership, fiscal stewardship and crisis management.
"I see myself as the teacher of my principals," Minor said, describing frequent mentoring and on‑site instructional work. She outlined supervisory duties including drafting continuous improvement plans, overseeing student data and community engagement tied to budgeting.
Minor and Chelsea Myers, the association’s new executive director, gave turnover figures and workforce context: the association recorded superintendent transitions of 6 in 2019, 11 in 2020, 9 in 2021, 12 in 2022, 6 in 2023 and 15 in 2024. They said 40 districts experienced at least one transition in the last five years and reported a current average tenure of about six years.
On policy, the superintendents’ legislative priorities included equity in education funding and reexamining the education fund’s uses, incentives to expand public pre‑K (including consolidating oversight), clarifying funding responsibilities for school‑based mental‑health services, and strengthening the educator pipeline through "grow‑your‑own" programs and partnerships with higher education. They urged any structural governance changes to be modeled for fiscal and operational effects and to avoid unintended consequences.
Why it matters: Superintendents are the primary executives who implement state education laws and prepare district budgets. Their turnover and workforce concerns affect continuity of district leadership and capacity to implement reforms.
No committee votes or formal actions occurred during the testimony; presenters offered to provide additional documents and data for legislative review.
