example, over the years, Ms. Valletta saw this committee address topics
from revising the school’s safety plan to establishing a dress code. Once
the items were determined, the principal had the committee prioritize
them. As chairperson, she was left with the task of placing each on the
agenda of the appropriate meeting.
A final topic was looking at the meeting dates and times Ms. Valletta
had proposed for the year. As the principal based these on the dates used
the previous year, they were always approved. She then told her team that
she would snail mail and/or e-mail everyone a reminder about and agenda
for the next meeting, as well as a draft of the summary of the previous
meeting, at least one week prior to the determined date.
Ms. Valletta ended this meeting with a debriefing go-around. She asked
each team member to give a one- or two-minute reaction to the meeting.
She listened to the responses to gauge if positive feelings had been gener-
ated and if everyone felt that his or her input had been respected. If she
detected any problem, Ms. Valletta corrected it at the next meeting. For
example, if any member felt he had not participated enough, she would
make sure he was involved more at the next meeting.
Because of the groundwork the principal laid before and during the
first meeting, the remainder of her meetings went smoothly. All team
members knew where the school stood academically because all relevant
information was shared. Because Ms. Valletta did not try to hide or cover
up anything, providing all appropriate documents, she gained the trust of
the committee members. At subsequent meetings, she provided full ex-
planations for the creation of the CEP and budget, continuing in her role
as master teacher.
Let’s take a minute to look at the budget issue, a major problem in some
schools. The school leader can make this a nonissue by explaining the
budget, not in terms of dollars and cents or even in terms of programs, but
in terms of people, as noted in the last chapter. By the end of the budget
mini-workshop, team members will understand that every numerical entry
represents a person—a teacher, administrator, paraprofessional, secretary,
or school aide. These are all people like them, trying to do their jobs and
support their families. Looking at a budget in this manner makes it much
harder for anyone to say, “Let’s slash a budget line.”
Finally, the school leader needs to explain the limitations that come with
a budget so that everyone understands that the team’s maneuverability is
Lay the Groundwork 105