Key Area 4
Integrative Thinking
For this key area, I chose to demonstrate how I identify interrelationships and see organizations as living dynamic systems with a plan that I wrote for TTD 553. This is a very personally meaningful piece for me as it is covers a real issue that our community is facing at this time. The idea of school district downsizing and consolidation is very sensitive for all throughout the entire state of South Dakota at this time. There will be no cut and dried answers of how to handle these arising concerns, but there are certainly steps to be taken to ease the process for all those involved.
TTD
553
Personal
Transition and Change Management
By
Delesa Bosworth
The organizational change that I would like to outline for this paper is
one that I am encountering at present in my current teaching position.
Almost every teacher in the state is facing this particular change –
that of impending consolidation of small schools.
We here in White Lake are now facing an uncertain future and are insecure
about our own job security and even where our own children will possibly be
attending school in a few short years. The
atmosphere is tense and rumors abound.
All teachers speculate on whether they would be a “good” candidate
for staff reduction. Are those with
seniority safe because they have been there longer, have job experience, and
their past performance to speak for their credentials?
Or are those at the top of the salary schedule the first to go so that
new individuals can be hired to fill the position at a lower wage? No one feels immune to the threat of whatever the future may
hold. We have witnessed cuts
already initiated with the classified staff and realize that the hazard is very
real.
How is a school district in such a time as this to get through this transition as seamlessly as possible? Maybe the first place to start in this situation is with the endings. More than just the loss of jobs is at stake in a situation such as this one. In trying to identify who would be affected by a change such as a consolidation the teachers and administration themselves are really just the tip of the iceberg. In this particular scenario, each and every member of the community will feel the impact of the changes that are imminent for the future. The students, of course, must be held in highest regard when considering any possible line of action. They are the whole reason behind the establishment in the first place and their needs must be kept in the forefront at all times.
Moving on from the obvious people who will be suffering loss at this point of transition, we need to consider others who will play a roll in the change. In all small towns, you have the community members to consider. There are those in this town who will face the loss of their alma mater as they once knew it. Some individuals in White Lake were born here, attended twelve years of school here, and now live, work, and raise their own family’s here. They do not want that to change. They have the future of their children to protect as well as the memories of the past that are very familiar to them.
There are also community members who have moved to White Lake simply because they chose to have their child attend a small school in a nice community. A little background history on White Lake is very revealing here. White Lake, as a town, is doing all it can to attract new families to White Lake in order to increase enrollment in the school. Many families have come here because of the affordable housing, proximity to Mitchell or Chamberlain where they drive to work, and openness of the community to welcome them here. These families are trying to settle in and establish roots of their own. They do not want to face another large upheaval in their life again that could possibly include another relocation for their family.
Another sect of the community to consider is the business district. Within White Lake, a common saying heard on the streets that may be included in any conversation involving the school is, “No school, no town.” The belief is that if the school closes in White Lake, it will lead to the certain doom of their businesses. A variety of the individuals mentioned above have bonded together in White Lake to form the Community Development Board which is doing all that it can to see that the town remains prosperous and to try to attract new families to the community.
On the other hand, there are individuals who want what is best for their children, but not at the cost of everything they own. Farmers particularly want to keep taxes at a minimum to ensure that they continue to operate profitably. This group of individuals tends to be at odds with the Community Development Board in this particular situation that puts the school in the middle of a community wide struggle.
The biggest problem that the administrators of the White Lake School face at this current juncture of time is the uncertainty of what the future will hold for all small schools in the state. No one can predict how the funding will come down from the state and how much longer we will be able to operate on the current budget allotment that we have. Recognizing all the different factions that hold stake in this transition and how highly emotional most involved become over these issues, one must tread carefully.
To make matters worse, there is not going to be a swift, clean ending to this situation. If the school does have to close, it will go one small piece at a time with cuts to specified areas first before there is a final decision.
Now that we recognize who the players in this scenario are and realize what they all have to lose, we can move forward to determine what might make this reality a little less harsh for all involved. The foremost complaint that I hear from all sides of the issue is that there is a lack of information. Starting with the central issue, money, is one aspect of the formula. The general public needs to be well versed in how the school gets its money and how it spends its money. This is information that the public receives in the newspaper and at school board meetings, but an in-depth explanation of what happens in the process of running a school is always an apt reminder. This could be done in the form of an informational public meeting delivered by the school’s business manager with a follow up story in the newspaper for those who could not attend the meeting. Having this information on hand would clear up confusion about why certain cuts must be made in the way that the school is now being run.
Next, the public needs up to date reports on changes in status and new developments to keep community members and staff abreast of any progress that has been made. Not only does the public need to be informed of local school board decisions, but also new legislation passed by state and federal governments must be passed on and even interpreted as to what effects it will have on White Lake School. One example of this is the “No Child Left Behind” legislation coming down from the federal government. Once again, this is public information and some people within the community probably already know and understand the impact that it will have on the school. However, there are other individuals who may not understand that within the upcoming year, school funds will be closely linked with the scores students receive on standardized testing. This information could effect they way that the school board chooses to allocate funds in order to ensure that the children are adequately prepared for those tests. This could be done through updates in the school newsletter, newspaper editorials, or, once again, public meetings.
Other decisions, such as those made by the school board, also need to be brought to light. There is so much speculation the day after there is a school board meeting that has gone into executive session to have private discussions. Understanding that not all information is for public knowledge, many fears will be set at ease when people have an honest picture of what direction the school board will be taking. Even if it means that they will possibly be losing their job, people want to hear it up front personally rather than through a letter or note in their mailbox.
Being prepared for the future rather than sitting back and waiting for it to happen also helps set people at ease. A plan of action mapped out for budget saving for the next two to three years allows people to make the proper adjustments to get ready versus waiting for the shoe to drop. Letting teachers know that classroom consolidation for small future classes lets them plan for a whole new teaching style. The teacher who has been accustomed to teaching twelve fourth graders may have to prepare to teach eighteen third and fourth graders in the next two years.
Another step that will help alleviate fears is to request feedback from the teachers themselves. How would they feel was the most fair way to reassign teaching roles in this new situation? This lets them have ownership into the transition process and lets them know that they have not been forgotten as individuals.
Providing teacher training is also a key to helping the transition process. There is a plethora of new information that teachers must pass on to their students at the present time. Now the teachers will be in a different setting, perhaps with a grade or subject that is unfamiliar to them, or a classroom style that is unusual. If teachers feel prepared for what is being laid out in front of them, they can tackle the problems with effective strategies and confidence. They will avoid that lost floundering period it takes to sort out the new roles they will be assuming. This training could come in the form of all-day in-services or by allowing teachers time and funds to attend training sessions.
A memorial would be devised to acknowledge all the committed staff that have dedicated themselves to teaching in the White Lake School. The memorial would let them know that they are appreciated and honor the hard work that they do. This could be created in the form of a book or even a plaque stating the names and dates of service by those involved. It would show that the staff is more than just a dollar figure amount that must be reduced in order to balance the budget. The memorial would show the staff as the individuals they are.
Last of all, the administration needs to be open with the staff. Acknowledge the fears that are bound to be felt by those whose jobs are on the line and listen to their input. The school leaders cannot avoid the topic when it is brought up, but speak openly and try to offer what sympathy and encouragement they can to keep morale up.
No matter how this scenario plays out five years down the road, the changes within the White Lake School District are bound to be immense. The adjustment will be difficult at some stages, but the education of the children must be the focus of all discussion. Their needs have to be central to decisions made now and in the future by all who are involved.