Campus Managers Help Principals Focus on Student Success

The truth is that their work days are driven by interruptions so they seldom have the chance to focus on any one task for an extended period. With such a wide range of responsibilities, they spend as little as a third of their day in the classroom. And all the tasks that come with the job are important, so they can’t just delegate some responsibilities if they want to keep a school running properly.

Or can they? The Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy (CTP) with funding from the Wallace Foundation studied the concept of providing a dedicated campus-level staff member to handle daily operational duties. The school administration manager (SAM) would have decision-making authority over day-to-day business and allow the principal increased time to focus on instructional improvement. For districts that want to find ways to focus their principals squarely on the classroom, a SAM might be just the thing.

Providing relief

Obtaining and retaining principals, particularly at the secondary level, has become a real challenge for most school districts. No one would deny that the pressures and time commitment are at least partially responsible for high attrition in the principal ranks. Teachers also say that having an accessible principal is a major contributing factor to job satisfaction and classroom accomplishment. In some districts, SAMs are helping principals get valuable time back, time they can use to work with teachers and students.

The initiative began with three schools in Jefferson County, KY, and has grown to more than 200 schools in 37 districts and seven states. Principals participated in a time-tracking study at the beginning and end of the school year, and found that when a SAM took over managerial tasks, the time they spent on instructional matters increased dramatically.

Thinking out of the box

Beginning in the 1998–99 school year, before the CTP study was published, Houston ISD developed a school business manager job description at the level of an assistant principal and placed several job candidates in that position in secondary schools. The district typically hired job candidates from the private sector with degrees in finance or accounting. School leaders have been satisfied with the result and have expanded the program to additional schools over the years.

“It’s worked very well,” says Melinda Garrett, chief financial officer for Houston ISD. “They report directly to the principals but have a dotted-line relationship with the finance department.” That means that while the campus principal is their boss, they receive their training from the finance department and work with the department on a regular basis.
 
After hire, school business managers attend a six-week academy where they learn about educational finance, procedures, and rules. They then meet quarterly for additional training.

The school business managers assume all of the financial functions at the campus level including handling the bills, securing and taking inventory of textbooks, fixed-asset inventory, and bus transportation. Garrett pointed out that it is hard to tell how much of a difference has resulted from this particular change in organization because the district made other changes and upgraded systems at the same time. The system as it is now is clearly more efficient, both for the campus and for central administration.

Gauging the outcome

While the impact of this concept on student academic success is, as yet, inconclusive, the principals who have had dedicated operational support feel they are spending more time on instructional improvement. Even based on the study’s anecdotal results, the idea may be one other school districts should consider.

—“Managers Help Principals Balance Time,” by Christina A. Samuels, Education Week, Feb. 13, 2008.