During its October meeting the New Horizon school board accepts the recommendation of the superintendent to award the snow plowing contract to a business from a nearby community. A local contractor�s bid was significantly greater that the competition and therefore, was not selected.
A very early November snow fall provides the first test for the new snow removal contractor. The walkways, entrances and fire exits were cleared and the driveway for busses was cleared of snow and sanded. The rear portion of the parking lot was being plowed as the staff arrived before the 7:30 AM required time. The chemistry teacher at the high school arrives at his customary 7:28 AM time and has to wait for the last section to be cleared.
That afternoon the chemistry teacher encounters a school board member at the post office and complains that the new plowing contractor didn't have the parking lot cleared by 7:30 AM. The board member listens and advises the teacher that the lot was supposed to be cleared by 7:15 AM. He further comments that he did not agree with the Board when it awarded the contract to an �out-of-towner�.
The teacher calls the school board chair that evening to register a complaint about the snow removal service. The chair listens carefully and then explains that the superintendent had called to explain that the new contractor was late with the parking lot because he noticed that the school custodial staff had not been able to clear the walkways. At the request of the head custodian, the contractor directed his crew to help prep the entrances and walkways in advance of the first bus arrival at 7:15 AM. As a result, he was late with treatment of the parking lot.
Why would a staff member call the board chair about the parking lot?
Should the board member in the post office have offered an opinion in opposition to a school board decision?
Does your school ever struggle with consensus decision making?
If you were the board chair, how might you respond to your fellow board member?