When Rosa Smith signed on the line in December, her new contract included an incentive that started at $73,000--over and above her $153,000 annual base salary--to remain on the job in Columbus until 2005.
Officials with national education associations say a longevity incentive is highly unusual for school superintendents, and that Columbus' approach reflects the pressing need for people who are up to the daunting task of leading a city school district.
Given Smith's track record as a skilled and popular superintendent, "she's in demand," says E. Joseph Schneider, deputy executive director of the American Association of School Administrators.
The average tenure for superintendents in large city districts is less than three years, compared with about seven or eight years in smaller cities. That kind of turnover is not conducive to implementing any lasting change in a beleaguered school system. "A district is going to gain from some modicum of stability in that position," says Harold P. Seamon, deputy executive director of the National School Board Association.
Although Schneider says he knows of no other longevity plan in place, he speculates that the approach may not remain unusual for long.
