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Alameda County, CA November 4, 2008 Election
Smart Voter

The Strong Principal System

By Joseph Conrad "Conrad" Hake

Candidate for Board Member; Hayward Unified School District; 2 Year Short Term

This information is provided by the candidate
The principal needs to be the school decision-maker and leader to strengthen the school. That, in turn, strengthens the district.
I believe that we need to return to a system where the school decision-maker is the Principal and that the Principal needs to advocate for his/her school to the district, not advocating district views to the teachers. The district needs to be in the role of serving the schools, not micromanaging the schools. Then I want the Principal on campus, not in meetings at the office, not pushing papers. These views come from observations while working through a multitude of solutions between the central office and the schools themselves over the last few years.

What's the advantage in this approach? The schools become more cohesive teams, morale rises, and the community starts to be drawn automatically into this new enthusiasm. Decisions for the site become more accurate, since who knows the school better than the people who are there? Is the environment safe? Ask the people in the environment. How many sections do we need to serve the student body? Ask the people there day-in, day-out. The district then becomes more in charge of making sure that successful Principals are in place and that each Principal knows the budget and parameters they must work within. The district provides resources. And, if someone is not succeeding after time to become acclimated, they may need to be coached and/or replaced + but this is the last resort.

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ca/alm Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 28, 2008 08:18
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