Responsibilities of Leadership

Sometimes, it falls upon a leader to do the “difficult thing” – to be honest and upfront about a situation. Very few people like to be “surprised” by bad information (perceived or otherwise) so it is a wise leader who knows and takes responsibility for preparing the audience. One such important document related specifically to THIS work is the following:

The document in its entirety can be found via this link: http://bit.ly/dewg2009 . While the document is now over a decade old, there are some key points in it which relate to the current situation – and ignoring the recommendations MADE OVER TEN YEARS AGO seems rather foolish as the relevant reactions are not likely to have changed.

This image was taken directly from the report:

“…declining enrolment is “the elephant in the room,” a difficult subject that no one wants to discuss. This situation especially prevails when a school closure or consolidation is under consideration. These situations will never be easy to resolve, but communities need to be aware of all aspects of the issue in order to contribute to and respect a soundly
based decision. They must understand the significant costs as well as the benefits involved. For example, the costs of keeping an underutilized school open could divert resources from programs and services that promote student achievement. Whether a school closure is at issue or not, better information will help to build understanding. Usually the status quo is not an option.”

DEWG Report, page 34

My challenge is this: going forward into the future leadership must be prepared to make the hard choices and face the difficult discussions. By not being in conversation with our school communities, by initiating the modified Pupil Accommodation Review – under a moratorium – using our tragedy as “special circumstances”, those who say they are looking out for us have put our healing community into crisis. The expectation that this could happen is well documented and could have been avoided – and the opportunity for courageous leadership is now lost.