January 20, 2007
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Joseph Gillis Jr.
You can do something!
On one of the BTV shows recently, this question was discussed. The thought was that for certain roles in the town and schools a person 'not from inside' might be the best course. Further, that electing to some roles may no longer be the best course of action with such large budgets.
This is an interesting approach. From the school perspective, hiring of teachers for administrative roles is common - in fact, for all but perhaps a few positions, it is pretty much a requirement. Massachusetts General Laws (often referred to as MGL) and Commonwealth of Mass Regulations (known as CMRs) describe the requirements for various roles. So, from a legal perspective, while one might believe a successful manager, president or accountant would be good for a specific position in a school district, it just will not happen.
While flipping through the paper the other day, I decided to take a look at the 'Education' section of the Globe. One always hears of the movement and vacancies at the Superintendent level, so I wanted to get a measure of that and also to see how other positions are advertised. (There were a number of listings for Superintendents, by the way.) Without listing the districts, it was quite interesting to see this is truly the way it is:
* School Business Manager: certified as a School Business Administrator
* Media Specialist: Dept of Ed Library Media Specialist license required
* Athletic Director: MA certified as a Teacher (min. 5 yrs)
I realize that there may be a benefit to students educationally when an individual has teaching experience for some administrative jobs. However, could one make a case that the CFO (Chief Financial Officer) from a successful business would be able to be a good School Business Manager? Does the requirement for a teaching certificate in administrative functions limit the pool of candidates?
However, to get back to the original issue raised... until the laws are changed, school administrative positions will continue to be filled only by people who have come through the education system.
