Over the next year, seven long-serving state schools chiefs are scheduled to step down, taking with them a combined 77 years of leadership experience and leaving questions about the evolving role of a state's top education officer. The reasons for their departures vary, including policy conflicts with governors, term limits, and the simple desire for a change after years at the helm of a state education agency. The turnover comes at a precarious time for public schools, with state budgets in turmoil, the federal No Child Left Behind Act in flux, and education, as always, a contentious political issue. In this article, the author discusses how this turnover poses a leadership challenge.