Standards of Operation
Scope and authority determine what types of decisions are made and how they are made. The impact of a school/department decisions on other parts of the organization must be considered. Therefore, cooperative decision making teams need to select decisions within the context of approved employee contracts, adopted Board policies, and existing federal, state, and local laws. Decisions to be made may include, but are not limited to, the following examples.
Instruction: Suggestions for potential decisions include: Instructional models and strategies; student assessment and placement; learning resources, staff development, and employee training; student awards and recognition; enrichment activities and exceptional students needs.
Allocation of Resources: Suggestions for potential decisions include: Interviewing, selecting, and recognizing employees and volunteers; recruiting volunteers; budget development, expenditures, and evaluation; grant writing and the use of community and volunteer resources.
Governance and Management: Suggestions for potential decisions include: Room assignments, facility management, support services, transportation, field trips, discipline plan, extra-curricular activities, student progress reporting procedures, scheduling, community relations, and communications.
Requests from the site for variances and memoranda of understanding will be reviewed at both the work site and within the articulation areas, as well as by
representatives of appropriate state agencies, Board of Education, district administration, employee organizations, and community groups. A procedure has been established for seeking variances from the JCEA R-1 Master Agreement.
The following standards and questions are designed to assist in the establishment and ongoing assessment of your cooperative decision making process: Schools/work sites are in various stages of development in their practice of CDM and may use these accordingly.
- The process operates with written rules that are widely understood. How does your governing document establish roles and responsibilities? What is the structure for your process? What is your plan for distributing your governing documents to your school/work site community?
- The roles of the various decision making groups are understood within the CDM process. What decision making groups exist at your school or work site? What is the relationship among decision making groups at your school/work site?
- The CDM process has a shared vision that focuses on improvement of student learning. What is the shared vision around which your cooperative decision making process is organized? In what way does your vision include improving the learning environment and education/services to all students?
- The CDM process determines what decisions are made and how they are made. What decisions will be made at the school/work site? What is your plan for collaboratively determining how decisions are made and the manner in which they will be communicated to members of your school/work site community?
- Meetings are open and at convenient times. What process will you use to assure that meetings are open and convenient to all?
- The CDM process is communicated internally and externally. How does your communication plan serve your internal and external communities?
- What plan do you have for producing, maintaining, and distributing a written record of your process to your school/work site community?
- The process is evaluated to determine its effectiveness. How will you evaluate the effectiveness of your process?
- Training is provided for all participants. What is your strategy for providing ongoing technical knowledge/training for each participant?
- Assistance is utilized when needed. What additional assistance does your school/work site require in order to help you establish or improve your cooperative decision making process, e.g., consultation, concrete examples, technical assistance, and training? Read more.