Every principal has now selected a School Support Organization: either one of the four theme-based organizations headed by current regional superintendents, Empowerment or one of the Partnership Support Organizations (PSO). None of these organizations will rate/evaluate/hire or fire supervisors – that will be the role of the newly selected thirty-two community superintendents and the nine high school superintendents. Many are currently local instructional superintendents with close ties to their districts.
In the online registration process the principal “certifies” that s/he consulted with the School Leadership Team. At the May 9th Delegate Assembly a delegate asked “Who has the final decision?” The DOE rep answered “The principal,” and some in the audience jeered.
The creation of School Leadership Teams required that the Chapter Leader serve on the Team, however, while the Chapter Leader, and other teacher members may participate in discussions the “last word” is that of the Principal.
The C-30 process has always been a charade. Teachers participated in the process but ultimately the decision was that of the principal or the superintendent. Does participating in the selection of your boss tie you to the decision? In reality, schools with close relationships with Parent Associations have substantial impact on the process. Mirroring on the local level what the union is achieving on the City level.
In Europe it is commonplace for unions to have positions on corporate Boards of Directors – the system is called codetermination.
The entire question of consultation, consensus, and shared decision making are significant issues.
One of the key characteristics of effective schools is collaboration: between the principal and the staff and among staff members. In some schools the principals and the teachers are a team — interaction and collaboration are core premises. In too many schools all decisions are made in isolation by the principal. These schools are “factory model” schools, and, frequently, the product is less than the sum of the parts.
Would a “co-detemination” model work on the central School Board or local School Boards? Can you mandate consensus? Are Chapter sign offs empowering or obstructing?
As the current Mayoral control legislation moves towards sunset the question of what should replace it is both complex and crucial.
5 Comments:
1 Schoolgal
· May 22, 2007 at 6:56 pm
Peter,
This is a most interesting post. I think you already know my feelings on both mayoral control and/or “partnerships”, but I am most concerned with the role of teachers (union) on both SLTs and consultation committees.
This year our CC decided not to hold a meeting to discuss cluster positions despite objections from some teachers. Her argument was that the principal makes the final decision anyway. Teachers who wanted to propose clusters were shut out of the process. This used to be contractual, but maybe that’s changed too.
Others who had a vested interest in certain new cluster positions created by the principal were not invited to be part of the committee to write up these positions.
When we received our CC’s Consultation Newsletter, only one policy issue was discussed…the song that would be played after the morning pledge.
I think this senario answers your question about the future of chapters under the new rules.
2 Maestro
· May 23, 2007 at 7:23 am
Peter, I hope this means that the UFT is actively going to battle mayoral control of schools. Does it?
Mayoral control has been nothing less than a disaster for teachers in this system. It’s time that we exert our considerable power as a union and say NO.
3 James Calantjis
· May 24, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Unfortunately, SLT’s are a sham in NYC with Principals dominating the process. As a result the NYCDOE is in conflict with State Educational Law(Article 52A), CR100.11 (State Shared Decision Making mandates) and Chancellor’s Regulations B-801(School Based Budgeting) and A-655(School Leadership Teams.)The Principal is a member of the SLT(along with parents and teachers)which has the responsibility to create the CEP and develop the school budget through the process of shared decision making and concensus.I am an advocate for SLT reform. Please contact me for more information(calantjis@aol.com). If SLT’s are functioning according to mandates,the UFT Chapter Leader,teachers and parents will all become empowered in school affairs.
4 phyllis c. murray
· May 27, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Shared Decision Making is as American as Apple Pie
By Phyllis C. Murray
What every happened to the shared decision making process in education? Certainly, it is effective at the school level as an informed populace works toward improving teaching and learning within their school. The school leadership team in conjunction with parents, teachers, support staff, community members, and the principal are empowered to make decisions which impact the climate and culture of the school.
Surely, federal, state and district mandates are observed. However what is paramount is that the needs of the students are identified and met. And since the team meets monthly, opportunities are afforded to fine-tune the programs implemented. Research also takes place as best-practices are examined. And assessments are ongoing. Changes are not dictated but agreed upon by the members of the representative team and faculty and community ( the stake holders) prior to implementation. Thus, all persons, who hold a vested interest in this public school have a voice. Such an approach seems to mirror democracy in action as the responsibility, rights, or powers are placed in the hands of the school. And if this can be done at the school level successfully, why aren’t educators and parents a part of the Board of Education’s team ? Why aren’t educators and parents full participants in a shared decision making process…especially when all the top to bottom and unilateral decisions are being planned and implemented? And lastly, why are educators and parents only informed in the media of unilateral changes which impact their lives and the lives all children in New York City Public Schools?
Leo Casey is right:
“Make no mistake about it: we are clear that the management of our public schools need to be reformed, and that real decision making power needs to be devolved to the schools, in the hands of school leaders, teachers, and parents. We need real empowerment of schools, not rhetorical empowerment smokescreens. We need public schools accountable to the public, not outsourced to private entities in a perpetual deferral of accountability by its top leadership” 1/27/07
http://edwize.org/outsourcing-public-education-things-fall-apart-with-the-incremental-privatization-of-nyc-public-schools
Right on, Casey!
Phyllis C. Murray
UFT Chapter Leader
Region 2 District 8
5 Claire Fontaine » Blog Archive » Give me co-determination, or give me death!
· Jun 26, 2009 at 12:17 am
[...] the rather partisan UFT blog, weighs in on principals’ role in the aforementioned SSO (School Support Organization) selection, versus [...]