Opinion: Trust The Process
Advice for raising concerns to TPS leadership
I started writing an article on my Industrial Psychology Blog about feedback loops and continuous improvement, but realized it might be more applicable for this blog. At a board meeting earlier this month (Meeting Notes), Rod Green from the Michigan Association of School Boards told the board that they need to “trust the process” when it comes to public comment / negative feedback. He made some good points, but as a private consultant, his intent was to protect the board. If I may, I’d like to be your private consultant. My intent is to protect you, my reader.
When Mr. Green told the board to “trust the process”, he was referring to the urge of some on the board to respond (or not respond) to negative feedback (complaints, grievances, etc) from the public. His point was that the board does not solve problems, they merely redirect problems to those who can. This redirection is the “process” they are told to trust, but can we trust it? Is there a mechanism in place that gives us recourse for when our concerns go unanswered?
The Bad Example
The staff at Great Lakes Family Dental here in Tecumseh are some of the most compassionate, hard-working people I know. Many of them are my close friends. For years, they suffered under a toxic office manager. Any time they elevated concerns to the regional manager, their office manager’s phone would ring. “Why are your employees complaining about you? Handle it!” would be the response, which typically came with retaliation from the office manager.
One night as we were all playing Uno, the staff asked me for advice on what to do. Like Mr. Green, I told them to “trust the process”. I was shocked to find that there was no process to trust. No one knew the number to Human Resources. 42 North Dental, their parent company, didn’t seem to have an ethics hotline. They didn’t even have a published number to “call corporate”. After years of attrition, corporate finally caught on and let the office manager go. By then, the damage was done.
Initiating Feedback
There are lessons to be learned from the situation at GLFD. While correcting the problems seemed impossible, there is still a process. The first step in this process is to be sure our concerns have been clearly stated at the lowest level. Just like there is a burden on leadership to listen and resolve a concern, there is a burden on us to make an affective appeal. The three ingredients for effective feedback are:
Specificity
Constructive
Timeliness
Specificity means we need to be specific when describing the problem, and specific to which rule or code the behavior or ruling violated. “This isn’t fair” needs to be accompanied by a stated deviation from policy. “They always do this” needs to be accompanied by specific instances that illustrate a pattern. Sometimes this is tough, especially when emails go ignored, leaving little or no written record. I always encourage folks to use email, or have a third party present to take notes.
Constructive means coming with actionable suggestions to promote growth. While I understand that there are severe cases where a leader may need to be removed, I am much more in favor of restorative practices. I say this because I’m grateful to the leaders who looked past my flaws and took the time to mentor me. Our goal should never be revenge. Our goal should be correcting behavior to build a better leader. If we keep this in mind, we build a better community.
Timeliness is equally as crucial as the first two. The longer the time between the incident and the appeal, the harder it is to resolve. Humans have a psychological tendency to fill in memory gaps with our own bias. I’m guilty of sitting on matters because I second guess myself. Maybe the problem isn’t as bad as I think. Maybe I’m the only one with a problem. These are healthy, natural thoughts to have. Still, we have policy for a reason. If a behavior or ruling violates a policy or ethical standard, it’s time to speak up.
Going “Up The Chain”
Individual Schools
The next step is to elevate the concern. For TPS, complaints will likely center around a specific school. The principal or vice principal would be the first to contact with feedback. I’ve had great experiences going to the staff at TMS with concerns, and I can attest to their willingness to hear folks out. I have no experience with the elementary schools, and am currently in a stale-mate with the high school, so results may vary.
Special Needs
For issues related to disabilities, IEPs, etc, Michelle Malewitz (our disabilities advocate) can be a huge help.
While Michelle may not be able to solve your problem, as an advocate she can work with you on understanding rules/regulations governing IEPs, share resources unique to your issue, and can likely guide you with next steps in the process. She’s helped many parents in the district already, and does so in her free time as a service to the community.
Michelle would remind everyone that it is equally important for parents who have disabled children (like me) to partner with the school for your child’s needs. Parents can take Michigan Alliance for Families training, come to an LPAC meeting, or just get to know the wider community in general. Sometimes it just helps to have other parents to vent to that understand your unique situation.
If you’d like to contact Michelle, she’s asked that you leave a comment on this article, or message the blog and it will be forwarded to her.
