Running head: STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

Standard Operating Procedures

Lindsey Hornbuckle
University of Tennessee Chattanooga
Management of the School
EDAS 5770
Dr. John Freeman

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After reading the text, Resource Management for School Administrators, the idiom, It
takes a village, immediately came to mind. The community, or village, that a school a school is
takes so many people to accurately manage all the facets and directions necessary to have an
effective school. I knew the principal had a lot of responsibilities; however, I am learning about
so many more through the policies and procedures needed to ensure the day-to-day operations
the school will take. The Areas of Management discussed are truly just a part of what could
potentially be broken down into numerous plans and procedures, but I began to realize after
reading through all four manuals that it is really difficult to cover everything, and I was surprised
at what was left out. I reviewed my schools manual, Walker Valley High School, and three other
high schools: Ooltewah High School, TN; Guntersville High School, AL; and Collinsville High

School, AL. There were some similarities, but surprisingly, there were many more differences
which led me to ask, How are so many policies not published-left out?
General School Administration was an area that was lacking in all four schools manuals.
I believe that the schools schedule should be one of the very first management items addressed;
however, I noticed that each school did have it visually displayed on its website. I believe that
every school should have some print form of a policy that applies to its individual school.
Fiscal Management was another area that was severely lacking in all four schools. There
were some statements referring to money, but from an administrative point of view, nothing was
discussed in a clear-cut manner where awareness and accountability were concerned in how the
monies of the school were received, purchased or handled. According to the text, A budget is a
blueprint that estimates the sources of revenues and expenditures for a school; a budget should
reflect the priorities of the community and address the needs of students (Schilling and Tomal,
2013, p. 63).
Support Services was in every manual in all four schools. The common factor each had
was the description of the guidance department and services. According to Schilling and Tomal
(2013), For resources to support higher performance and productivity, there must be
participation and collaboration of all stakeholders (p. 119). There was not a lot of detail that
would inform stakeholders of the specifics of these services, and I believe that this would be a
great improvement in the management of the school that all support services would be explained.
Something that was greatly lacking was information about special services programs. They all
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stated that there are such programs; however, there was not a lot of information offered but
directed to a different resource for explanation.
School Facilities was another topic covered in all four schools manuals, especially when
it came to safety and security issues and questions. For many parents, the safety and security of
their children is a primary concern. Providing a safe and secure environment in which instruction
can occur is also a primary concern of school administrators (Schilling and Tomal, 2013, p.
185). This was the one of the strongest category topics covered in all four manuals of each
school. I realize that school safety is a top priority for all administrative teams and management
protocols; however, I also realized that the broad safety concerns are the only ones addressed.
For example, there was nothing in any one of the four manuals dealing with our group discussion
topic this week (power outages). I believe one improvement could be to collaborate and create
policies that attempt to reach any and all possibilities.

Personnel questions and concerns were very limited in the four schools manuals. There
was not really any information dealing with sick days or teaching assignments; however, the
manuals did discuss extracurricular activities. Disappointingly, my school was the one school
that lacked in this area. The other schools did not offer too much information, but at least the
issue was addressed. My school could improve by adding the policy, which I know we have, to
the manual.
Instruction was another issue lacking in all four schools manuals. Teacher evaluations
and lesson plans were not discussed in any form. I began to ponder if this was considered more
of an in house issue and that is why it was not in any manual. I honestly do not know if I feel
that it needs to be in there either? I know this is covered between the principal and staff, so I
am sure the correct way to handle this issue is to put the policy in the manual in case there is a
discrepancy or dispute.
Student Policies are covered extensively in every schools manual that I reviewed. The
areas of discipline, tardies, absences, and even a few additional ones dealing with student
technology were covered. Each policy laid out in detail the schools expectations for the above

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issues, and that is how I believe the manuals need to be written in all aspects- in detail. These
students policies are razor sharp in descriptions, expectations, and consequences that there is no
room for interpretation or misunderstanding. By having a definitive policy, if there is any cause
for concern or question, parent, teacher, or administration can refer back to a clear-cut policy to
abide by in any situation.
School and Community Relations was a topic that was not discussed in length or detail in
all four, mentioned in two, but it was more of an overview than a detailed explanation of
community planning or outreach programs. Community relations is such a vital part in the
successful management of a school and school system that I was, once again, surprised at the
lack of information to be shared among stakeholders.
After reviewing these four schools manuals, I have to say I am not just a little disappointed but a
lot. I am especially disappointed in my schools manual. All of the policies discussed in the text Resource
Management for School Administrators are simply not covered in our manual; however, several of the
above topics discussed were not covered in the text specifically. Simply put, all four manuals do not cover
the eight areas of management fully except one: Student Policies. I believe all stakeholders need to be
aware of all policies in an adequate, accurate and complete manner. I cannot speak specifically for the

other schools; however, I know that the policies discussed earlier exist for my school, but I know this
because I work there and have been told. What about the other stakeholders: community members,
parents, business partners, etc? How will they know if the policies are not published in some fashion to be
seen by everyone? Again, the accountability necessary to effectively manage a school well is to make all
policies and procedures known to those who they will affect. I believe there are more gaps in our policy
publications besides the eight listed above. I would like to see, after seeing the extensive lists I combined
from the other three schools, the policies published about: zero tolerance, check out procedures, credit
recovery programs, drugs, drug testing, drug dogs, dual enrollment, expulsions, immunizations, and so
many more. I realize that policies and procedures will vary from school-to-school and district-to-district;
however, I have been made aware of the major gaps I believe my school has when it comes to comparing
where we stand in light of other schools. We are failing our stakeholders and ourselves by not having
these policies and procedures published even if for accountability purposes. I plan to bring up what I have
discovered, based on reviewing other schools manuals, at our summer leadership meeting. This is one
way I can help assist our school in improving to be better than we are now!

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References

Schillin, C.A., & Tomal, D.R. (2013). Resource management for school administrators.
Plymouth, UK: Rowman & Littlefield Education.