A Principal's Guide to School Politics - National Association of ...

POLITICS ANDTHE PRINCIPALSHIPA Principal’sGuide toSchoolBenjamin Piltch and Robert FredericksA pair of veteran retired principalsoffer some practical adviceon how to deal with school politics—and stay out of trouble.10Principal ■ January/February 2005www.naesp.org

PoliticsAs a principal, it is almost impossible toavoid situations where political considerationsaffect your decision-making.You learn to live with it, but it can be difficultwhen you have to deal with rumors, inferences,innuendo, exaggerations, and outright lies.IN BRIEFThis article provides experience-basedsuggestions for principals on howto anticipate and avoid situationsinvolving political considerations indealings with parents, teachers,teacher unions, the central office,parent organizations, school boards,and community groups.100% RAG PRODUCTIONS, INC./TAXIPrincipal ■ January/February 2005 11

For example, we know of a principalwho was summoned by the superintendentafter he and a committee ofteachers selected one of the school’sbest teachers to mentor two new teachers.The problem was that two sets ofvery politically savvy parents of childrenin the teacher’s class didn’t wanttheir children to lose her. They went tothe school board and the board sentword to the superintendent to pressurethe principal to choose a differentmentor.As it turned out, the only teacherwho met the superintendent’s criteria—anoutstanding veteran teacherwho would mentor the new teachersfor four periods a week—was the principal’soriginal selection. The issue wassettled quickly, but not before this“mini-crisis” cost the principal a weekof sleepless nights and anxiety.Unpleasant situations like this ariseall the time in schools, but thereare ways for principals to minimizeaggravationand stay outof trouble “Ensure that all yourteachers receivetraining…in suchcontroversial areas ascorporal punishment…harassment, and sexeducation.”when dealing with their variousconstituencies.Parents and Teachers■ Establish uniform disciplinaryprocedures early in the year and makesure they are followed.■ Meet with teachers regularly to“sniff out” potential problems and planways to prevent them.■ Visit classes often so that if aparent complains about a teacher, youcan state that you have observed theteacher performing correctly and beable to describe what you saw. Forexample, if the accusation is that theteacher gives no homework, you cansay that you saw homework written onthe board during each visit to theteacher’s classroom.■ Discuss privately with teacherscomplaints about them that come toyou from parents and children, but trynot to reveal the identity of those makingthe complaints. If you must revealthis information, make sure the teachersdo not punish children for theircomplaints or those of their parents.■ Make certain that teachers understandthat they are never to leave aclass unsupervised. A teacher who wassued for negligence when a childbroke his ankle in the gym was able towin the case when she could prove thatshe had told the class three times asthey left the gym to stay in line. Theboy had ignored her instructions andreturned to the gym to shoot basketswhen he was injured.■ Teachers should also be told that12Principal ■ January/February 2005www.naesp.org

they are not to meet alone with a childoutside of a normal classroom settingduring school hours, such as duringlunch or preparation time. Falseaccusations can be hard to disprovein such circumstances.■ Ensure that all your teachers receivetraining in keeping with districtpolicies and community values in suchcontroversial areas as corporal punishment,verbal and physical harassment,and sex education.Teacher Unions■ Keep the union leaders in yourschool informed of potential changesbefore the changes are introduced.■ Gain the trust of union leaders bybeing honest with them and involvingthem in discussions of new programsand current problems.■ Meet with union leaders at leastonce a month and exchange agendaitems a few days in advance to avoidsurprises. These meetings will keepyou informed of the union’s concerns“Involve the unionin…plans to help weakteachers. This can helpminimize opposition whenit becomes necessary toinitiate the terminationprocess…”and give you opportunities to makenecessary changes.■ Involve the union in setting upplans to help weak teachers. This canhelp minimize opposition when itbecomes necessary to initiate thetermination process for an incompetentteacher.The Central Office■ Read your superintendent’smemos carefully and share them withyour secretary, your assistant principal,and a few trusted teachers. Theirinsight, advice, and input will behelpful in framing your responses.■ Be sure to respond to all centraloffice communication in a timelyfashion.■ Contact the central office immediatelyif there is an emergency. Don’twait until after the event.■ Develop good relationships withthe central office staff so that they willrespond to your concerns quickly.■ When attending required meetingswith your superintendent, askquestions regarding situations aboutwhich you are unclear. But if you havecomplaints or serious concerns, seethe superintendent or an appropriatecentral office administrator privately.Parent Organizations■ Keep your school’s parent organizationfully informed of current issuesas well as any proposed changes.■ Attend their meetings and helpthem obtain interesting speakers oncurrent topics. For example, onewww.naesp.org Principal ■ January/February 2005 13

