1. Case Study # 2
Group 5
Shawn Kerr
Colin Purcell
Bryan Rotella
Nicole Vourliotis

2. Background
• The assistant principal position has, in the past, been a position
of high turnover for a number of reasons:
o It is a stepping stone for many future principals
o Varied responsibilities and duties across districts and
buildings
o Poor mentoring relationships amongst principals with regard
to their assistants
• Recently, the assistant principalship has become the "ultimate
career goal" for many administrators that are unwilling to
sacrifice family and personal time for career advancement.
• With increased emphasis on building level improvement across
the nation, stability in both the principal and assistant roles are
vital to effectively implement initiatives and programs for
change.

3. Case Summary
Setting:
• Bentonville, Iowa
• Small farming community in northern Iowa with roughly
2,500 residents.
• Community pride is exceedingly high.
• Bentonville Junior/Senior High School
• Parents and school board members expect school
administrators to live in the community and take an active role
in Bentonville Junior/Senior High School activities.
• For someone who has never lived and worked in a small
community, this can be a major adjustment.

4. Case Summary
Bentonville Junior/Senior High School:
• Serves approximately 450 students.
• Is replacing George Stileke as a result of his retirement.
o Served as AP for 10 years.
o Teacher, coach and close friend to the Principal.
• The Principal, Oscar McCammick, has never worked in
another district.
o He has served in Bentonville as a science/math teacher, assistant
principal, and in his recent and most current position as the
Junior/Senior high school principal.

5. Case Summary continued
Scenario:
Hiring Process
• Started with an internal job search.
• No applicants as of early June
• Opened to external applicants by Superintendent Potter
• July 15 deadline
• Six applicants
 One eliminated due to lack of qualifications
 Five were sent to Principal McCammick
 Three out of the five eliminated
 Two Finalists:Norman Emons, 51 and Raymond
Tyler, 29.

6. Case Summary continued
The interview: Mr. Emons
• Middle School Teacher from Des Moines.
• Recently obtained license to qualify him for an AP position.
• Prior to seeking an administrative position, he owned a small
business with two other teachers.
• Business dissolved.
The interview: Mr. Tyler
• Teacher in Davenport
• Moved to Iowa to attend school.
• Lived with his family in a relatively affluent Chicago
Suburb.

7. Case Summary continued
The interview:
• During Tyler's interview he was asked how long he intended
to stay in the assistant principal position.
• He responded by asking them what there expectations were.
• Mr. Tyler satisfied them with a response indicating he
anticipated no issues staying for five years as he expected it
would take that long to complete his doctoral program on a
part time basis.
o Upon completion of his doctoral program he would like to
pursue a position as a principal or a professorship at a
university.

8. Case Summary continued ...
The Decision:
• The superintendent considered Tyler to be the better
candidate based upon recommendations and the interview.
• Principal McCammick was unsure how Tyler would fit in the
community and school.
o McCammick did not believe Tyler would stay more than a few
years, but he agreed to offer Tyler the position.
• Tyler moved into a small apartment within the school district
for the beginning of the first school year.
o He was very busy, and mildly overwhelmed by extra responsibilities
at school and his Ph.D. coursework.
o McCammick was pleased with his performance.

9. Case Summary continued ...
Conflict:
• After some time ,Tyler decided to move out of the district to
Lincoln.
• The principal began to doubt his decision once again.
• At Tyler's annual performance review, he was told that
some board members and parents were displeased with his
decision to move out of district.
o His evaluation was given a number of "above average" and
"average“ marks. However, a negative remark regarding his maturity
with students was noted.
• AP Tyler was still offered a new contract next year.
o Although disagreeing with parts of the evaluation, he signed the
contract for the following year.

10. Case Summary continued ...
Conflict:
• In late May, AP Tyler’s friends informed him the Principal
McCammick was asking other teacher’s if they know of AP
Tyler’s intentions for next school year.
• A week later, it was brought to the attention of Principal
McCammick that Tyler was seeking a new position in Chicago
when a principal called for a reference.
• After questioning Tyler about the job search, Tyler shared
that he was not actively seeking a position.
o His wife had just accepted a teaching position in a Chicago high
school and mentioned him to her principal.
o He indicated that he would still do his best and work in Bentonville if
he did not get the job.

11. Problems in the Case
What are the initial reasons for Asst. Principal Tyler's
intended departure?
• AP Tyler's fiancé accepted a position as a teacher in Chicago, and he
does not feel it would be an ideal situation living away from her.
• The Chicago position offers a better salary
• The Chicago position is likely to offer more opportunity for
advancement, while the Bentonville position offers little to no
opportunity for advancement
• AP Tyler never truly identified with or was accepted by the community
• AP Tyler's relationship with Principal McCammick has begun to
degrade since his first year performance review

12. Problems in the Case
What are the underlying issues surrounding AP Tyler's
possible departure?
• AP Tyler originally stated he did not have any problem to stay in a
position as an AP for at least 5 years before advancing to a
principalship or higher education
• The initial question by Principal McCammick was a loaded
question, as the candidate knows what the principal wants to
hear, and what he needs to say in order to gain employment
• Nothing is legally binding Tyler to the position for 5 years, nor is
anything binding the district to employ him for 5 years
• Relationships are strained between McCammick and Tyler, and job
stability may be a concern for him

13. Problems in the case
What are other possible problems in this case?
• What the superintendent and principal are looking for in an assistant
principal is not what they are hiring.
o The district had a difficult time gathering a well qualified and
diversified candidate pool.
• The district needs and wants longevity in the AP position for the
future to benefit their school community and it is not what they hired.
• Principal McCammick may have came across as a flawed or
ineffective leader to AP Tyler during the review process.
o It appears Principal McCammick's personal concerns with AP
Tyler's departure may have clouded his performance evaluation of
him.

