Get used to the idea of principals having a sidekick to deal with the nuts-and-bolts side of their job.
The concept of a school administrative manager, which began with a handful of Jefferson County schools in 2003, pushed out into the state this school year and is poised to expand even further next year. The pilot program is being funded in part by the Wallace Foundation, which has a focus on developing education leadership.
"We’ve had a lot of calls and interest," said Debbie Daniels, who oversees the school administrative manager – SAM for short – program at the Kentucky Department of Education. "I think it’s an answer to a struggle that principals and school districts have had for a long time, in that principals don’t have time to do what they need to do instructionally."
Graves County school leaders are sold. The district’s Wingo Elementary added a SAM this year, one of six schools added to the list of pilot sites.
The others include three elementary schools in Fayette County, two in LaRue County and one in Pike County. Daniels said 10-12 more schools will be added next school year, including, for the first time, some middle and high schools. The Jefferson County district will place administrative managers in an additional 20 schools.
At Wingo, school administrative manager Rita Pirtle handles bus unloading, the principal’s schedule, student discipline, after-school event scheduling, playground facilities and school safety. She also oversees custodial and food services functions, budget and finance, and coordinates maintenance and repairs.
"I can’t see how a principal could be expected to do what I’m doing now and be able to have time to get into the classrooms, work with students, work with teachers," Pirtle said.
This from the Kentucky School Boards Association.
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