Illllfll‘llllll"I'HHIHIIIIHHIMII'IIIIIUIIIIHI 3 1293 10537 7000 f V “-‘4‘ * “‘WL‘J-n .- -";:i_::'..n£1_"{"j'.¥\ i‘v L1,: 4.jo “4‘3. 3"; ”mg g Big; A. \ hit'n 31" an Si:- 3. (A: c? r. $3.3? U nive: ;i ty «9’ ,8 4 ‘ ’ Wfl‘immm m—nw £ This is to certify that the dissertation entitled SUGGESTED PERSONNEL FUNCTIONS AND SERVICES OF AN INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT AS PERCEIVED BY CONSTITUENT K-IZ DISTRICT ADMINISTRATORS presentedby John Francis EgIoff has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for Ph. D. degree“, Ed. - Adm. a Curi‘. 1Q J’Q/J/mM; Q/W/[gu/ Major professor Date January 21, I982 MS U is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution 0-12771 MSU LIBRARIES RETURNING MATERIALS: Place in book drop to remove this checkout from your record. FINES will be charged if book is returned after the date stamped below. SUGGESTED PERSONNEL FUNCTIONS AND SERVICES OF AN INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT AS PERCEIVED BY CONSTITUENT K-IZ DISTRICT ADMINISTRATORS By John Francis Egloff A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Administration and Curriculum 1982 C7 , - ' . _ ‘/ / l / " If ‘p ABSTRACT SUGGESTED PERSONNEL FUNCTIONS AND SERVICES OF AN INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT AS PERCEIVED BY CONSTITUENT K-lZ DISTRICT ADMINISTRATORS By John Francis Egloff The purpose of this study was to measure the need for an expanded personnel function at the intermediate school district (ISD) level in order to meet related needs of local school districts. It was presumed that identifying personnel needs in the greatest demand would enable an ISD to better plan its personnel services for local school systems. Attention was also given to whether differences exist among the needs of local districts having full-time personnel administrators, part-time personnel administrators, superintendents with personnel responsibilities, and superintendents with personnel help. The study population comprised all the local school district central office administrators in the Genesee Intermediate School Dis- trict, excluding the city of Flint, who had a personnel responsibility. The Flint school system was excluded from this population because of its large size in comparison with the other districts. Ninety-seven percent of the population surveyed (32 individuals) responded by returning a completed inventory. John Francis Egloff Conclusions were derived from the tabulation of responses to the survey and are as follows. The research questions and general question are restated in the form of conclusions. Research Question A: Conclusion Local school districts need assistance from the with five selected personnel processes and with general tions. Related Questions: Conclusions l. Local school districts need assistance in the staffing process. 2. Local school districts need assistance in the collective-bargaining process. 3. Local school districts need assistance in the organizational-justice process. 4. Local school districts need assistance in the compensation process. 5. Local school districts need assistance in the performance-appraisal process. 6. Local school districts need assistance in the general-operations process. Research Question 8: Conclusion from from from from from from ISO opera- the the the the the the ISO ISD ISD ISD ISD ISD The way that the personnel responsibility is delegated within the administrative structure of local districts does affect the perceived need for ISD assistance. John Francis Egloff Related Questions: Conclusions l. There is a difference in need for personnel-management assistance between local districts that have personnel administra- tors and those that do not. 2. There is a difference in need for personnel-management assistance between local districts in which the superintendent is responsible for personnel management and those having a per- sonnel administrator. 3. There is no difference in need for personnel- management assistance between local districts having personnel management as an adjunct administrative responsibility and those having a full-time personnel administrator. This work is dedicated to my family. Without their understanding and help, the completion of this dissertation would not be a reality. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Without the aid and caring of the following people, this project could not have been completed: Dr. James Costar, my chairman; I thank him for his patience and never-ending support. His encouragement and friendship will always be remembered. My wife, Carol L. Egloff, for her strong support and encour— agement throughout my doctoral program. My children, Ann, Janet, and Robert, for their understanding and willingness to delay wants and sometimes needs during this time. Bruce Nieuwenhius and Bill Gifford, friends ever willing to listen and share ideas. Dr. Richard Fitzgerald, for his help with the Genesee Inter- mediate and his fellow superintendents. Mrs. Sue Cooley, for editing and typing the final copy of this dissertation. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ........................ vi Chapter I. INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ....... l Importance of the Study ............... 2 Purpose of the Study ................ 2 Delimitations and Limitations ............ 2 Delimitations ................... 3 Limitations .................... 3 Assumptions ..................... 3 Research Questions ................. 4 Research Question A ................ 4 Related Questions ................. 4 ‘ Research Question B ................ 5 Related Questions ................. 5 Definitions of Terms ................ 5 Design of the Study ................. 6 Overview ...................... 7 II. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY ................ 9 Benefits ...................... ll Constraints ..................... lZ Mandated Responsibilities of ISD's ......... l5 Permissive Responsibilities of ISD's ........ 20 III. METHODS AND PROCEDURES ................ 25 Population ..................... 25 Instrumentation ................... 25 Research Questions ................. 28 Research Question A ................ 28 Related Questions ................. 28 Research Question B ................ 29 Related Questions ................. 29 Data Analysis .................... 29 iv IV. ANALYSIS OF DATA ................... The Staffing Process ................ The Collective-Bargaining Process .......... The Organizational-Justice Process ......... The Compensation Process .............. The Performance-Appraisal Process .......... The General-Operations Process ........... Summary of Expressed Needs ............. Research Question A ................ Related Questions ................. Research Question B ................ Related Questions ................. V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, DISCUSSION, AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH ................ Summary ....................... Conclusions ..................... Research Question A ................ Related Questions ................. Research Question B ................ Related Questions ................. Suggestions for Further Research .......... APPENDICES .......................... A. INVENTORY OF FUNCTIONS AND SERVICES OF INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICTS AS PERCEIVED BY LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENTS .............. B. REPORT OF TASK FORCE TO EXPLORE SERVICES TO LEAs BY IISD PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATOR ........... C. INVENTORY OF PERSONNEL FUNCTIONS AND SERVICE POSSIBILITIES AS PERCEIVED BY LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENTS AND PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATORS D. COVER LETTER AND REMINDER LETTER ........... REFERENCES .......................... 69 84 9O 96 99 LIST OF TABLES Table Page I. Study Population .................... 26 2. Distribution of Returned Questionnaires ......... 28 3. Responses to Questions Related to the Staffing Process . 35 4. Responses to Questions Related to the Collective- Bargaining Process .................. 38 5. Responses to Questions Related to the Organizational- Justice Process .................... 4l 6. Responses to Questions Related to the Compensation Process ........................ 43 7. Responses to Questions Related to the Performance- Appraisal Process ................... 45 8. Responses to Questions Related to the General-Operations Process ........................ 46 vi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Regional bargaining, declining enrollment, aging staff, and labor negotiations (including arbitration) are a few of the issues that confront school districts today. The way these problem areas are handled by an individual district may influence the operation of other districts. Schools with limited finances may have to rely on less-than-adequate information resources in making a personnel deci- sion or be forced to live with undesirable personnel decisions. The purpose of this study was to measure the need for an expanded personnel function at the intermediate school district (ISD) level in order to meet related needs of local school districts. It was presumed that identifying personnel needs in the greatest demand would enable an ISD to better plan its personnel services for local school systems. In this study, an attempt was made to describe a hierarchy of local personnel needs, to analyze the effect of the local personnel-management arrangement on the need assessment, and to out- line a valid personnel role for an ISD. Because of local conditions, not all school districts handle their personnel operations in the same manner. Some have full-time personnel administrators; in others they are part time. In the latter case, the superintendent often acts as the personnel officer of the district. 1 Importance of the Study This project was important for the following reasons. More and more frequently, unions are dealing in the education field on a regional basis; yet no counterpart has been established at the man- agement level. Reduction of student population has resulted in staff- ing questions that could best be handled through a sharing of information. Older staff members are being maintained and shifted to different assignments through cutbacks. Developmental and retraining processes for staff need to occur to maintain an adequate educational level. Grievances and arbitration rulings that affect other local districts as well as the one grieved are occurring. Information regarding grievances should be disseminated, and in areas in which rulings may affect other school districts, help should be given. Purpose of the Study The main purpose of this study was to identify the personnel needs of local school districts with which their ISD is in a position to be of assistance. Attention was also given to whether differ- ences exists among the needs of local districts having full-time personnel administrators, part-time personnel administrators, super- intendents with personnel responsibilities, and superintendents with personnel help. Delimitations and Limitations This study was descriptive in nature. Through the use of a survey instrument, the investigator explored the ways an ISO may be of assistance to its local districts in selected areas of personnel management. Delimitations l. The personnel processes studied were collective bargain- ing, organizational justice, compensation, performance appraisal, and staffing. 2. One ISO in Michigan and its 20 constituent school dis- districts, except for one metropolitan district that was excluded because of its size disparity and unique urban characteristics, constituted the study population. Limitations l. The responses of individual participants may have been affected by unique problems within their school districts. 