The New Principal - Margaret Carter

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These items are usually covered in principals’ training meetings or at a special training provided by the school district and/or state department of education. Meet with your immediate supervisor before you have to meet with a judge regarding parent organization funds. Although legally the principal may not be held liable for parent organizations and their misuse of funds, incidents of improper handling of money will always reflect badly on the principal.

      Is There a Formal Staff Union or

      Teacher Organization?

      Schools with strong and active unions will function and focus differently than schools without union influence. There will be a union handbook. Become thoroughly familiar with this legally binding agreement. Some staff members seem to hide behind union rules to mask their ineffectiveness in the classroom while preserving their right to remain employed. Make certain that you have introduced yourself to the union representative and the teacher representative before you have to meet them in a more contentious setting.

      The role of the teachers union has changed since the 1970s when unions were new. Teacher unions were formed, in part, due to unfair practices that were in place. Such practices included incompetence, negligence, or ignorance on the part of some school districts or administrators. There was also a need to outline standard practices of employment and working conditions within schools. Over time, school unions became powerful, at times more powerful than the district itself. This resulted in incompetent staff members who were able to remain on the job, resulting in the suffering of children’s education. The relationship between unions and schools became adversarial.

      At this writing, teacher unions have shifted toward working with teachers in conjunction with the administration for the good of both parties. It is a much more collaborative process, which helped children’s education.

      Know the School’s Finances and Sources of Income: Federal, State, Local, Special

      All money is not the same. Federal money buys certain items and can be used only a certain way; state money buys teachers and books; local (district) money usually buys items particular to your school. Special money is grant money or comes from sources that you have procured on your own. There is a department or person assigned to help you with using your funds; although much of it you will not “see.”

      The district or state education department will spend money for you and pass the resources to your school. Should you have money that you have complete control over, establish an advisory team. Remember that “people may not always have their way, but they will have their say.” The school district or state education department will help you to stay in compliance with the guidelines that come with school money.

      Are There External Resources That Can Be Accessed?

      Some schools are fortunate to have generous donors with deep pockets and have to choose how to use the additional funding. This situation brings a set of problems and issues of its own. There may be strings attached or qualifications that must be met to receive the funding. Be sure these conditions are legal, moral, and ethical and for the ultimate good of all students and the school in its entirety.

      Other schools struggle with minimal funding and have to scrape and beg for additional funds. These principals find they must spend time exploring new funding sources and learn to apply for grants. It is illegal for principals to procure loans for their school. This leaves grants—public and private. Grant writing has become much easier than it was in the past. Once a grant has been written and approved, grant writing becomes more attractive and easier. Become an expert information (data) gathering machine. You’ll learn which data pieces are most often asked for and you will begin to gather information as it becomes available throughout the years. Establish a file for achievement data so it will be at your fingertips at a moment’s notice. Learn to analyze and connect the dots to an increase in student achievement, attendance, or whatever your goal may be.

      Most grantors simply want to know about your school: its students, challenges, and needs. They need to understand how you plan to tackle the situation and how you plan to spend the resource (not always money) they will give you. Once you win and receive your grant, grant writing will become a habit; just another part of what you do.

      How Does the School Function within

      the Neighborhood?

      When neighbors or community organizations think of your school, what is their first thought? Is the school seen as a Monday-through-Friday institution where kids are dropped off at eight o’clock and picked up at three and weekends are silent? Or is your school a fully functioning community school, open on weekends, complete with basic health care, where you can get vaccinations and basic health screenings? Is there a staff of social workers who are there to assist families? Is your school’s library open after hours for parents to bring kids for checkout or story time?

      How about its availability for constituents to pay nominal fees to host gatherings, community sporting events, or other activities? Maybe your school is an official storm shelter. All these factors influence how people perceive your school, and by extension, how they see you. If you feel that something is missing from your school’s image, work with your staff to develop a short (five questions) survey to find out how your community feels about your school. Contact your district’s public information office. They may already have this data on file for you to review.

      Does the School Have a History of Constant Crisis or Is It a Calm Oasis of Learning?

      When people think of your school, what is the first thing that comes to their minds? Is it the big fight that burst out last week and the police had to respond? Or are there pleasant memories of young people playing soccer in the open playground on a weekend morning?

      A principal will function and focus on issues much differently at a chaotic school than at a school in a more stable environment. Keeping gang violence out of school requires a different skill set than keeping parents from overstepping their boundaries within the classroom. A word of caution for administrators in unsettled schools: Placing too much focus on negative, nonacademic behaviors will turn the school into a prison. In this type of environment, the goal is to warehouse students until they can be further incarcerated. Is this what you want your school to be?

      To address this issue, you’ll need to consider making changes to the traditional way that students are identified for advanced programs. Make a special effort to identify students who might fall through the cracks between academics and athletics. These students may be successful in one of the special academic programs or an activity that does not involve sports ability to get involved.

      There may be, and probably are, barriers to participating in extracurricular activities, such as transportation needed in order to stay after school or to come in early. Instead of holding on to traditional qualifications to participate, pave a way for these students to join. An educator’s mission is to develop students, not to capitalize on what is already there. This kind of guidance is what many children and their families are seeking from the adults at school.

      What Are the Customs or Traditions of the School?

      Finding out about the important events at school can begin with your personal, firsthand experience. If you attended the school or lived in the area, you definitely have the advantage. Examine the budget to see how and where the money is spent. Look at the activities schedule and the weekly calendars.

      Establish a solid schedule of activities. Avoid changing major activities if at all possible. Additional unexpected activities can place a burden on everyone involved. Canceling activities can lead people to feel something is going wrong and to wonder why. Learn to defend your schedule by vetoing almost all impromptu activities unless it is an emergency. This applies to school-wide activities. Individual classrooms of course, have much more leeway, although the goal is to still have a steady, reliable list of activities. Reach out to each department to find out what they have planned. Sponsors of these activities will usually ask for a

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