Abstract
The purpose of the study was to examine the role and function of the superintendent in the induced exit of a tenured teacher. This study sought to describe the manner in which school districts that are considered to be "small" are removing undesirable teachers in a way that does not involve costly litigation. Descriptive research was used for this study. A written questionnaire was mailed to 201 randomly selected superintendents in districts with enrollments between 250 and 2,500 students. Data were generated by the 134 written surveys that were returned. Descriptive statistics and a Chi-square were used to analyze and display the findings. Over one half of the districts had successfully induced a tenured teacher to resign. Prior to the induced exit, 95 percent reported that multiple personnel actions had been used and the documentation of poor performance was considered to be very influential in inducing teachers to resign. In more than half of the cases the union provided legal and emotional support to the teacher. However, in a majority of cases, the union worked to encourage the resignation. Of the arguments used by the superintendent to convince the Board, the most powerful was: "the exit is in the best interest of our students". Health benefits appeared in the greatest frequency in exit agreements, with the median duration of coverage being 33.86 months. In 57 percent of the induced exit agreements there was a cash payment, the median amount being $23,734. The average cost of the exit agreement is less than \\\\$40,000. In conclusion, the superintendent is the central power holder and the key to the success of the induced exit. The district must put pressure on the teacher to create a readiness to accept the induced exit agreement, and thus the superintendent should insure that principals are knowledgeable and skilled in performance documentation. Unions in this study were not viewed as a hindrance to the success of the exit and Board support seems easily gained. Induced exits should be viewed as a cost effective manner to remove a poor performing teacher.