What type of frame is most commonly used by leaders in your educational system?

North Carolina's ongoing fiscal debacle has highlighted the Human Resource frame as the primary organizational framework for Catawba County Schools. When other LEAs were announcing mass layoffs, our leadership team was committed to maintaining as many positions as possible. Our Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources agonized over potential cuts to certified and classified individuals. She utilized multiple indicators and filters in making heart-wrenching continued employment decisions. Throughout the process, staff members were kept abreast on budget deliberations at the state level and the potential impact on our district. Moreover, the timing of information dissemination was deliberate. All employees knew their status prior to the end of the school year. Nevertheless, the timing ensured that crucial EOG and EOC testing was completed. Over the summer, every attempt was made to rehire both certified and classified staff where attrition had occurred.

Receipt of the ARRA funding further underscored the Human Resource frame. Federal dollars from both Title I and EC sources are being to create a Responsiveness to Instruction (RTI) team to deploy a district-wide RTI initiative. More positions were saved. While other systems have lost hundreds of teachers, Catawba County Schools' final loss was less than ten teaching positions.

I have served this system in varying capacities -- 7-12 English/Language Arts Teacher, Assistant Principal, Principal and Assistant Superintendent -- for twenty-eight years. While each superintendent's leadership style has been unique, the LEA has consistently focused on building capacity and teacher leadership. Regardless of the man or woman at the top, the organization has focused its resources on on-going professional learning and establishing an in-house "train the trainer" model. We have a cadre of Central Office directors and administrators who are certified Ruby Payne trainers. We have individuals trained through: Learning Centered Schools, Schools Atuned, AVID, SIOP, cooperative learning, Thinking Maps, Reading and Math Foundations, Positive Behavioral Support, and the list goes on. Our LEA's new mission statement, "Teach, Learn and Lead for the Future", epitomizes the value placed upon the human resources within our district.

Our current superintendent has consistently maintained the importance of human resources as a core belief. It permeates his work with outside agencies and directs the focus of internal funding. Every public address, every e-mail, and every decision he makes reflects this core belief. While he is, and always will be a high school bigot, he truly recognizes the talent within and provides myriad opportunities for employees to be successful.

Catawba County Schools is also committed to fostering advancement opportunities for its employees. One goal of the District Strategic Plan focuses on supporting teachers who wish to obtain National Board Certification. Our Board of Education chose to maintain tuition reimbursement as a local line item, ensuring that our employees seeking educational advancement have financial assistance. Last year, the superintendent and I conducted two 30-hour leadership academies, one for aspiring principals and another for aspiring assistant principals. Our goal is to ensure that current employees have the skill sets necessary for career advancement.

Finally, the human resource frame is articulated in the support that all employees receive relative to their job performance. Beginning teachers experience an exceptional induction program -- far superior than the State's expectations. Experienced teachers who exhibit marginal performance receive support from a veteran mentor, and when appropriate, are referred to the Employee Assistance Program. Beginning principals are assigned an experienced colleague as a mentor for two years. Additionally, a retired principal serves in a coaching capacity for these new administrators.

Do we have areas to shore up within the organization from a human resource perspective? Absolutely! Collins references finding the right seat on the bus for individuals. In some cases, our folks have occupied every seat and are ever-s0-close to the emergency exit. Nevertheless, we still have them listed on the TD-29 (That's insider talk for anyone who has never been responsible for buses at a school.) Teacher dismissal is one of those subjects that causes great disequilibrium with most supervisors. At this point, we continue to move folks to different buses, trying yet another method for supporting our folks. While commendable, I think we have to really examine the impact that "hiding the peanut" does for the majority of our employees who are dedicated and constantly focused on professional improvement.