Community Structure

 Addison Central School Addison, NY (High School focus)

A hierarchy can link entities vertically directly or indirectly. This means that there is a triangle pattern of power from the top down with each employee having an immediate superior. A public school system is organized and managed by a hierarchy of power.

Formal Power:

School Board: Ms. Sutton –President. She obtained her power by getting elected by people in the community. She carries out her power in the bi-monthly community meetings.

Mr. Peoples, Jr. - Vice President- He obtained his power by getting elected by people in the community. He carries out his powers in the bi-monthly community meetings.

Mr. Herrington, Mr. Crane, Mr. Knapp, Mrs. Stuart and Mrs. Terwilliger: Each obtains their power by being elected by the people in the community who live within the school district. They carry out their power during the bi-monthly meetings. They all have power over every decision and action taken within the school district.

Mr. DioGuardi- Superintendent. The Superintendent obtains his power based upon his qualifications that fit with the school systems criteria. He has a master’s degree in business administration and education. He carries out the educational policies and rules of the state board and the local school board; administers and supervises the school district; hires people, sets the salaries of all staff based upon union agreements, terminates or discharges all employees; and prepares the school district budget. He carries out his powers in the school district office.

Ms.Berkan-Secretary of the Board of Education and Superintendent. She assists the Superintendent with all communication from state level to local community level. She carries out her duties in the school district office.

Mr. Howe- Director of Curriculum and Instruction. He has a master’s degree in education and administration. A curriculum director develops classroom curriculum and selects textbooks to go with classes. A curriculum director acts as a personnel development specialist and training teacher. He mentors teachers as they learn about new educational programs. He keeps up on technology and related software and understands how it can apply to students from kindergarten through high school. He must assess if a program is effective and makes sure it conforms to New York State Education’s high standards. If the school district is not reaching desired goals in a specific area based on standards, he must observe teachers in the classroom and complete teacher surveys. He carries out his power in the school district office.

Ms.Hadlock-Secretary of the Director of Curriculum and Instruction. She assists the Director of Curriculum with all communication from state level to local community level. She carries out her duties in the school district office.

Mr. Prutsman-Director of Building and Grounds. He is the supervisor for all the maintenance workers and custodial staff. He makes sure that the buildings are safe and in good working condition. He coordinates work duties daily and ensures that the district is meeting NYS Department of Education and NYS Health Department codes and regulations. He carries out his duties throughout the school district and his direct supervisor is the Superintendent.

Mr. Lewis-Director of Transportation. He coordinates all the school district’s travel arrangements for students and supervises bus maintenance, meeting NYS Motor of Vehicle Department regulations. He carries out his power in the school bus garage area and he answers directly to the Superintendent.

Mrs. Loomis-Supervisor of Special Education. She obtains her power by having a certified teacher certificate from an accredited institution. She oversees hiring, training, discipline, and other concerns involving special education personnel. She is responsible for developing policies, programs, and other standards within the special education program, as well as representing the program to the community and to the institution's upper-level administration. She carries out her power in the high school building. She answers directly to the Superintendent.

Mrs. Bulkley-Secretary to the Supervisor of Special Education. She assists the Supervisor of Special Education with all communication from administration to local community level. She carries out her duties in the high school district building.

Ms. Crane-High School Principal. She obtains her power by having a bachelor’s degree in education from an accredited institution and a master’s degree in administration. She ensures learning and accountability. She is a leader and motivates employees and serves as a role model to both teachers and students. Excellent communication skills are important. She must develop yearly campus improvement plans and work with campus and community members to implement them. She is responsible for setting high standards and meeting state requirements on state standardized tests. She interprets the budgets and prioritizes fiscal needs. Principals must be familiar with all district, state and federal requirements and ensure that schools are in compliance with the requirements at all times. Principals must create a positive school environment and maintain or implement effective discipline plan to create a safe environment for students and staff. She is responsible for hiring qualified teachers and staff members and evaluating them in a fair and unbiased manner. Principals promote staff development initiatives that are designed to improve student performance. She carries out her duties in the high school building. She answers directly to the Superintendent.

Mrs. Mayo-Secretary to the High School Principal. She assists the Principal with all communication from administration to local community level. She carries out her duties in the high school district building.

Mr. Bielski-Athletic Director. He obtains his power by having a teacher’s certification from an accredited institution and a great interest in athletics. He oversees all athletic activities and coordinates with the school nurse to ensure that all the players have up to date physicals and meet regulation. He carries out his power in the district office building and sport fields. He answers directly to the Superintendent.

Informal Power:

Mr. Lawrence-Dean of Students. He obtains his power by having a bachelor’s degree in education from an accredited institution and a master’s degree in administration. He is responsible for all discipline with the high school environment and works very closely with administration to determine student behavioral management.

Mrs. Bills-Secretary to the High School Dean. She assists the Dean with all communication from state level to local community level. She carries out her duties in the high school district building.

Teachers: They obtain their power by having a teacher’s certification from an accredited institution. Each teacher belongs to a union, ATA. This is a powerful group but must negotiate all job functions with the Superintendent/Board of Education. They are responsible to provide a quality education for each student, regardless of their special needs, meeting NYS Department of Education criteria.

Mr. Vang – Director of Technology. He gets his power by receiving a degree in Information Technology from an accredited institution. He plays a key role in various decision-making capacities related to the technology and (IT) management of the school district. He is responsible for ensuring the smooth and effective running of computers. He works closely with his team and often with top management to help IT deliver the expected strategic benefits to the business side of the organization. He carries out his functions in the high school building.

Ms. Prior-School Psychologist. She obtains her power by having a degree in psychology from an accredited institution. She helps students develop 504 plans for disabilities, does disability assessments and attends Committee of Special Education meetings. She carries out her power in the high school building.