14. Problems in the case
What the district wants:
• a motivated, driven, energetic AP, who is willing to stay in the position
for 5+ years without a desire to advance within the district
• someone familiar with, or even from, the Bentonville community that
will reside within and become an active member in the community
during his/her tenure there
What the district hired:
• a young, driven, and ambitious candidate that meets or exceeds the
professional qualities desired by the district
• a candidate that, from the beginning, gave red flags that he was not
going to meet the personality mold the principal was looking for, as
was the case with Norman Emons.

15. Legal Dimensions
• With apparent discontent with his current position and
recent evaluation, AP Tyler still signed a contract for the
next school year.
o Depending on the language in his contract, this could
result in a legal matter if he decides to break his
contract.
 Such a matter if the Bentonville district is able to
and pursues, can result in a filed
complaint, possible fine or other ramifications
depending on state laws in regards to contracts.
o This possibly could result in Mr. Tyler having no job at
all.

16. Possible Solutions
• Provide the Chicago principal with an appropriate
recommendation and aid Tyler in obtaining employment
there.
 Develop an exit plan for Tyler's departure to assist in a
smooth transition and delegation of his roles and
responsibilities until a new AP is hired.
 Rework the hiring process and expectations for the next
assistant principal with a better understanding of the
district's needs and realistic expected outcome
• Begin seeking interview applicants for a possible AP
opening, while asking AP Tyler to keep all parties informed of
his decision.

17. Possible Solutions
• Continue to deny providing Tyler with the recommendation
in an attempt to keep him in the district for the time being.
• Offer Tyler an incentive (i.e. salary or benefits) to stay in the
district, while working to heal the gap between the principal
and his assistant.
• Offer Tyler's wife a position within the district
o Help him find housing that would suit his needs.
o If this does not work, then the district should put together a policy to help
external applicants find appropriate housing in the area.

18. Analysis
• There are four main issues in this case study.
• The first is the natural progression of the assistant principal position.
o Gateway to principal position
o High turnover, as AP's leave once they get a job.
o In this case, AP Tyler does not want to leave to become a principal, rather
because of the location and his wife's job.
• The second issue is the ethical and legal dimension of AP Tyler's
career decision.
o A verbal promise is quite different from a signed contract. In many
cases, pursuing legal recourse are costly and take a long time.
o In this case, AP Tyler implied that he'd stay in Bentonville for at least five
years.
o He said that he wanted to work under an experienced principal for that
long. His conversation not quite as troubling as the fact that he signed a
contract for the next school term.
o If the school district wanted to pursue legal action, they could.

19. Analysis, Continued
• The third issue is the actual assistant principalship.
o Assistant principal positions vary from school to school and are quite
different from that of a teacher.
o An assistant principal needs a strong mentor in the principal in order
to be a successful leader.
o The case study says nothing about McCammick mentoring AP Tyler.
 There is evidence to support the opposite.
• The fourth issue in this case is the relationship between AP Tyler
and Principal McCammick.
o Principal McCammick had reservations about AP Tyler from the beginning.
o He was unsure whether or not Tyler would flourish in Bentonville.
o When the Principal and Assistant Principal relationship is strained, it can be
very difficult to carry on a harmonious working environment.

20. Analysis, Continued
• Living and working in the same small community can be challenging.
o Professionals may find it difficult to keep their professional and private lives
separate in a place where everyone knows each other.
• AP Tyler's personal life was not congruent with his professional life.
The required work beyond normal work hours surprised him.
• Personal issues also played a significant role on AP Tyler interest in
pursuing another position.
o Starting a PhD program.
o Fiancé living and working away from him.
• McCammick was angry at Tyler for not being professional by
informing him of his interest in another position.
• McCammick did not act professionally when he talked to teachers
about Tyler and refused to provide an adequate reference.

21. Possible Outcomes
• AP Tyler will move to Chicago.
o AP Tyler's fiancé is seemingly committed to the position in Chicago.
o More motivation for AP Tyler to want to move.
o Even if the Bentonville district could keep AP Tyler, they
may not want to.
 Distance from his fiancé and discontent at position will likely effect
his job performance.
• The district will have to rehire a new assistant principal to fill
the position left by AP Tyler.
o He may leave with minimal notice.
o May develop a professionally responsible exit plan.

22. Solution
• Rework the hiring process for the assistant principalship to extend to
other markets.
o Consider seeking external applicants earlier and for a longer
period of time.
o If possible, improve the salary and benefits package.
• The district essentially desires an administrative candidate from
within their own district, they must promote and develop internal
applicants through leadership roles within the district
o Provide tuition reimbursement packages for administrative
degrees
o Provide step or salary advancement for obtaining additional
college credit hours
o Build relationships among leaders within the faculty (i.e.
department chairs, committee leaders, and teachers who serve as
coaches)

23. Questions?
• What would you do if you were AP Tyler?
o Would you take the position if offered?
o Would you have told Principal McCammick?
• What would you do if you were Principal
McCammick?
o Would you have given a reference?
o Would you have spoke with AP Tyler differently?