2. A lack of consistency in the responses may have developed as a result of the variety of experiences and backgrounds of the respondents. 3. Although it was field tested, the survey instrument might have had built-in ambiguity that would inhibit collection of data pertinent to the study. Assumptions The following assumptions were made in conducting this research: I. It was assumed that the five personnel processes of collective bargaining, organizational justice, compensation, performance appraisal, and staffing were personnel functions of the districts surveyed. 2. The investigator assumed that the administrators respond- ing to the survey were familiar with the personnel operations of their respective school districts. 3. Small variations in the sizes of the school districts were assumed not to change the personnel processes performed in those districts. Research Questions Research Question A Do local school districts need assistance from the ISO with five selected personnel processes and with general operations? Related Questions I. Do local school districts need assistance from the ISD in the staffing process? 2. Do local school districts need assistance from the ISO in the collective-bargaining process? 3. Do local school districts need assistance from the ISO in the organizational-justice process? 4. Do local school districts need assistance from the ISO in the compensation process? 5. Do local school districts need assistance from the ISD in the performance-appraisal process? 6. Do local school districts need assistance from the ISD in the general—operations process? Research Question B Does the way the personnel responsibility is delegated within the administrative structure of local school dis- tricts affect the perceived need for ISO assistance? Related Questions I. Is there a difference in need for personnel-management assistance between local districts that have personnel administrators and those that do not? 2. Is there a difference in need for personnel-management assistance between local districts in which the superin- tendent is responsible for personnel management and those that have a personnel administrator? 3. Is there a difference in need for personnel-management assistance between local districts having personnel management as an adjunct administrative responsibility and those having a full-time personnel administrator? Definitions of Terms The following terms are defined in the context in which they were used in this study: Collective bargaining: Bargaining and settlement information, strategic planning, negotiations, and proposal development. Compensation: Rate—of-pay and fringe—benefit programs, including salary scales, comparability studies, and cost analysis. Intermediate school district (ISD): A regional educational agency that serves as a link between the local school districts and the state education authority. Local school district: A basic independent educational unit of government, which has a superintendent and a board of education. Organizational justice: Includes, but is not limited to, grievance, arbitration, employee discipline, layoff, and recall. Performance appraisal: Procedure for evaluating employees. Personnel administrator: A board-designated administrator whose primary function is personnel operations. Staffing: The search for and selection of people to fill certified and classified positions; includes equal-opportunity com- pliance and substitutes. Design of the Study_ The Genesee Intermediate School District was selected for study because its 21 constituent districts are all K-lZ and range in student population from under l,000 to more than 35,000 students. Except for the Flint district, each of the 2l district superintendents and personnel administrators was asked to be involved in the study. Flint was not included because it is so much larger than the other districts in the Genesee Intermediate service area. Thirty-two administrators from 20 school districts comprised the study popula- tion. Each administrator was personally contacted and sent a survey instrument. This instrument was an expansion of Kloster's question- naire, which he used in a study of ISD's in 1978.1 (See Appendix A.) A cover letter of explanation, a concise survey instrument, a stamped addressed envelope, and a contact telephone number for questions per- taining to the survey were sent to the survey population. If instru- ments were not returned in two weeks, administrators were contacted 1Alexander J. Kloster, A Study of Intermediate School Dis- trict Functions and Organizational Structure TMarquette: MiChigan Association of Intermediate SChool Administrators, June I978). personally to reinforce the need for a response. If the original instrument had been misplaced, they were given a replacement. Using the mailed-questionnaire and personal-contact approaches, it was assumed that a 90% return, or 29 of the 32 administrators, would constitute the study population. The results were analyzed according to the procedure recom- mended by the Michigan State University Office of Research and Consul- tation. The descriptive nature of this study invited percentage comparisons. Questions generating a positive response of more than 50% were used to generate recommendations to complement an 150 personnel system. A l5% difference in responses between subgroups was judged to be so large as to be statistically significant. This judgment was reinforced when a check chi-square was run. A 15% difference between subgroups produced a chi-square value that was significant at the .05 level or below, with one degree of freedom. Overview Chapter I included a statement of the need for and purpose of the study. Delimitations and limitations were set forth and the research questions stated. Important terms were defined, and assump- tions underlying the research were stated. In Chapter II, the development of the ISD is traced. A list- ing of the mandatory and permissive roles of the ISO reveals the scope of operations that an ISO may perform. The