Human Resource Leaders – Many times we think of human resource managers as a part of a department. In actuality, all principals are in a sense a human resource manager due to the things that they have to deal with on a daily basis since they make numerous decisions about people. School leaders must make good hiring decisions and place strong teachers in critical grades in order to help student achievement. They also must make sure that the culture and of the school is about supporting teacher’s work.
Recruiting Teachers and Essential Functions – Recruiting teachers is always something that needs to be on the radar of a school leader. They need to be aware of needs and shortages within their buildings. They also need to know what potential staffing they have in the building. Are there paraprofessionals that are certified? Are their teachers that might make a better fit in a different content area or grade? The American Disabilities Act is another component to be considered when looking for teachers. These are essential items that have to be included in the job description citing duties that are critical for success in the job. Collective bargaining districts also need to be certain to follow any specifics laid out in union contracts regarding hiring, responsibilities and duties of every role within the school. If criteria for hiring or job responsibilities over time have changed, those need to be accurately reflected in the job descriptions that are posted.
Interviewing for Selection – Human resource roles involve a great deal of hiring. In doing so it is important to understand the interview process for selection of employees in the district. There are two basic components to the selection process, the screening interview and the selection interview. The screening interview is used to make eliminations of candidates that will not make it to the next phase. This is typically for not meeting the district standards. They may not have the experience needed or have contradicting beliefs about teaching. Any candidate that passes the screening interview would then be scheduled for a selection interview. Here it is determined whether an applicant is going to be a good fit with the culture of the school. Things for a school leader to consider for a selection interview is to compile a team for the interview, taking notes through the process to avoid confusion, taking reliability and validity into consideration and to keep it consistent. In addition, to questions, interview teams should observe candidates body language.
Use of Tests for Selection of Administrators, Women in Administration and Selecting Other Support Personnel – Seyfarth discusses that many districts have begun using other criteria such as written tests or assessment centers to choose administrators. This is similar to the extra criteria used within my organization for administrators with what is referred to as a “top grade” interview. All administrators have to meet criteria in curriculum, data and marketing. With a predominantly high female population in education, it stands to reason that women will be filling administrative positions which may mean putting in place extra supports. While women do bring a lot of qualities that are valuable, they have also admitted that having a mentor has been helpful in improving their leadership skills. In selecting other school support personnel such as social workers, counselors, school psychologists, aides, library specialist, substitute teachers and secretaries, it is important to remember the importance of these roles within a building. The roles need to be filled with highly qualified, certified people. School leaders need to be aware of the importance of their role in a building and to ensure that support positions in their school are covered.
From Student to Teacher – Transitioning college graduates to teachers requires a great deal of support. Most new teachers feel inadequate in their role even though most have had some sort of classroom experience prior to their first job. This is why induction programs are critical to helping new teachers settle into their new roles. They must also learn to have an understanding of the curriculum they will be teaching, to begin building a toolbox of strategies and create a learning community in their classrooms. Many new teachers are given the skills in college prep work but working with students is always a new experience every year. What worked one year may not work the next; thus, the importance of building a repertoire of strategies. Curriculum and teaching tools are different depending on the district. Teaches always have to be prepared for change and be willing to implement change based on the needs of their students.
State Legislation/School Boards and Defending Personnel Practices – There are stipulations given by states and school boards in regards to hiring school personnel. The individual school boards may establish higher standards but they can’t lessen them beyond the minimum of the state. Districts should be also aware of these laws in order to avoid discrimination charges. Avoiding it from the beginning is preferable to having to defend it later. If a district were to have to defend practices, it is best to keep detailed notes/records.
Public Sector Bargaining and Scope of Bargaining – Public employees such as police officers who provide an essential service or an absence from their job could create a safety issue are usually forbidden by law from striking. Teachers are considered a part of that public sector. Until collective bargaining was started in other areas of work, it wasn’t a part for public servants. While strikes are hopefully avoided due to the loss of instruction to students that takes place, there is a scope to bargaining. State law in Michigan states that there are some things that the board will have the decision authority on such as starting dates, school hours, volunteers, and use of pilot programming. Other items such as managerial rights, teacher evaluation, transfers, hiring, class size, extra duties, working conditions, employee leave and safety and security are all issues that could be brought up for bargaining.
Arbitration of Work Rules and Other Arbitration Issues – When issues arise between employees and the board, it is possible that a grievance may be filed. Grievances are then sent to arbitration where a decision is made. These issues are usually as a result of a disagreement over work rules. It is assumed that principals will discuss concerns over work rules with an employee before it gets to the grievance stage and mediation will occur first. When more than one rule may apply during an arbitration decision, it is common to refer to prior cases and look at decisions made in those cases. In addition to work rules, grievances can be filed for evaluations, and negative norm setting. Issues that arise with the arbitration process are having it handled in a timely manner. There are rules as to how many days principals have to respond and they are usually busy with other things. Arbitrators need to be familiar with law since many decisions will usually touch on questions regarding law. Finally, decisions can have huge impacts on the precedent set in the district.
Carrying Out a Reduction in Force, Reduction in Force and Employees’ Rights – Reduction in forces may occur when there is a drop in enrollment, loss of funding or elimination of programs. In these instances, a district needs to look for ways to reduce employees in order to achieve cutbacks for payroll without causing a disruption in the services that are provided. The first piece when a reduction in force is necessary is to determine which programs; subjects or grade levels have an excess of personnel. Then determine which individuals are going to be laid off. Obviously, teachers without proper credentials would be first, performance concerns and then those with the least seniority. It is always a good idea to try and look for alternatives to reduction in force first by examining those willing to take early retirement, leaves of absence, those interested in part time work, and staffing adjustments might be some ideas. In collective bargaining districts there may be certain rights that teachers have when it comes to reductions in force so a school leader needs to be aware of all the stipulations in teacher contracts in order to make informed decisions when presenting a list to human resource personnel for review.
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