October 10, 2005

Decision Making: The Politics of Process

It is mid-January. My telephone rings and I hear the stressed voice of a parent, a local music store owner or a music teacher about to lose his job. "I just learned that our school district’s administration is proposing to eliminate the elementary instrumental music program. The school board votes next week. What can I do!?"

This all-too-common scenario shows why all music advocates need to know everything they can about how and when decisions are made in their school district. Understanding this decision-making process depends upon two main things: the timeline involved and the roles of the key decision-makers. 

Timing is (Almost) Everything

The timeline is usually driven by the academic year. At the start of every school year, the administration and board establish goals and objectives for the year, and prioritize items for discussion.

By law, all school board meetings are open to the public, except where local law allows them to be closed. Board agendas are available as public information, but not necessarily widely publicized or read. On occasion, school boards and administrations appear to adopt a policy of minimal publicity, thereby insulating, isolating or even excluding the public from input into the decision-making process. This may be particularly true in an environment of financial crisis, boundary changes or educational reform. The apparent underlying motivation seems to be that if the public becomes involved it will only complicate the decision making process. Since it is normal that few people attend school board meetings, the impending crisis often comes as a complete surprise to the community.

Information Is Power

So, the first thing successful music advocates need to do is attend school board meetings. This is one of the very best ways to learn about any impending crisis or issues that may affect the music curriculum. It also puts you in the same room with most of the key players in your district; as with anything else in life, it will be helpful to get to know and develop some relationships with these people before there’s a major problem. And, as a very important by-product, you’ll begin to understand how the process works in case you need to use it.

By October or November - several weeks into the school calendar - administrative decisions about programs to cut have already been determined. However, the final and official board vote on proposed cuts is not made until the district gauges public reaction. Public hearings may be held at this time to provide a better sense of public opinion. If people fail to show up or express their opinions, this may be interpreted as permission or a mandate to make the proposed cuts.

The first public awareness of any issues often comes in January, roughly five months into the school year. This is when the administration prepares to register secondary students for the next academic year. Site administrators need to know how many teaching positions are available to calculate course offerings, class sizes and positions to eliminate. If budget cuts or educational reforms are being proposed, those decisions must be made before registration materials are completed.

The next major event in the decision making process is notifying teachers about the loss of their jobs. The legal deadline for this is normally March 1 or April 1. These "pink slip" letters may give you a more accurate picture of the proposed cut list, including so-called “hidden” cuts.

The final decision regarding staffing or other changes related to budget or reform is normally made by the board’s last meeting before the end of the fiscal year. In most cases, final adoption of the budget must be made by June 30. It’s important to remember that changes – both positive and negative – may be made until this time.

It’s Not Over ‘Til The Auditor Sings

In cases where music program reductions are already in place, don’t give up hope! It may still be possible to override cuts and reinstate programs/teaching positions. This is because final audits for the previous school year are not completed when cuts are made. If final audits indicate a greater fund balance than anticipated, you may still be able to convince your district to re-instate lost music positions.

Pay Special Attention to Referendums

Referendums to increase school district funding (both bond and levy) are another driving force in the decision-making timeline. Referendums may be placed before voters at any time; some are up to the district, others are governed by state law. The decision to hold a public referendum may somewhat alter the above sequence of events: however, your administration and board will continue to maintain the basic outline of their decision-making process even while preparing for both the success and failure of any referendum. A list of proposed cuts related to the potential failure of a referendum is often developed. While such cut lists may provide some degree of financial reality, cuts are often developed to give voters opposed to the cuts an incentive to go to the polls.

In my opinion, this is a dangerous strategy, especially if the referendum fails. The vote may be interpreted as a public mandate to cut any programs on the list. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to keep any potential music cuts off that list!

The Power of Proactive Involvement

Active involvement in the process by the Administrative Liaison Committee of your local Music Coalition will prevent the "surprise" announcement of proposed cuts to music that are so typical in a financial crisis. A proactive Music Coalition is far more effective than one operating from a reactive, or defensive, position.

Knowledge IS power, and a proactive, well informed and visible music coalition definitely has the power to prevent music programs from being cut. In one district where I worked, a local music coalition was formed after the community came together to defeat proposed cuts to their music program. This music coalition was such a positive community force that the administration added a new step to their decision-making process: any proposed changes were submitted to the music coalition before being placed on any official agenda. Now that’s noteworthy progress!

Remember: Process is Politics

Until Next Time,

John Benham