principal was able to get a central officespeaker to describe the structureof the school’s physical education programafter parents raised concernsabout whether it was in compliancewith state and district regulations.■ Pay attention to concernsexpressed by members of your parentorganization and follow up. If youdon’t have the answers, get back tothem when you do.School Boards■ Although most school boardmembers are sincerely interested inseeing to the needs of the schools intheir district, there are some who runfor a school board seat because of thepower involved. Their requests oftenbecome very political and principalsneed to be extremely cautious.■ You don’t want to offend schoolboard members by openly defyingthem, but you still must be ethical inresponding to their requests in anhonest and straightforward way.Community Groups■ Local organizations can be veryhelpful in obtaining funding for schoolprograms and equipment, providingvolunteers, and supporting yourschool’s reputation. But keep in mindthat the leaders of these organizationsare not experts on education and thatyou need to be careful about allowingthem to make decisions on sensitivematters. Even the perception that theyare making educational decisions canbe problematic.■ Attend as many meetings of localcivic associations and communitygroups as you can.“Be aware of what variousconstituencies…feel aboutyour school and what theywould like to see in thenear and distant future.”■ Get to know the key leaders andask to speak at their meetings. Givethem annual updates on school eventsand activities. A community group thatinitially opposed busing because membersfelt it would hurt neighborhoodproperty values changed its mind afterthe principal, who had spoken at eachof their last six annual meetings,explained why busing would be goodfor the school. They had learned totrust his judgment.Universal Suggestions■ Be honest at all times. Keepeveryone in the loop with regard toconcerns you know they will haveabout ongoing or future programs.■ Be aware of what various constituencies—parents,teachers, thecentral office, and the community—feel about your school and what theywould like to see in the near anddistant future.■ Maintain an open-door policy andwelcome those with concerns they wishto discuss with you.■ Whenever you leave the buildingduring the school day, be sure you toinform your secretary and designateyour assistant principal, if you haveone, or a lead teacher to act in yourabsence. Make sure your faculty knowswho your designee is and let the officestaff know where you are going so youcan be notified in an emergency.■ Notify all concerned when thereis a crisis. For example, if there is anoutbreak of pediculosis, notify teachersand parents to assure them that theschool nurse has the situation undercontrol.■ Encourage all constituencies toseek out all the facts, separating outpolitical implications, before jumpingto conclusions on any issue. Set anexample by being knowledgeable, fair,understanding, tolerant, sincere,even-handed, and compassionate inyour behavior and decision-making. PBenjamin Piltch and Robert Fredericksare retired principals who are coauthoringa book on the principalship.Piltch’s e-mail address is bpiltch@bellsouth.net. Fredericks’ e-mail address isnbfred@aol.com.WEB RESOURCES“Dismissing the IncompetentTeacher,” published in StreamlinedSeminar in March 1999, has advicefor checking the political climatebefore beginning the dismissalprocess.www.naesp.org/ContentLoad.do?contentld=766Public Agenda reports on a nationalsurvey of concerns expressedby principals and superintendentsin Rolling Up Their Sleeves: Superintendentsand Principals Talk aboutWhat’s Needed to Fix Public Schools.www.publicagenda.org/research_reports_details.cfm?list=9In “The Embattled Principal,”NAESP Executive Director VincentFerrandino addresses some of thepolitical barriers faced by today’sprincipals.www.naesp.org/ContentLoad.do?contentld=96614Principal ■ January/February 2005www.naesp.org

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