The average school superintendent in this country only stays on the job for about two and a half years.

After 24 years in Fulton, Superintendent Mark Enderle is taking a similiar job with the Fort Osage School District near Kansas City.

"I'm going from one ideal setting to another," Enderle said.

He's been a teacher, principal, athletic director, and...

"I drove the bus in there," he said.

For the past 11 years he's been the guy in charge.

"It's fun to build something, it's painful to take away from it especially when you know it's going to impact the quality of the program," Enderle said.

Recently, Enderle had to cut $1.5 million from the district's budget.

"I would like to look someone in the eye and say we're fine, it didn't effect us, but it does. If it didn't effect us we wouldn't have had it in the first place," Enderle said.

He says superintendents of today must have a keen business sense.

"At the end of the day unless you're the federal government you can't print money; our resources are very finite at the end of the day we have to make sure our bills are paid," he said.

He says there's a difference between running a school district and running a company.

"Unlike businesses we can't control revenue. We can control expenses but our revenue is not dependent on a product," Enderle said.

Enderle is leaving Fulton on his terms, but it doesn't always happen that way.

"Most superintendents know where they are on the organizational chart, they're not on top so when the board wants something it's up to the superintendent to carry out the wishes of the board," he said.

He says superintendents need to be leary of a divided school board.

"If they're not speaking with one voice it's difficult to follow through with what they want cause there's a disparity between and then no matter what direction you go there's going to be someone upset," he said.

Enderle was Fulton's athletic director 20 years ago. He's a firm believer in extracurricular activities.

"When you're looking for a job do they care if you were conference golf champion or first chair flute, they don't - it's a shame when we're talking cuts that we do look at because there are a lot of educations in life one comes in the classroom with books, etc. It can also happen on the football field, stage, FAA or band," Enderle said.

Fulton's new superintendent is Jacque Cowherd who served many years as an assistant superintendent in the Columbia district.