“There were far fewer candidates,” May said. “We had better numbers for assistant principals, but those higher level vacancies are getting more difficult to fill.”

Sandy Gundlach works for the Minnesota School Boards Association and advises school boards during superintendent searches. She said a lack of people entering the field combined with challenging economic and political climates have made searches more difficult — but not impossible.

By conducting searches as early in the year as possible and by having a process in place for the actual work of the search, Gundlach said districts can increase their chances for success.

“Another part of it is just marketing the district,” she said. “There’s a lot of competition for the good candidates.”