study population, instrument design, and the information- gathering sequence used in the study are described in Chapter III. A description of how the data were handled in preparation for analy- sis is also included. Chapter IV contains a general description of the results of the data analysis. From these results, data relevant to the study are extrapolated for each personnel area. The conclusions drawn from the data are presented in Chapter V. In addition to answering the general and related research questions from the data discussed in Chapter IV, the writer presents areas for further study and analysis. CHAPTER II BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY The ISD is a middle-level unit of government, defined by the National Education Association in 1963 as "an agency that operates at a regional level giving coordination and supplementary services to a local school district and serving as a link between these basic administrative units, school districts, and the state education authority."1 The task of establishing good working relationships between units of educational government is very complex. This com- plexity is compounded because certain functions parallel or overlap existing agencies. "The Intermediate School Districts are not a static organization. They are still evolving, developing mechanisms designed to facilitate the new role of serving local education agen- cies and acting as an extension of the state education agencies."2 The ISD's in Michigan came into being in l962, although the structure for regional services has existed since territorial times. In the early 18005 and l900s, county governments were given the responsibility for enforcing local and state laws and regulations 1Alvin E. Rhodes, Better Education Through Effective Inter- mediate Units (Washington, D.C.: National Education Association, Department of Rural Education, l963), pp. 3-4. 2Rae M. Lewis, Potential Working Relationships Between ESAS and the R & D Exchangg_(Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Education, Department of Health, Education and Welfare, l979), p. 6. 9 IO governing the operation of local public schools because of the thousands of primary school districts within the state. Until 1930, this power was vested either in the township or in the county. In l931, the state law was amended to provide for an elected county commissioner of schools. In the late 19405 the state law was again amended, abolishing the title of County Commis- sioner of Schools and providing for a county superintendent. This went unchanged until the early l9605, when the interme- diate school districts were created by statute. Until this time, county boundaries determined the area of responsibility for the county board and the county superintendent. In l962, by statute, the intermediate school district encompassed areas not necessarily along county boundaries. It was at this time -that the concept of regional service began to emerge. Before l962, the duties of the county superintendent included enforcing statutes and regulations, determining the length of the school day, examining school teachers, and so on. With the growth of the K-l2 districts, county school officials' responsibility began to wane. The K-lZ district boards of education hired superintendents and other administrative officers, who performed the supervisory func- tions that, at one time, had been the responsibility of the county superintendent. Teacher-certification standards were raised, making the county normal school obsolete. As the influence of the county super- intendent declined, a movement developed at the state and national levels 1x; establish intermediate school districts. Kloster stated, "It is impossible to determine whether this movement developed out of the survival instincts or whether there was a rational and 3Alexander J. Kloster, A Study of Intermediate School Dis- trict Functions and Organizational Structure (Marquette: iMichigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators, June 1978), p. 6. ll objective belief that the intermediate school district is and should be a permanent and integral part of the educational and management structure."4 Research on ISD's has just begun. Some descriptive studies have dealt with the history of the unit, and some empirical studies have been conducted. Most of this research, however, has dealt with structure rather than function. Only recently have the functions of the ISD been discussed. Lewis Specified some benefits and constraints of what he called Educational Service Areas (ESA's), which are comparable to ISD's. These benefits and constraints were unsupported in terms of data. However, Levis based these generalizations on comments from those individuals who were closest to the problem. The following is a list of those benefits and constraints. Benefits l. ESA's can coordinate educational planning and systematic management in state, regional, and local settings. They have greater potential for developing local district involve- ment in planning and decision making beyond the realm of local jurisdiction. 2. ESA's can contribute to equality of educational opportunity for all children by minimizing financial, geographic and other barriers affecting access to available educational programs. 3. ESA's can maintain articulation among the various segments of the state system of public education, e.g., attendance . accounting, financial accounting, and school election routines. 