Tabitha Bass

ELP 568
Case Study Analysis: Involving Teachers in Employment Decisions

Problem Statement
Davidtown Community School District administrators currently need to determine what
steps to take after the issuance of a formal reprimand to Principal White by Superintendent
Guyberger, and it appears that administration lacks clearly defined formal policies and guidelines
regarding the roles, responsibilities, and levels of autonomy of school administrators during the
faculty hiring process. What is desired is a clear set of guidelines and policies that detail the role,
if any, of non-administrative faculty members in the interviewing and hiring processes, and a
clear understanding of how much autonomy administrators have in deciding which hiring
practices to implement.
Key Drivers

The list of current Davidtown School Board members shows diverse backgrounds,
including a part-time instructor and an attorney, and a nice balance of newer and older
community members. Diversity on the school board can be an asset when negotiating

decisions and policies.

Superintendent Guyberger and Assistant Superintendent Howard Grangal have a
combined 37 years of direct experience and empirical knowledge of Davidtown
Community School Districts formal and implied policies and practices. Their knowledge
can provide valuable insight into the underlying organizational culture of the school
district and how best to complement that culture as new policies are created.

Assistant Superintendent McDowd has been in the district long enough to understand the
culture, but is still relatively new and has successfully implemented innovative hiring
practices without alienating her superiors. Her insights about hiring practices in her
former district and her ability to find a balance between innovation and tradition can
prove valuable during conflict resolution and policy development processes.

Key Restrainers

By implementing new hiring practices at Davidtown High School, Principal White

appears to have inadvertently alienated her superiors, created potential liability for the
Davidtown Community School District, and caused inequity between her school and the

rest of the schools in the district.

The relationship between Principal White, Assistant Superintendent McDowd, and
Superintendent Guyberger, among others, has the potential to be strained due to the
formal reprimand issued to Principal White by Superintendent Guyberger. Strained

relationships can impede effective communication and create a barrier to change.

Based on the information provided in the case study, my assumption is that the current
organizational culture is still heavily influenced by patriarchy and traditionalism, despite
relatively recent moves toward diversity. There appears to be a strong potential for

resistance to any proposed change.

Legal guidance on the matter of potential liabilities to Davidtown School District and the
potential impact of Principal Whites actions on the collective bargaining process has yet
to be obtained, due to the professional negotiator being unavailable. Further delays in
legal consultations could potentially impede the processes of effective conflict resolution
and policy development.

There appears to be a lack of clear guidelines or formal policies regarding administrator

responsibilities and roles during the faculty hiring process, which can potentially lead to
future misunderstandings and inequities among Davidtown Community School District

Administrators.
The case study information seems to suggest that Superintendent Guyberger is resistant to
direct communication with faculty and administration below the rank of Assistant
Superintendent. This apparent resistance can be a barrier to conflict resolution and the
creation of new policies.

Proposed Intervention Strategy

The case study information suggests that Superintendent Guybergers preference is to
have communications to and from Principal White go through Assistant Superintendent
McDowd. This potential barrier needs to be minimized in a way that allows movement with
another primary restrainer, which is the conflict between Superintendent Guyberger and Principal
White. My recommendation is for Principal White to suspend her current faculty interviews until
direct dialogue takes place between Principal White and Superintendent Guyberger, along with
Assistant Superintendents McDowd and Grangal.
I would recommend involving an outside party such as a mediator or attorney with
knowledge of Educational Law. The current professional negotiator for Davidtown School
District could potentially serve in this role. I would also recommend that the school board
initiates an participates in this dialogue and conflict resolution process. Once potential legal
ramifications are discussed and clarified, my next recommendation would be for Superintendent
Guyberger, Assistant Superintendents McDowd and Grangal, and the members of the School

Board to begin the process of formalizing policies and procedures around the hiring of faculty,
using the recent legal guidance and clarification as framework.
Rationale for Proposed Intervention
Based on the information provided in the case study, my understanding is that the actions
of Principal White and Superintendent Guyberger created feelings of contention and alienation
between both parties, with Assistant Superintendent McDowd caught somewhere in the middle.
The school board appears to be the ultimate decision maker in the process of hiring faculty, and
the only authority above Superintendent Guyberger. My belief is that involving the school board
in the dialogue between all involved parties would offer Principal White a better chance of being
heard and validated, which improves the chance for effective conflict resolution in this case. I
also feel that the authority and diversity of the school board members could potentially temper
the strong undertone of traditionalism and resistance to change that I perceive in Superintendent
Guybergers actions while still allowing him to have an active voice.
I believe involving a legal expert in the dialogue allows all involved parties the chance to
discern the true impact of Principal Whites decision to involve faculty in the interview process,
and propose more appropriate corrective action against Principal White, if any. If no legal
liability of the school district is found, and fears of negatively impacting the bargaining process
with the Teachers Unions are unfounded, Superintendent Guyberger, Assistant Superintendents
McDowd and Grangal, and the Davidtown School Board members could then initiate policy
revisions or the creation of new policies that clarify whether involving non-administrative faculty
in the faculty hiring process is an acceptable district-wide practice, and how much autonomy will
be granted to Administrators in developing and initiating hiring practices used at their schools.