That one word will stop most school board members dead in their tracks if not reverse their course entirely.And school district administrators know it.
All they have to do is carefully work the idea that some on staff are concerned that the board might be crossing over into micro-managing territory and the pucker factor goes up a dozen notches.
The threat or fear of the word "micro-manage" is an incredibly powerful weapon on par with Mjolnir. Sometimes, however, weapons are simply waved to make those in authority back down.
We recently heard SPASD board president Tom Weber couch some remarks with the words to the effect of, "At the risk of giving the appearance of micro-managing...". Those words said it all. It wouldn't surprise us in the least if Dr. Culver hasn't already used the "M" word casually in conversations with president Weber.
If you Google micro-management, you'll find a basic definition along the lines of "manage[ment] or control with excessive attention to minor details". Of course "excessive" is itself a subjective term. How much does it take to become "excessive"? Micro-management is often assumed to be a perception that the manager lacks trust in the managee. Well...DUH! If you begin to lack trust in the individual(s) you manage do you pay LESS attention to what they are doing and how they are doing it?
Trust is a two-way street. Rather than crying "micro-manager!", perhaps those that invoke that accusation need to take a little introspective inventory. Perhaps the micro-managee(s) need to ask themselves if they are failing to deliver what the manager has requested. Perhaps the manager may need to be a little more clear with their direction. Of course, the greatest excuse for any micro-managee who fails to live up to expectations is, "Gee...I thought that's what you wanted me to do; I wish you had been more clear." Beginning to sound familiar? Now we're crossing into passive-aggressive behaviors.
The problem is that school boards are expected (by whom exactly?) to manage (govern) by way of establishing policy. Great. But policies in themselves tend to be vague and more conceptual. And then of course, many boards, SPASD included, have an abundance of policies, and adherence to policies is questionable at best. So what good are they?
SPASD Policy DBJ, "Budget Implementation" says the following:
The district administrator, or designee, shall keep the Board informed on the status of the budget at regular Board meetings.
Um...excuse us...but we haven't heard a peep about the budget since March (and that was a very tiny peep). So here's a policy statement that, arguably, isn't being followed.
Policy DBJ also says, "3. No expenditure of funds will exceed the major function to which it is to be charged, except in accordance with state law and established procedures."
That's great...but all the district does is move a bunch of money around between functions (most of which the average board member does not understand) et voila! They can now spend more.
Sometimes, managers simply need to exercise a little tighter grip on the reins to ensure that the horses don't stray off the path. Certainly there needs to be a good working relationship between the board and the district administrator, but ONLY the DA reports to the board...not the other administrators or staff in the district. So...shouldn't the board hold the DA's feet to the fire --without fear of the "M" word--if performance of district staff is less than desired?
The other dynamic here that no one thinks about is that the district administration consists of 20-30 professionals. Surely some (many?) of those professionals are not enamored with how some of their colleagues are performing. Because it makes them ALL look ...well...not so good. Maybe Donnie Osmond didn't quite get it right. Maybe one bad apple won't spoil the whole darn bunch...but on the other hand, it makes the whole bunch less appetizing, doesn't it?
Is it micro-managing to expect accurate and reliable information from the district?
Is it micro-managing to require that the district be transparent in its fiscal management?
Is it micro-managing to expect to see budgets for all aspects of district operations?
Is it micro-managing to demand that budgets consider the finances of those struggling in the community?
We don't think so.
And neither should you...or the school board.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micromanagement
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