WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — When Martin County Schools Superintendent John Millay announced his intention Tuesday to resign at the end of the school year, it seemed to fit a trend lately of superintendents around the country stepping down after only a couple of years.
In many cases, education experts said it's a combination of increasing demands, pandemic issues and even politics.
"That's a major issue when you're talking about running a complex operation like a school system, and it's a revolving door in terms of who leads it," Dan Domenech, executive director of the School Superintendents Association, said. "That's a problem."
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Domenech said these days superintendents of large school districts, on average, only stay on the job for about three years.
"We're beginning to see a lot of school systems looking for a superintendent, and there's a shortage," Domenech said. "There's no shortage of people who want the job, but there is a shortage of people who can do the job."
And in Florida, where politics have had a big influence on policy from Gov. Ron DeSantis, issues over textbooks, critical race theory and transgender students have added to the pressures.
"It's just become too much for a lot of superintendents," Domenech said.