Aligning Your People to Your District Strategy During Turbulent Fiscal Times

Tuesday, 08 June 2010 12:27

As the school year winds down, many districts have endured one of the most difficult budget periods in their history – some are still in the midst of significant layoffs. The forecast for next year’s fiscal planning period does not look much brighter. However, even as most of the attention is being paid to reducing costs and staff, school districts still need to pay close attention and even invest in the most significant resource of the district: their people.

The District Management Council (DMC) defines human capital strategy as the development and implementation of workforce management approaches that result in higher district performance.  A major emphasis is to develop and retain high-performing and high-potential talent.We encourage school districts to not forget about their people in light of budget concerns, but to instead focus efforts on managing your “human capital” to be even more effective and efficient.

During such uncertain times, it is crucial to take a systemic approach to making the people you have work even better. How can you motivate teachers and staff? How can you grow the skill sets of central office personnel to take on more responsibilities?  Consider the following steps to better manage your district’s human capital:

  • Strengthen the district’s message.  Take a moment to ensure your district has a clearly defined message that is understandable and easy for a district employee to apply to their responsibilities.
  • Evaluate how your district staff carries out the district message. Every employee is responsible for carrying out the district strategy. But are they aware of this responsibility?
  • Align your people to the district message. Assess the current skills and performance level of your staff to make sure their activities are well aligned with district objectives. 

For more information on human capital strategy, please read these DMC thought pieces: