Effective Decision-Making in School Management and Operations

Effective Decision-Making in School Management and Operations

Management and Operational Systems

One of the main decisions that must be made is whether to end the school session early or find an outdoor location within the school to hold the classroom sessions. Another main decision that needs to be made is how to alternate classroom sessions because the available outdoor spaces may not be enough to hold the classroom sessions for all classes. The third major decision that needs to be made is whether to ask parents to contribute the money required to repair the air conditioning. The fourth main decision is whether to cancel all classes until the air conditioning is repaired. The fifth decision is whether to find fans to be strategically placed in the classrooms before the air conditioning is fixed. The sixth decision is whether to shorten classroom sessions and move some sessions online to avoid holding students in the classrooms for a long time by ending the classroom sessions early. Need help with your assignment ? Reach out to us. We offer excellent services.

Settling on the right decision, in this case, is a complex task because there are many stakeholders with different interests. Therefore, there is a need to gather all the information needed to make the right decision. The main additional information needed is the time required to repair the air conditioning and the cost that will be incurred. Other additional information is the number of classes that have been affected by the poor air conditioning to determine whether the students can fit in alternative outdoor learning spaces. Additional information on whether students can access the internet and gadgets such as smartphones and laptops at home is needed to decide whether to consider incorporating online classes.

Human, Fiscal, and Technological Resources

The class representatives will collaborate with the class teachers to change the arrangement of students in the class to avoid being too close to one another for easy circulation of fresh air. The class teachers will also oversee identifying a favorable outdoor space that can accommodate the students during class hours. The teachers need to ensure that the place does not have any distractions that could interfere with students’ concentration. The progress of the staff in guaranteeing the safety of students must be regularly reported to the school principal to regulate the consistency of response. Teachers need to consider the possibility of incorporating online classes in the school syllabus and work with the IT department in the school to create a user-friendly Canvas including all the subjects covered by the students (Hansen, 2019).

One of the main resources needed to ensure students and staff’s safety is a new air conditioning system. Another important resource may be tents to accommodate students who study in outdoor spaces as the school’s management focuses on repairing the air conditioning. We may also need to install fans in the classrooms before the air conditioning is fixed. Financial resources are additionally needed to pay for the air conditioning repairs. A website developer is also needed to create the canvas for online classes until the air conditioning is repaired.

Safety and Welfare of Students and Staff

One of the legal rulings regarding the safety and welfare of staff and students that need to be considered in making a decision is the ruling that a school facility ought to have an HVAC system that can maintain a temperature range of a minimum of 68 degrees and a maximum of 82 degrees Fahrenheit under ordinary conditions with an engaged classroom( Arizona Foundation for Legal Services& Education, 2021). Another ruling is that classroom temperature and the quality of air in the classroom shall be assessed at the surface underuse in the estimated classroom center under standard circumstances, and measuring shall be done for a 10% random sample of the entire sample.

In Arizona, the welfare and safety of students are paramount, and the school is liable to anything that happens to a student due to poor safety and welfare measures. The policy that might affect our decision is maintaining a maximum of 82 degrees Fahrenheit in the classroom. We must ensure that the air conditioning we put in place and the alternative learning areas selected during repairs meet this requirement.

Collaboration with Faculty and Community

One of the possible stakeholders in decision-making is the district. We will engage the district in acquiring the funds needed for the project because, in Arizona, district schools are entitled to a deficiency correction fund that was established to correct deficiencies in existing schools based on the minimum school facility guidelines formulated by the School Facilities Board (Sciarra et al., 2006). The state of Arizona also provides building renewal funds for district schools. This fund was established for repairs and renovations of schools and upgrading building systems such as cooling, heating, and plumbing systems to extend the useful life of a building (Sciarra et al., 2006). Another set of possible stakeholders is parents because their children will be directly affected by the decisions made. Teachers and parents are also stakeholders because they will be affected by the recommended solution.

Solution and Rationale

My solution for addressing this problem is to find alternative learning spaces before the classrooms get repaired. The alternative spaces can be the school field, basketball court, or the main hall. In my opinion, this is the best solution because setting p online classes would result in incurring huge costs and disrupt the student’s everyday learning. There is also uncertainty on when the district will release the funds required to cater for the repairs, so the school will use the funds from the student’s fees to fund the repairs and return the funds once the district releases the building renewal and deficiency correction funds. The list of action steps I would take to implement the solutions, including a timeline for implementing them, are as follows.

• Week 1 -Identifying alternative study spaces and creating a schedule of how the spaces will be used
• Week 2-Begin repairs
• Week 3-Complete repairs and relocate back to the classrooms

The solution is the most logical one because it protects the welfare and safety of the students in terms of reducing exposure to extremely high temperatures in the classroom and maintaining the continuity of their studies. The solution also complies with laws, rights, and policies by creating a safe learning environment. The solution also involves the main stakeholders, who are, in this case, the teachers and students.

References

Arizona Foundation for Legal Services& Education. (2021). Arizona Department of Education – School safety & prevention. Arizona Foundation for Legal Services and Education. https://www.azflse.org/academy/schoolsafetyprogram.cfm

Hansen, B. L. (2019). Preparing the online classroom. Teaching Music Appreciation Online, 221-244. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190698379.003.0011

Sciarra, D., Bell, K., & Kenyon, S. (2006). Safe and Adequate: Using Litigation to Address Inadequate K-12 School Facilities. Education Law Center.

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You are the principal of Sunset Hills, a K-8 school with an 800-student population. It is a May mid-morning in Phoenix, Arizona, where the outside temperature has reached a staggering 98 degrees and is rising. While visiting classrooms in the campus’s main building, you begin to notice the classrooms seem to be getting warmer and warmer. At noon, the facilities manager will notify you that the central air conditioning units in the building are down. As you continue to walk through classrooms, you observe students sweating and trying to cool down, waving their papers as fans.
The school does not end until 3:45 p.m.
In a 750-1,000 word analysis, and keeping the district, parents, students, teachers, and the media in mind, address the following:
Management and Operational Systems
• Identify the main decisions that must be made.
• Identify additional information needed to inform your decision.
Human, Fiscal, and Technological Resources
• Organize staff to ensure the safety of students and consistency of response.
• Identify additional resources needed to ensure the safety of students and staff.
Safety and Welfare of Students and Staff
• Identify legal rulings regarding the safety and welfare of students and staff to consider when making a decision.
• Identify district policy regarding the safety and welfare of students and staff that might affect a decision.
Collaboration with Faculty and Community
• Identify possible stakeholders involved in the decision-making and/or affected by the recommended solution.
Solution and Rationale
• Explain your solutions for addressing the situation.
• List action steps you would take to implement the solutions, including a timeline for implementing them.
• Provide a rationale for your proposed solutions. Explain how the solution protects the welfare and safety of students and staff, complies with laws, rights, and policies, and involves appropriate stakeholders.
Cite 2-3 scholarly resources to support your analysis.