Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
ArtifactTitle:BudgetreductionscenarioandSchoolImprovementPlan
Date:January23,2016,Summer2015
ArtifactDescription
TheEducationAdministrationprogramatUWPlattevilleprovidesuswithmany
challengingprojects.Theseprojectsincludedabudgetreductionscenariothatrequiredstaff
reductions.Thisartifactconsistofastafflistpriortothestaffreduction,personalnotesused
duringthestaffreductionplanningprocessandafinalproposalforstaffreduction.
Anadditionalprojectthatwaspartoftheeducationadministrationprogramat
UWPlattevilleisthecreationofaschoolimprovementplanforafictionalschool.This
artifactisincludedinmyportfoliounderstandard7.
WisconsinAdministratorStandardAlignment
TheSchoolImprovementplanbestmeets
AdministrativeStandard4
whichstates:
T
he
administratorisaneducationalleaderwhopromotesthesuccessofallstudentsby
ensuringmanagementoftheorganization,operations,andresourcesforasafe,
efficientandeffectivelearningenvironment.
Theseartifactsbestalignswithstandardfourbecauseitdemonstratesmyabilitytowork
withintherealmofaschoolbudget.Italsoshowsmyabilitytothinkthroughdifficult
situationsinordertomaximizeopportunitiesforsuccessfullearningofallstudents.The
BudgetReductionScenarioposedachallengeofmakingadifficultchoicetoreducestaffby
eitheroneortwopositionsduetodecreasedenrollmentandlimitedfundingwhilestill
providingthebestlearningenvironmentpossibleforallstudentswithinthedistrict.
TheSchoolImprovementPlanprovidedanopportunityforagroupofaspiringadministrators
tocomeupwithaplanfortheschooltoimprovestudentlearningconsideringmanyfactors.
Wewereabletocomeupwithaplantomaximizestudentlearningopportunitiesforstudent
successinmanyareaswithasignificantfocusonlowersocioeconomicstudentsandfamilies.
Theseartifactsbothinvolvetakingrisksinordertoprovidethebestlearningenvironmentfor
allstudentsofthedistrict.Thefirstartifact,thebudgetreductionscenario,addresses
potentialproblemsbothwithintheschooldistrictitselfandconsideringpublicopinionofthe
schoolwhenmakingstaffingcuts.Inbothartifacts,fiscalneedsandresourcesareaddressed
indifferentwaysandusedtofindeffectiveandcompletewaystomaintainand/orimprove
studentlearningopportunities.
WhatIlearnedaboutadministrationfromthisexperience:
Themostchallengingcomponentofbothofthesescenarioswasthestaffreductioninthe
BudgetReductionScenario.Staffreductionisdifficultthingtodealwith.Asan
administratorpreparingtorecommendstaffreductionwithinaschooldistricttherearemany
thingstoconsider.Thesethingsincludeitemssuchastheteachersskilllevel,student
achievement,theteachersphilosophyandoutlookoftheschoolsgoals,andalsothe
perceptionoftheteacherwithinthecommunity.Localpoliticscanplayabigrolewithin
smallschooldistricts.Whenmakingmajorchangeslikereducingstaffadministratorsmust
considerwhatthepublicopinionwillbeinthesituationinordertoretainpublicsupportof
theschooldistrict.
WhatIlearnedaboutmyselfasaprospectiveadministratorasaresultofthisexperience/artifact:
Asaneducatorswemustalwaysmakedecisionsbasedonwhatwefeelisbestforstudentlearning.These
decisioncanoftentimesbedifficultandemotional.InordertobeaneffectiveadministratorImustlearn
totakeemotionoutofthedecisionmakingprocess.Inthecaseofstaffreduction,thedecisionImakeas
anadministratorcanandshouldhavesignificanteffectsonthelearningofstudentswithinmyschool
district.ImustmakethesedecisionbasedonwhatisbestforstudentsbasedonwhatIbelievetomakethe
strongestlearningenvironment.
Consideringthis,ImustmakedecisionsbasedonwhatIbelievetohavethebestlongtermeffectsforthe
studentsoftheschooldistrict.Sometimesthismaynotbewhatcouldhavethebestshorttermeffects.As
anadministratorindenttoworktowardconstantimprovementformyschooldistrict.Inordertodoso,it
isimportanttoconsideralloftheeffectsadecisionwillhaveonstudentlearning,bothimmediateand
delayed/longterm.