Priorities become mismatched. Problems are not seen. Special-interest groups interfere. Internal divisions get transferred. Conditions and priorities change.
Boards find that the superintendent's strong points no longer fit the district's needs.
Successful administrators have done good work in the past and believe they will continue to do so. The confidence that energized their careers makes them oblivious to trouble. If the board and the administration are not in a healthy symbiosis, suspicion will grow, the superintendent's power and resolve will fade, and the board's confusion and resentment will be magnified. Internal board problems get transferred to the superintendent. Superintendents get caught in the middle of disagreements between factions of the board, and each side considers him or her the enemy.