Volume 4 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal of K-12 Educational Research - Page 11

Journal of K-12 Educational Research 9 plans were classified as formal if it appeared the school met the original succession plan requirement for the prospectus and had also formally implemented it into their board governance strategy by evidence of providing the plan to the researcher upon request. School succession plans were also classified as informal if it appeared the school met the original succession plan requirement for the bond investor prospectus, but had not formally implemented it into their board governance strategy by evidence of providing the plan to the researcher upon request. The current study results also revealed internal or external factors can influence a superintendent’s decision to engage the board in succession planning. One external factor that influenced succession-planning action was a municipal bond trigger, which acted as a catalyst for charter school succession planning in the current superintendent study group. Bond market trigger. Interview responses with superintendents revealed that succession discussions and development within all five charter networks occurred when bond underwriters, attorneys, and rating agencies required the school to create an investor prospectus profile for the purpose of allowing potential companies and individuals to make investment decisions on each charter network. Details are shown in Table 3. Implications Leadership succession is a critical time for an organization, yet few organizations actually take the time to plan for leadership transition (Grusky, 1961). Succession has important implications for a school because it affects student performance as well as the overall educational system (Carpenter, 2009). The current findings reveal that Texas public charter superintendents should play a role in succession planning to the extent the school board allows. The current study also reveals that charter superintendents prepare for their eventual succession by creating a healthy culture of pipeline and mentor development for all school personnel. The current study uncovered that incomplete: informal, verbal planning is not a replacement for prospectus profile for the purpose of allowing potential companies and individuals to make investment decisions on each charter network. Details are shown in Table 3. Table 3 Charter Network Succession Planning Results in the Current Study–Complete or Incomplete Charter Years of Operation Network Enrollment Emergency Plan Long-Term Plan Planning Triggered by Municipal Bond A 4 300 No Plan No Plan Incomplete Plan B 19 490 No Plan No Plan Incomplete Plan C 6 860 Informal Verbal Informal Verbal Incomplete Plan D 20 2,800 Informal Verbal No Plan Bond, Incomplete Plan E 5 1,121 No Plan No Plan Incomplete Plan F 5 18,671 Informal Verbal Informal Verbal Bond, Incomplete Plan G 22 675 No Plan No Plan Incomplete Plan H 17 1,540 No Plan No Plan Incomplete Plan I 20 3,500 Formal Written Formal Written Bond, Complete Plan J 18 1,390 Informal Verbal Informal Verbal Incomplete Plan K 7 1,400 Formal Written Formal Written Bond, Complete Plan L 10 900 No Plan No Plan Bond, Incomplete Plan M 10 900 No Plan No Plan Incomplete Plan Implications Table 3. Charter Network Successio Planning Results in the Current Study— Complet or Incomplete