Michigan Alliance For Families
Lenawee Intermediate School District
Sports Programs
While sports programs are tied to the school in a sense, the next step for an issue with coaches, after going to the coach themselves, is to go to the athletic director. I had one experience with Mr. Zajac two years ago. He returned my call right away, heard my concerns, gave me some perspective on the situation, and I walked away feeling like the matter was in good hands. While results always vary, I can attest to the fact that he will at least hear you out.
Straight To The Top
The “final boss” for TPS is Matt Hilton, our superintendent. Feedback should be done privately, not at a board meeting, as the board cannot intervene in specific school issues. I’ve found Mr. Hilton to be a stand-up guy, and I’ve never had an issue bringing a concern to him. It deserves mentioning that he is an extremely busy man, and may not reply right away. A follow-up email a week later is appropriate, but give him time. He will typically let you know he’s heard you but needs time to process and respond. Have patience.
Some folks report that it’s difficult to get to Mr. Hilton due to the secretary, Veronica Moore. Her response time is abysmal, and we’ve had other issues with her charging ridiculous fees for FOIA requests. You can either keep trying, or if that doesn’t work, email Mr. Hilton directly letting him know you can’t get through. The buck essentially stops with Mr. Hilton, so if you’ve tried to reach him with a concern and can’t after a reasonable period, it’s time to get creative.
Hail Mary
The Board
Speaking out at a board meeting can be an effective way of getting an audience, but this option should be considered a Hail Mary. Board members tend to “circle the wagons” when they feel they’re being yelled at, and some members hold the general public in contempt (as I found out last year). To be fair, Facebook groups like “Nosey Asses of Tecumseh” love to dogpile on board members whether the issue is their fault or not. Remember, you are there to address Mr. Hilton, not the board.
Educate Tecumseh
The motto at UCLA is “Let There Be Light”. Many folks cite fear of retaliation, either on themselves or their kids, as a reason for why they are not comfortable to come forward with concerns. I, on the other hand, cannot be threatened. I don’t work here. I’m interviewed yearly for my security clearance by a government investigator who knows about the library book I returned late in 1997. My life is an open book, so I’m in a unique position to shine light on things without fear of retaliation.
That being said, I can only shine the light. I once tried to take all the concerns folks shared with me on my back and present them to our school board like some community messiah. I realized this was neither effective, nor appropriate. This blog can raise awareness, it can validate concerns, and it can encourage and empower the community to speak out, but it cannot affect change. Only you, as one individual among many, can do that.
You also have the opportunity to start your own group, or your own blog (as I have). As a matter of fact, you can even take over this one! It’s only a matter of time until my career pulls me away from this state, so I’m still searching for a member of the community, ideally a parent, to take over this site. I will continue to update folks as long as I am here, but I won’t always be here.
The Nuclear Option
Some folks like to take to Facebook groups to express their frustration. I consider this the nuclear option because, depending on the group you post in, it can do significant collateral damage. While the TPS schools discussion page tends to stay moderate and constructive, other groups (like Nosey Asses) are toxic. Many of the group members don’t even live here, and virtually nothing is constructive. Good people get caught in the crossfire. I learned the hard way that it’s just not worth it, and can even harm your cause.
This is a great time to mention that I will no longer be posting links to my articles on Facebook. I’ve lost all faith in Facebook having any utility for what I’m trying to do. If you already subscribe, you will still get email notifications. If you don’t subscribe, you can consider subscribing (it’s free!), or bookmark the link to check in periodically for new articles. If you feel an article I write is of value, feel free to share wherever you see fit.
The Process
The burden of improvement is as much upon us as it is upon leadership. Conditions for positive change are ripening. Our current board seems to be more responsive to the community. Our superintendent seems to genuinely care about resolving issues. It’s up to us to ensure that the concerns we bring are specific, constructive, and timely. They must also be actionable, and appropriate to the personnel equipped to handle the complaint.
Feedback is a catalyst for the success of any organization, especially school districts. If management isn’t aware of a problem, it might as well not exist. “Trust the process” simply means use the process. Unlike our friends at the local dental office, we do have resources to go “up the chain”, as it were. It’s up to us to ensure we’re giving leadership something they can take action on.