Acting with Integrity, Fairness, and Ethics
(K-12 Administrative Standard #5)
As a member of the Board of Directors at Hinoki International School, a Japanese-English bilingual immersion charter school, in Wayne County, Michigan, I have had the opportunity to think about and act on principles of "self-awareness, reflective practice, transparency, and ethical behavior" (NPBEA, 2011, p. 20), on a regular basis. To my way of thinking, the job of the Board of Directors of any public school is to "safeguard the values of democracy, equity, and diversity" (NPBEA, 2011, p. 20), and ensure that public tax dollars are spent in appropriate ways. When the board makes budget or policy decisions, we are constantly having to evaluate their "potential moral and legal consequences" (NPBEA, 2011, p. 20), and strive to be as fair as possible to all stakeholders.
BALANCING MULTIPLE ROLES IN A SMALL COMMUNITY
When I first joined the Hinoki School Board in June 2010, my children were only 2 and 4 years old, and I had no intention of sending them to Hinoki, as it was located 40 minutes from our home in Ypsilanti and over an hour from my workplace in Adrian. When bus service from Ypsilanti became available in 2011, however, I decided to enroll my children in Hinoki's kindergarten and in Himawari Preschool for the 2011-2012 year. I asked the Hinoki Board of Directors if I should step down, given potential conflict of interest between my roles as parent and board member. The other members and the Lead Administrator indicated that, on the contrary, my continued membership on the board would bring a valuable new perspective as a Hinoki parent and PTO member--as long I abstained from votes on matters which might present a conflict of interest.
PARTNERSHIPS AND VESTED INTERESTS
Hinoki has a history of creatively using partnerships to bolster its fledgling resource base, but these partnerships sometimes present a need for constant vigilance to avoid the appearance of, for example, nepotism in hiring practices, or inappropriate "mixing" of the public funds supporting Hinoki International School and the private funds of our feeder school, Himawari Preschool. As a board member and in my internship work at Hinoki, I continue to strive to model thoughtful and ethical handling of such issues as staffing allocations shared between Hinoki and Himawari, having a staff member practice classroom-observation-based evaluations of her colleagues as part of her own administrator internship through EMU, and so on. One example of "separation of duties" is the decision by the board to retain our own counsel, from a different firm than the one that provides legal representation to the school itself. While "contingency theory" acknowledges the complexity inherent in an organization such as our dual-immersion school, I agree with O'Toole (1995) that it is better to lead from a foundation of "a few clear, inviolable moral principles" (p.99) such as the avoidance of any violation of human rights, and the promotion of mutual respect and trust among members of an organization.
REFERENCES
Hinoki International School Board (2011, July 11). Board meeting minutes.
Hinoki International School Board. (2012). Board policy manual. Retrieved from http://bpp.charterinstitute.org/hinokiinternationalschool/
National Policy Board for Educational Administration (NPBEA). (2011). Educational leadership program standards: 2011 ELCC district level.
Retrieved from http://npbea.org/
O'Toole, J. (1995). Leading change: The argument for values-based leadership. New York: Ballatine Books.
Reeves, D.B. (2009). Leading change in your school: How to conquer myths, build commitment, and get results. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
BALANCING MULTIPLE ROLES IN A SMALL COMMUNITY
When I first joined the Hinoki School Board in June 2010, my children were only 2 and 4 years old, and I had no intention of sending them to Hinoki, as it was located 40 minutes from our home in Ypsilanti and over an hour from my workplace in Adrian. When bus service from Ypsilanti became available in 2011, however, I decided to enroll my children in Hinoki's kindergarten and in Himawari Preschool for the 2011-2012 year. I asked the Hinoki Board of Directors if I should step down, given potential conflict of interest between my roles as parent and board member. The other members and the Lead Administrator indicated that, on the contrary, my continued membership on the board would bring a valuable new perspective as a Hinoki parent and PTO member--as long I abstained from votes on matters which might present a conflict of interest.
PARTNERSHIPS AND VESTED INTERESTS
Hinoki has a history of creatively using partnerships to bolster its fledgling resource base, but these partnerships sometimes present a need for constant vigilance to avoid the appearance of, for example, nepotism in hiring practices, or inappropriate "mixing" of the public funds supporting Hinoki International School and the private funds of our feeder school, Himawari Preschool. As a board member and in my internship work at Hinoki, I continue to strive to model thoughtful and ethical handling of such issues as staffing allocations shared between Hinoki and Himawari, having a staff member practice classroom-observation-based evaluations of her colleagues as part of her own administrator internship through EMU, and so on. One example of "separation of duties" is the decision by the board to retain our own counsel, from a different firm than the one that provides legal representation to the school itself. While "contingency theory" acknowledges the complexity inherent in an organization such as our dual-immersion school, I agree with O'Toole (1995) that it is better to lead from a foundation of "a few clear, inviolable moral principles" (p.99) such as the avoidance of any violation of human rights, and the promotion of mutual respect and trust among members of an organization.
REFERENCES
Hinoki International School Board (2011, July 11). Board meeting minutes.
Hinoki International School Board. (2012). Board policy manual. Retrieved from http://bpp.charterinstitute.org/hinokiinternationalschool/
National Policy Board for Educational Administration (NPBEA). (2011). Educational leadership program standards: 2011 ELCC district level.
Retrieved from http://npbea.org/
O'Toole, J. (1995). Leading change: The argument for values-based leadership. New York: Ballatine Books.
Reeves, D.B. (2009). Leading change in your school: How to conquer myths, build commitment, and get results. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.