Toward Collaboration in District/Association Relationships: ABC School District.
After 8 years of adversarial combat, Laura Rico woke up one day and said to herself “there’s got to be a better way.” And she found it with the help of Gary Smuts, the ABC District Superintendent. For eight years the teachers association president had been fighting the district in every way possible. But on that day and the ten years to follow, she acted to turn the association-district relationship from adversarial to collaborative. What follows are some of the principles that helped this transformation. What is remarkable about these principles is not their novelty. They are solid and known theories of conflict resolution. What is remarkable, though, is that they have been put into practice at this district of 21,000 students. These practices and their application provide a model for other California School Districts to follow.
How it Works
The collaborative relationship between association and school district is made possible by 6 different elements that are both simple and extraordinary.
First of all, the district superintendent and the teachers association president sit down every week for two hours and discuss what problems they have. No negotiation items are discussed at that time but rather exploration is done of various problems and issues that came forward during the ensuing week. This meeting time is held sacrosanct and only emergencies preclude it. There is a strong commitment to this time and their meeting.
Secondly, two or three retreats are held each year, which include the cabinet of the district with the cabinet of the association. They discuss various issues and concerns that come to them. They are encouraged to speak freely and honestly. They get to know others concerns, but more importantly they get to know each other as human beings.