STAKEHOLDER DISCONTENT

How It Affects School Culture and Climate How It Happens and How to Handle It

SIGNS THAT STAKEHOLDER DISCONTENT IS BREWING

• Vestiges of Pandemic discontent and mistrust remain
• Pendulum effect : more parents on campus now because of absence for too long during the Pandemic
• Even more parking lot and staff/common room gossip
• More concerns about too much or too little communication (always a problem but now more so)
• Heads “under fire” no matter what they do
• Increased negative activity/comments on social media and anger about quarantines
• Push back on “hot button” social and cultural issues such as DEIJ and CRT
• Parental demands for town meetings/forum
• Greater social media activity/WhatsApp chat groups that undercut school communications
• High teacher turnover and expectations of higher pay and better working conditions

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SIGNS OF ESCALATION OF DISCONTENT RELATING TO GOVERNANCE

• Parental demands for more board transparency, including but not limited to, the publication of board meeting minutes and the right to attend board meetings
• Constituent demands for representation on all or major board committees, especially finance and COT
• Suggestion of a “Parent Advisory Committee” that will be a liaison between the parents and the board
• Request for information about the head’s compensation package
• Back channel leaks/communication between disaffected teachers and similarly minded parents
• Very personal attacks on the head and his/her family
• Leaks and gossip in the broader community outside the school family

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OTHER VERY WORRISOME SIGNS

• In some schools, parents may even request censorship of certain books, topics, etc.
• Parents want to conduct exit interviews with departing teachers
• Parents demand an ombudsman
• Parent associations are being asked to become more active and involved politically
• Boards , even well trained ones, are wearing their “parent hat” more often and not abiding by the rules concern9ing boundaries, channels , and confidentiality
• Depending on the school/country location, greater disaffection among staff, and lower trust in leadership/management

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RECOMMENDATIONS: COMMUNICATION

• Avoid town meetings
• Hold face-to-face meetings with parents in small groups
• Carefully craft regular digital updates from the board
• Board posts monthly articles about board functions and governance guidelines
• At back to school and similar parents events, explain board policies and protocols
• Keep board and parents informed: no surprises
• Consider creating a code of conduct for parents
• Make sure re enrollment contracts allow the school NOT to invite back constantly disruptive parents

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RECOMMENDATIONS: GOVERNANCE

• Keep boundaries of authority and channels of communication clear
• Maintain board confidentiality
• No parents on Committee on Trustees (Nominating/Governance) or Finance subcommittees
• Board meetings are not recorded
• Authority of the board is vested publicly in the board chair
• The board chair is the sole voice of the board
• Strengthen the three partnerships: head with board chair; head with board members; board chair with other board members
• Do not “fire” the head multiple times, i.e., do not keep throwing him/her under the bus
• “Circle the wagons” when challenged by an angry subgroup
• Support the head in a crisis unless there are reasons of integrity/morality involved

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RECOMMENDATIONS

• Make sure that Board, head and faculty are all on the same page. How?
• Seek out key faculty leaders to ensure that the head is listening
• Beware school climate surveys and if used, observe these guidelines:
• A. Do them only when not in a crisis
• B. Have an outside firm undertake them, a firm with no connection to the school
• C. Do not word them in ways that encourage criticism of school leaders
• D. Never publish the results unless you receive at least a two thirds response rate from whichever constituency you are surveying, i.e. parents, faculty/staff, alumni.