Region's school districts leading the way in opportunities for female superintendents

Women long have played a central role in education, but they often are left out of central administration.

Women make up up 3 in 4 public school teachers nationwide but account for only about 1 in 4 superintendents, both in Pennsylvania and nationwide.

Still, there have been inroads over the past decade.

The percentage of women serving as superintendents of U.S. public school districts has increased from 24% in 2010 to nearly 27%, according to the American Superintendent 2020 Decennial Study from the AASA, known as the School Superintendents Association.

“We’re proud of these gains and remain committed to serving all of our superintendents, and our work to do so includes specific supports and programs to recruit and retain high-quality female educators out of the classroom and into the superintendency pathway,” said Noelle Ellerson Ng, associate executive director of advocacy and governance at AASA.

Parts of Southwestern Pennsylvania are ahead of the national trend.

Of the dozen school districts serving the Alle-Kiski Valley, half are led by women: Burrell, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel Area, Highlands, Kiski Area and Leechburg.

In Westmoreland County, women hold the top spot in six of the county’s 17 school districts — about 35% of the districts. In Allegheny County, 13 of the county’s 43 school districts are led by a woman, or about 30%, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

It was a challenge, many said, to prove themselves.

Monique Mawhinney became superintendent at Highlands in 2019 after spending 28 years working as a special education teacher, principal, director of student services and assistant superintendent, among other positions.

She said it was common to battle gender-based biases and double standards.

“One of the more frustrating experiences was seeing how men in leadership were applauded for being tough and holding people accountable for doing their job,” said Mawhinney, who is the second woman to serve as Highlands’ leader. Karol Galcik was superintendent in 2006. “As a female leader, I was perceived as being mean or aggressive when doing the same thing.”

Her biggest takeaway? Those obstacles made her stronger, Mawhinney said.

“These difficulties made me a more confident leader,” she said. “I would face them as a challenge myself, and it motivated me that much more to prove I was qualified for the position.”

In the Greater Latrobe School District, recently retired Superintendent Georgia Teppert said she followed early advice from a mentor: “You’ll have to work twice as hard to prove yourself.”

An administrator for 28 years, Teppert took the words to heart, though she said she feels the challenges were more striking early in her career.

As a young principal, Teppert said she faced gender biases that she believes have waned over the years. Administrative positions are tough for anyone, she said.

“The hours are many, and there are situational challenges,” she said. “As far as gender-based challenges, I believe the tide has turned.”

Nancy Hines, who has served as Penn Hills School District superintendent for eight years, said she experienced sexism during a job interview for a high school principal position.

“A gentleman looked at me and asked, ‘Honey, do you think you can handle these big kids?’ ” Hines said.

She said she responded quickly and confidently, pointing first to her muscles, saying, “I don’t need these.” And then she pointed to her head. “I only need my brain,” she told the interviewer.

She got the job.

Hines also served as a principal in the Steel Valley School District, and she held an administrative role in the Gateway School District.

“During my years as high school principal, the times were very male-dominated,” Hines said. “My personality has helped me to counter obstacles, to a point. I’m direct, and I don’t think it gives people on the other end much time to argue my capabilities. They know where I stand.”

Quaker Valley School District Superintendent Tammy Andreyko is in her fourth year serving the 1,900 students enrolled in the district.

Andreyko, of Sewickley, began her career teaching English in Chesapeake, Va., for five years.

She previously served as an assistant principal, principal and assistant superintendent for 21 years at North Allegheny School District.

Andreyko, 52, said her gender does not make her less able to gather facts, negotiate with others and guide the needs of young people.

“I believe when superintendents have a supportive team and a trusting school board, great things can happen. People need to see women thriving in these roles more often,” said Andreyko, who earned her doctorate in Educational Supervision from the University of Pittsburgh.

Describing the job as “all encompassing,” Andreyko said the superintendent job is time-intensive and political.

“Male or female, one has to be at a place in his or her career when a work-life balance can be established and maintained, said Andreyko, referring to the career challenge of having young children active in their own school pursuits. “I’ve always used my experiences as a mother to help guide my decisions with empathy. There may be stereotypes that exist that women guide with a different kind of emotion from their male counterparts.”

‘All in this together’

Before becoming superintendent of the Leechburg Area School District in 2016, Tiffany Nix worked on her doctoral dissertation at Indiana University of Pennsylvania titled “The Phenomenon of the Lived Experiences of Five Female Superintendents.”

The work focused on numerous topics pertaining to female superintendents and how women can be judged differently in any leadership role. Comparing a superintendent role to a CEO position, Nix said the job can present extreme pressures that accompany the responsibilities of running a school district.

“We are paid well, and our organizations deserve the very best of us at all times,” said Nix, who has family roots in Leechburg.

She praised women’s abilities to multitask as a key leadership skill that all top administrators must possess.

“If a school board is looking for a person to run a district with skill, grit and determination, then I would think they would consider female applicants,” Nix said. “This in no way diminishes the strength and success of my male colleagues. They are my mentors and friends. We’re all in this together.”

