Term Limits for Principals?

In a recent Howard County Times article by Jennifer Broadwater entitled Union head Seeks Term Limits for Principals, the concept of limiting the amount of time a principal can lead a school is recommended by the President of the Howard County Teachers Association Ann DeLacy. She makes this proposal based partly on her belief that principals become too powerful and less responsive to teacher concerns the longer they serve in a school; and partly on the results of her association's annual job satisfaction survey, which asks teachers and support staff to rate the leadership and work environment at schools in Howard County.

Ann DeLacy, the President of HCEA, said the poor ratings given the same schools year after year lead her to believe the survey is ignored by school system leaders.

"I'm subject to term limits; the County Council is subject to term limits; our county executive is subject to term limits; our president is subject to term limits. So why not principals?" DeLacy said.

Well, this is why I believe term limits are and always have been a bad idea in politics and at the principal level. Term limits assume that all leaders are the same and that they have a shelf-life much like a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread. By enacting term limits, it prevents superintendents and school board members to select the best people for the job. If a school is fortunate to have a really good administrator, term limits would force the superintendent to transfer the principal to another school regardless of whether this was the best decision for the students, staff and community. Like any job, it takes time to be good at what you do. About the time an effective principal understands the needs of the school and is enacting positive change for students, under the rules of term limits, a principal would be removed based on time served not results. This doesn't make sense to me.

What are your thoughts?

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