4. ESA's can provide personnel who will act cooperatively with other professionals (ESA, university, other) to bring about appropriate educational change. This corps of profeSSionals 41bid., p. 8. IO. 12 can work effectively with both local constituents and state consultants to assess, modify, and implement mandated and alternative programs. ESA's can provide to local education agencies comprehensive, readily available, high-quality supplemental services which have been mutually defined and agreed upon. These may include computer services for budget, financial reports, payroll, membership reports, student programming, and assignments; instructional programs; cooperative purchasing programs; and psychological social work, and speech-correction serv1ces. ESA's can serve as the planning agency for developing instruc- tional programs to implement mandated educational legislation such as special education, career and vocational education, adult education, and professional development. ESA's can promote cooperation and educational interchange among urban, suburban, and rural education agencies to bring about solutions to regional educational issues. ESA's can help bring about the development and use of approp- riate statewide networks in such areas as dissemination, information storage and retrieval, evaluation, and research and development. ESA's can promote cooperative ventures among local school districts to devise educationally-sound and cost-effective solutions to common problems. ESA's can maintain a degree of flexibility in organization and delivery of services not possible at the state or local levels because of their intermediate status between legal responsibility and actual operation of schools. This flexi- bility allows for the diversity necessary for differing goals, immediate and comprehensive response to grass-roots needs, creative organizational relationships with other educational partners, and new patterns and techniques for problem-solving and shared decision-making. Constraints l. Constraints like inflation, collective bargaining, declining enrollment, and desegregation/integration issues, which affect all of the members of the educational system, create greater problems for the ESA because of its emerging, evolv- ing status. These conditions have further reduced dwindling resources for education. There are undeveloped and underdeveloped political relation- ships that inhibit the growth and effective functioning of ESA's. These underutilized linkages include those with Congress, state legislative bodies, boards of education, l3 county and municipal governmental bodies, university boards of regents, corporations, and community groups. ESA's func- tion in a power-based system in which power-sharing evolves from mutual understanding of roles and functions. Growth-inhibiting problems stemming from power sharing are directly related to insufficient or ineffective communica- tions. With increased participation among the members of the educational system, communication structures have to be reshaped. ESA's will have to initiate and maintain communi- cation networks within their service mandates, among other units within a state, and between states if they are to overcome some of the constraints to their appropriate, effective development. Many of the activities of the ESA's are designed specifically to meet identified needs of constituent populations. These needs may be the result of federal/state mandates or of iden- tified gaps in delivery systems. The lack of a well-developed system for assessing needs may create an image of the ESA as a nonresponsive organization. Furthermore, a high level of trust and respect among the three directly-related levels of the system-~state education agency, educational service agency, and local education agency--is necessary to effective needs assessment so that no link in the system is considered weak or compared unfavorably to another echelon because of lack of responsiveness to a need. ESA's are the newest link in the established educational sys- tem. On some issues they are viewed as outsiders without a participatory part in the traditional system. There may be confusion about their function among the general public. Members of the group--the tax revolters, the school critics, the pressure reflectors, the unofficial contract negotiators-- usually do not understand the educational structure closest to them--the local education agency. They are thus very likely to misinterpret the role of the ESA. A constraint to growth and effective operation of ESA's has been the failure of their advocates, leaders, and staff to tell the public about, and sell them on the virtues of the resources and cost/time effectiveness of the middle echelon of school gov- ernment. The ESA movement is based on a belief in institutional coop- eration and shared decision making among interest groups com- mitted to good, ever-improving educational change. This calls for a clear understanding on the part of all players of where the power rests on any given issue and what the benefits of cooperation are for each participating group. If there are no immediate and visible gains or at least no imbalance between )4 loss and gain for existing groups, then cooperative ventures such as ESAés will be seen as an unnecessary addition to the system. A number of studies have been conducted on the 150's in Michigan. Few of these addressed the problems of actual and recom- mended roles for the intermediate units in the state. Since 1968, each study has recommended some kind of reorganization of the system. Practically all efforts to strengthen the 150's have dealt with the number and size of these districts, rather than with their functions. In l97l, a position paper issued by the Michigan Department of Educa- tion, entitled "Reorganization of Intermediate School Districts in Michigan," stated in part that "intermediate school districts must be reorganized before the Department of Education can or should regional- ize its services." There was no description of how these units relate to one another; also, advice on the distribution of responsibility and authority was totally lacking. Robert Isenberg of the American Association of School Administrators commented that "Michigan has far too many school districts." He mentioned the need to reorganize but did not give the functional benefits to be derived from reducing the number of districts. Mandatory and permissive functions are currently assigned to