Among common barriers women teachers face in becoming superintendents, Nix listed:

• lack of family support

• gender discrimination

• personal confidence in the ability to do the job

• managing the time demands of the position while raising a family

• not having supportive colleagues

• inability or desire to relocate

• failing to identify with a mentor

She is proud to have “beaten the odds.”

“There are not many of us, and definitely not a large number of women,” said Nix, 44, who began her educational career as a social worker in the Highlands School District. She also served as assistant principal and principal of Riverview Junior/Senior High School in Oakmont.

Hempfield Area Superintendent Tammy Wolicki, 54, said her journey to superintendent may have been easier than others and attributed her successes to three female mentors: Barbara Marin, her predecessor at Hempfield, and Jeanne Smith and Anne Stephens of Fox Chapel Area School District. Wolicki said they recognized her leadership potential and offered mentoring and encouragement.

“It’s my role to turn and offer the same to others as we all have an obligation to leadership to those that will succeed,” Wolicki said.

Great expectations

Fox Chapel Area Superintendent Mary Catherine Reljac has been a school administrator for more than 20 years, including serving as an assistant superintendent in the Franklin Regional School District.

She said she is concerned about declining enrollment in teacher preparation programs nationwide.

“When the number of teachers declines, the number of educational leaders and superintendents decreases in future years,” Reljac said.

According to AASA, 91 of Pennsylvania’s 500 superintendents left their positions in 2021.

“From my view, the barriers to the superintendency are less about gender and more about the expectations others have for the role,” said Reljac, noting communities expect many things from their schools.

Misty Slavic has been at the helm of the Kiski Area School District for six months. She is the first woman to hold the top post in the district.

Being a superintendent is a “dream come true,” and surrounding herself with strong female mentors has helped to guide her career path, Slavic said.

Among her career stops were stints teaching eighth grade English and, later, technology at New Kensington-Arnold School District.

“I don’t know if I’d had to work harder because of my gender, but I do know I’ve worked very hard as an educator to expand my educational foundation and continually learn as much as I can so that I can serve students, staff and families of Kiski Area effectively,” said Slavic, 44, of Cranberry.

Shannon Wagner has held the top job at Burrell School District since 2009.

With 21 years serving the district, Wagner said she is pleased to see so many women in leadership in education in the Alle-Kiski Valley.

“I count many of them as friends and appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with so many great leaders,” she said.

Wagner credits one trait as a key skill set many women bring to the role.

“I believe being a female superintendent brings a level of intuitiveness and understanding to the job that enhances leadership in comparison to male counterparts,” Wagner said.

Building a deeper bench

At Highlands, the trend of female administrators is especially evident. The No. 2 in command also is a woman: Cathleen Cubelic. In addition, 14 of 21 central office and building leaders are females.

“These decisions were not based on the gender of the candidate but rather who was the most qualified and skilled for the position,” said Mawhinney, whose district enrolls more than 2,200 students.

“I would love to think that Dr. Cubelic and I are paving the way for female lead administrators. I hope we are proving ourselves as competent and effective leaders through the goals we are accomplishing versus just focusing on the fact that we are two women in lead administrative roles.”

Highlands School Board member Kristie Babinsack didn’t think twice about gender when it came time to hiring a superintendent in 2019. In fact, Mawhinney was approved unanimously by the nine-member board.

“I feel whoever is most qualified to run a district with education, experience and strong leadership qualities should be the determining factors,” Babinsack said. “Districts need a strong leader who can drive the district in the direction of its mission and always has the district’s best interest.”

Babinsack said the district has had superior male and female leaders, and she believes the best way to judge a superintendent’s performance is by the direction of the district.

“If positive things are happening and you can see changes beginning to bring the district forward for the improvement of the staff and students, then you know you have the right person in place,” she said.

At Yough School District, Superintendent Janet Sardon said she has not felt the need to prove much based on gender.

“Overall, I’ve been supported by the people I’ve worked with and worked for,” said Sardon, who led the West Mifflin Area School District before her 11 years at Yough.

There have been many occasions where Sardon has had to build trust with a co-worker, but she said being a woman has not put her at a competitive disadvantage.

“I’m not saying I’ve never had issues, but I’ve looked at it as sometimes people don’t understand the responsibilities,” she said. “I haven’t felt it was a male/female thing. If it was, I didn’t give time to those people.

“I know you always have to prove yourself, and I’m just built like that.”

Fortunately, Sardon said, women leaders have a multitude of support in today’s world. The Women in Academic Leadership program at Pitt and professional development through the State Consortium for Public Education are two of the better-known programs.

“Mentoring good leadership is critical to the future of public education,” Sardon said. “I am doing my best to mentor and give back so that future leaders thrive.”

Joyce Hanz and Tawnya Panizzi are Tribune-Review staff writers. Contact Joyce at 724-226-7725 or jhanz@triblive.com and Tawnya at 724-226-7726 or tpanizzi@triblive.com.