School Boards and Divisions
HerschDeMaio Associates is a people process and problem solving consultation organization specializing in services to school boards and school divisions. The services we provide include:
- Conflict resolution within your school board
- Communication improvement
- Identifying common interests between the school division and the governing body
- Conflict resolution and mediation
- Change management
- Senior executive coaching
- Enhanced communication between the board and the professional administration
- Culture change
- Leadership development
- Crisis management
- Minimizing the negative impact of budget reductions
- Team building and trust enhancement
HerschDeMaio Process
Every consultation begins with a needs assessment. Each school system is viewed within its unique social and political culture. There are no “standardized” interventions. The needs assessment accomplishes two tasks. First, it affords HerschDeMaio Associates to analyze the problem and formulate a strategy for resolution. Second, it allows your Board to assess our approach and the fit for your unique situation. HerschDeMaio Associates has firsthand experience working on and with school boards and school divisions.
Problems Addressed
School leaders perform a vital role in the health and well-being of the communities they serve. When they perform this role skillfully and wisely, the result can be a school division which provides a safe environment for the students, values and nurtures its employees, seeks excellence in instruction, and is recognized as an asset to the community. The complexities of modern educational management, however, place a variety of obstacles in the path of the most well intentioned leaders and invite a variety of conflicts into the leadership process.
- Political, philosophic, and stylistic differences may create tension within the school board.
- Policy differences between the school board members and professional staff may result in disputes over authority and decision making responsibility.
- Conflicting priorities between the school board and local governing body may result in deteriorating communication and cooperation.
- Diversity of views among parents and other community stakeholders may make reconciliation of competing needs difficult to achieve.
Such complexities are the norm in modern school management and they can present a daunting challenge to school leaders and board members. Even the strongest and most skilled staff and board members can face circumstances where an informed and experienced outside perspective may be able build consensus and diminish conflicts.