Mrs. Clark and Mr. Marks-Guidance Counselors. They obtained their power by having a master’s degree in school counseling. A guidance counselor is responsible for overseeing standardized tests, and administering aptitude and vocational tests. They prepare students for graduation, checking to make sure that each student has met all the required credits. The counselor also helps students prepare for college or other continuing education by making information available to and assisting them with the application process. High school counselors may be responsible for class scheduling as well as other administrative duties. They carry out their power in the high school building.

Mrs. Bloor-Social Worker. She obtained her power by receiving a bachelor in social work and a license from an accredited institution. She helps people solve and cope with problems in their everyday lives. She carries out her powers in the high school building.

Mrs. Lockwood- School Nurse. She is responsible for administration of medication and assessment of illnesses of all staff and students including assaults and drug use. She obtained her power by getting her registered nurse license from an accredited institution, Nurse Practice Act and the NYS Department of Education. She carries out her power by being an advocate for students and by making decisions to prevent harm to others and to protect the school district from potential lawsuits. She carries out her powers in the high school building.

Gatekeepers:

Mrs. Sutton President, Mr. Peoples, Jr. Vice President, Mr. Herrington, Mr. Crane,Mr. Knapp, Mrs. Stuart, and Mrs. Terwilliger carry out their power in the bi-monthly meetings. Other gatekeepers are Mrs. Berkan, Ms. Hadlock, Mrs. Bulkley, Mrs. Mayo, Mrs. Bills the secretaries that work with all the department heads. The control content and flow of communication.

Power Brokers/King Pins:

Mrs. Sutton President, Mr. Peoples, Jr. Vice President, Mr. Herrington, Mr. Crane, Mr. Knapp, Mrs. Stuart, and Mrs. Terwilliger carry out their power in the bi-monthly meetings.

The ATA Union.

Curriculum Coordinators: Teachers that teach a particular subject matter and in addition directly supervise other teachers that are teaching within their discipline. They help ensure that each teacher is following the state criteria and they report directly to the high school principal.

Communicators:

All members of the public school system need to be good quality communicators. Some have more specific jobs than others in the expectation to communicate on a variety of levels. All members are expected to be willing and able to communicate to the students as well as the community that they are employed with the common cause of quality education. If members from the media are seeking information, all employees have been instructed to not interact with the media and refer all questions or concerns to the Superintendent.

Mrs.Berkan-Secretary of the Board of Education and the Superintendent. She assists the Superintendent with all communication from state level to the local community level.

Ms. Hadlock: Secretary for the Director of Curriculum and Instruction. She assists the director with communications from the state level to teachers and the local community. She assists him in collecting data to study school programs for effectiveness. She seeks to improve the education quality and coordinates training programs for teachers.

Ms. Holmes-Secretary for Human Resources. She oversees all human resources to communicate job openings and to ensure that qualified candidates are considered for employment positions. She seeks to improve the education quality by coordinating qualified people for the appropriate job position.

Mrs. Mayo-Direct Secretary to the High School Principal. In order to obtain her position, she had to take a civil service examination and score in the top three positions. She obtained her power by applying for the job and having the appropriate educational requirements. She maintains office files, manages schedules, answers correspondence and conducts projects such as research for management staff. She also orders supplies for the office, which may include hiring vendors and services. She does routine clerical work that includes account-keeping tasks in maintaining and checking financial accounts and records. She carries out her powers in the high school main office.

Mrs. Bills-Direct Secretary to the High School Dean of Students. She is required to take a civil service examination and must score at typist level to be considered for the position. She collects and tabulates discipline reports and manages the dean’s appointment book. She coordinates district wide tutoring services for students. She does routine clerical work that includes account-keeping tasks in maintaining and checking financial accounts and records. She carries out her powers in the high school main office.

Mrs. Perkins-Attendance Clerk. She keeps track of student numbers, absences, attendance and maintains record keeping to eventually releasing her data to the NYS Education. She has a high school diploma. She carries out her powers in the high school main office.

Custodial Staff- they gather information within the school district on a daily basis and then share that information with the outside community.

Interconnecting Networks:

Within the high school hierarchy there are limited numbers of people that serve in multiple power positions. Most positions are a separate entity with employees reporting directly to a designated supervisor. Flow of information is basically one direction up to the administration and limited amounts of information flow back from administration to the employees. There is a considerable amount of grass root activity from the stand point that many lower paid employees (such as secretaries & custodial staff) have a considerable amount of power. They are the main communicators and control what an employee can or cannot accomplish within their job. There are husband and wife teams as well as sibling teams within the system, but they all work at direct jobs and interface very little during the actual work day.

Bibliography

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MacKenzie, Matthew. "Qualifications to Becoming a Social Worker” EHow." EHow. Demand Media, 08 Oct. 2009. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. http://www.ehow.com/facts_5508888_qualifications-becoming-social-worker.html

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School Principal: Educational Requirements to Become a Principal." Education Portal. N.p., 2009. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. http://educationportal.com/articles/School_Principal_Educational_Requirements_to_Become_a_Principal.html.

Wile, Elise. "High School Guidance Counselor Job Description." EHow. Demand Media, 30 June 2010. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. http://www.ehow.com/about_6684525_high-guidance-counselor-job-description.html.

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INTERNAL		EXTERNAL
Strengths	Weaknesses	Opportunities	Threats
Working together Everyone completes job CSE Accredited technology Want to help students	Solving problems quickly Poor math skills Low college ready students Low standardized test scores	High School Diploma Receiving grants ACE courses for students	Potential lawsuits Many students are remedial and college may not be an option