Managing School Operations and Resources
A leader effectively directs operations and manages resources.
Budget Review
Each year I prepare and submit our school budget. Some items are centrally controlled but many decisions are still made at the school level. I welcome the opportunity to review my budget each year.
New Modular Classrooms
This year I have connected with departments in the District Office to plan and purchase items for the two new portables being added on to our school. I have a set budget and will need to purchase all items to furnish the two rooms.
Staff Involvement
In building school community and culture, I have taken the time to meet with staff regarding issues they are concerned about. The time spent learning about their view and opinions has allowed me to make better informed decisions.
Gathering Parent Input
Parents have some many demands on their finances. In a year where teachers had many expensive trips planned, I wanted to make sure that the costs would not be burdensome.
Scheduling
I have planned and adjusted the school schedule to meet our busing times and the required maximum teaching hours, the minimum required instructional hours, and the maximum hours worked. Once the schedule is released, we ask staff for corrections if we have double booked a class or location. We also listen for improvements that can be made. For example, we have tried to chunk music classes so that the teacher can have instruments placed out for three grade 6 classes in a row. We have made similar adjustments for Physical Education classes. This allows our staff to be more efficient in the planning and teaching.
Supervision is a difficult area to achieve balance. Every teacher wants different schedules and see different assignments as optimal. In our first year, I surveyed the staff and asked them what they believe was the best supervision assignment for them. In our second year, I created a framework and told each member to assign themselves between 110 and 120 minutes per week. Heading into our third year, I have asked the staff what method they preferred. I find it interesting that the teachers preferred to select their assignments and the educational assistants preferred to have the supervision component assigned as part of the greater work day.
To aid in communication and promote best practices, I have staff review a map of the assigned areas and embed the image into the staff supervision schedule.
This is the image I created to give to staff to clarify which supervisor should be in each location. As our team develops and our students change this will be adjusted.
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I created this image for the staff to use when discussing expectations and boundaries with their students on the first few days of school.
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Educational Assistant Hours of Work
As assistant principal, educational assistants reported their planned absences to me and I worked to help them find coverage when necessary. Our school principal still signed off on days that need to be approved, but I handled the day to day scheduling, schedule adjustment, and planned for the years hours with the district Pay and Benefits Coordinator.
