Identification of the causes of job stress for public school superintendents, with a focus on personal-experiential and task variables, is the purpose of this study. Methodology involved a mail survey of 1,531 randomly selected superintendents. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and multiple regression correlation (MCR) analysis were used to determine the relationships among perceptions of job safety, personal variables, and task variables. Findings indicate that a majority of superintendents have positive feelings about their safety on the job. A positive relationship exists between job safety and 22 of the task variables, and no relationship exists between the personal-experiential variables and job safety. A total of 106 recommendations are offered for reducing job stress and improving job safety, with emphases on personal growth, administrative cooperation, and contract negotiation. Tables present statistical findings of the survey. An extensive bibliography is included. (LMI)