"The decision belongs to those who show up." - Dr. Dennis R. Morrow
Ideally, the decision making process will be collaborative, with the community actively involved. The advantage of a community based decision making process is its potential for a collaborative process in which the various constituents are more apt to keep the decisions focused on learning (students). Such a process also frees the administration and board from "political" responsibility for any decision because of broadened community ownership. Positive results most often occur when the flow of power moves from the community through the board to the administration and educational institution. The welfare of the student should always be the driving force permeating every decision made by the district.
I have observed that, ironically, the further removed any decision-maker is from daily contact with the student, the more tendency there will be to make the decision based upon adult-centered issues such as balancing the budget or seizing the opportunity to demonstrate oneÃs prowess as an agent of change. Therefore, the community most often becomes the best advocate for student-centered decisions; and a local music coalition becomes the most important body for the support of music in the curriculum.
How do you get the administration and board to listen to those who truly represent the interests of the students? It takes voters! Regardless of how strong a case you may have or make to save (or build) your music program, the administration and board needs to see and hear from voters to persuade them to decide in your favor. The board is the appropriate and most effective place to make your visible and verbal presence known. If the music coalition has an administrative liaison committee, a concept I will discuss further in the coming weeks, it should maintain an open line of communication with the board and administration at all levels of decision-making.
The educational system is essentially based upon a political structure and process. It is a product of public elections at federal, state and local levels; and as such tends to focus on adult-centered issues in the decision making process. The largest single factor that impacts the decision makers is their perception of prevailing public opinion. If they understand that the majority of their constituents support a strong music program, they will not likely make decisions that will weaken it.
Unfortunately, the practice of making decisions in typical school district tends to be based more on who has been given or assumed the right and responsibility to make them. This may be determined by the relative strength of personalities or organized bodies within the educational structure, or the adoption of an authoritarian concept of administration. In such cases any one or all of the following characteristics may be evident.
The administration makes centralized and/or local site based recommendations and decisions as empowered by the board. This can happen by intent or default; and often includes various assumptions of autonomy in the process.
The board normally approves administrative recommendations or decisions, often appearing as a "rubber stamp." This simply may be because no one has provided information other than the administration.
Depending on the amount of power associated with a particular teacher organization, teachers may or may not be involved in the process. Usually music teachers are not involved.
The decision making process becomes adult-centered because the community is either intentionally excluded (your participation is not wanted or valued), or excluded by default (no one shows up at board meetings). With little or no involvement from the community, decisions tend to be driven by whatever adult issues are present (salaries, benefits, teaching loads or schedules, educational reform, money, etc.)
Such decisions are often power-based. That is, whoever has or claims the power gets the decision to go their way; and if the community is not an active participant, students often lose.
The single most important reason for organizing a unified local music coalition ñ made up of parents, community members and teachers and that represents band, choir, orchestra and general music concerns in equal measure -- is to broaden your political power base. A single body presenting a unified voice speaks much louder than any small group of parents. A unified music coalition can be far more effective than any of its potential sub-groups.
In the process of making any decision about school budgets, one question always needs to be asked:
"What will the short and long term effects of this decision be on the students in the district?"
