HR Transformation COSQ Workshop

reexamine the role of the district office

Purpose

The broad goal of any HR department should be the identification, support, development and advancement of highly effective staff. However, in response to state and federal requirements and union contracts, most school districts have reactive HR systems that fail to fully address or anticipate the talent management needs of schools. HR departments frequently rely on specialized staff specialists for a few narrowly defined HR tasks, which prevents HR staff from developing understanding and meeting a school’s human capital needs. It is frustrating for principals to have to talk to one HR staff member for hiring teachers, another for hiring classified staff, yet another for evaluation and discipline. Lastly, there is a widening gap between the technology we use in our personal lives and the paper-driven, manual processes that HR offices often rely on to get business done.

Approach

By working with HR departments to redefine their role as one that emphasizes school service and improving teaching, leading and learning and supporting their transition to automated online processes, we build the capacity of HR staff to identify, appropriately place, support, and advance high-quality leaders, teachers and staff. Our holistic four- pronged approach includes:

(1) Engaging staff to reimagine their role within the school district from rule enforcers to strategic partners, intensively focused on servicing principals and improving student achievement.

(2) Establishing a professional learning community (PLC) that cyclically uses student and adult data to pinpoint areas that need improvement, develop and implement an improvement plan, and track progress and refine the improvement plan if necessary.

(3) Streamline and automate staff- and paper-intensive HR processes.