Michigan ISD's. (Permissive functions are those actions the ISO may engage in with local school districts' sanction.) Davis surveyed all 5Lewis, op. cit., pp. 8-l4. IS 50 states to determine the status of the existing ISD's in each state. Concerning Michigan he wrote, "In Michigan, although the mandate of the legislature is clear, how each intermediate school district per- ceives its role may vary."6 Two recent studies included a compilation of the mandated and permissive responsibilities of the 150's in Michigan. The studies were done by the Task Force appointed by the State Board of 7 Education in I976 and by Alexander J. Kloster in l978. Listed below are the mandatory and permissive functions of an 150. Mandated Responsibilities of ISD's Michigan Compiled School Laws MCL Section 340.3 Dissolve constituent districts. .70 Assign name and number of fourth-class constitu- ent districts. .lO6 Approve name change of third-class constituent districts. .252b Submit plan for special education; provide special education programs not provided by local districts. .294a Conduct election of board members and fill vacancies. 6Harold S. Davis, Educational Service Centers in the U.S.A. (New Haven: Connecticut State Department of Education, 1976). 7Task Force appointed by the State Board of Education,. Report (If Blue Ribbon Task Force on Intermediate School Districts (Lansing: State Board of Education,7l977); Kloster, loc. cit. .396a .298a(l)(a) (b) (C) (d) (e) (9) (h) (1') 340.298a(l)(j) (3) COM) 16 Elect board of education officers; select name of district and depository for funds; maintain coded accounts as required by superintendent of public instruction; submit to annual audit. Duties of board “as required by law and superintendent of public instruction, but shall not supersede nor replace the board of education of any constituent school district, nor shall it control or otherwise interfere with the rights of constituent dis- tricts except as provided in this chapter." Employ superintendent and such deputies and assistants it deems necessary; fix compensation for same. Prepare annual budget and submit to constituent districts for approval; certify annual tax rate to appropriate officials. Compute delinquent school taxes due each district and notify districts of same. Prepare annually and file with superintendent of public instruction map of intermediate district. Furnish consultant or supervisory services on request of constituent district. Employ qualified teachers for special education programs constituent districts are unable or unwilling to provide. Direct, supervise, and conduct cooperative educa- tional programs for constituent districts request- ing same. Conduct co-op programs for two or more consti- tuent districts when requested. Appoint board of canvassers, in compliance with 340.5l4a, to canvass results of intermediate district elections. Submit plan for special education programs and services to state board of education. .300a .BOla (f) (g) (h) (a) (b) (C) (d) (e) (f) (g) (i) (.i) (k) (1) l7 Maintain a record of every resident handicapped person up to 25 years of age who has not com- pleted a normal course of study. Have right to place in appropriate program or service any handicapped person. Investigate and report noncompliance of constitu- ent districts with laws or plans regulating special education programs. Superintendent of intermediate district shall execute and file with the president of board surety bond of $10,000. Superintendent of intermediate district shall: Put into practice educational policies of the state and the board. Record in writing all employees and suspend employees for cause pending board consideration of suspension. Supervise and direct work of employees. Recommend in writing all teachers. Suspend any teacher for cause. Classify and control promotion of pupils. Supervise and direct work of teachers (For all constituent districts): Examine and audit books of constituent district when so directed by superintendent of public instruction. Act as assistant conductor of institutes, as superintendent of public instruction shall require. Receive all forms and communications sent by superintendent of public instruction; dispose of same as directed; make reports as required. Examine revenue budgets, notify district that fails to file, notify district of failure to qualify for state school aid. (m) 340.352a .402-414b .440-441 .446-449 .461-468 .495 .514a(3) .570 .616 .733-744 .77la(b) .984 24.32-33 125.13151 18 Make written reports to local boards of education regarding all matters of educational interest to the local districts. Combine with other intermediate districts, if membership is below 5,000 and not providing special education or area vocational education- technical services. Submit consolidation requests to superintendent of public instruction and, if approved, initiate and supervise election on the question. Compile list of nonoperating districts; notify board members of such districts to annex to operating district. Consider division of conStituent districts upon request. Consider transfer of territory upon request. Fill, by appointment, vacancies of more than 20 days of constituent boards of education. Appoint intermediate board of canvassers. Report to superintendent of public instruction noncertified teachers in districts not employing superintendents. Publish financial report. Employ county attendance officer for districts under 3,000. Be party to all contracts of constituent dis- tricts for special education services. Employ personnel of constituent districts that have discontinued special education programs before hiring additional personnel for interme- diate district special education programs. Distribute Michigan Manual, laws, journals, documents, and reports to constituent districts as prescribed by Secretary of State. Comply in building facilities with requirements of Accessibility to Public Buildings by Phy51- cally Handicapped Act. 133.5 211.205(c) (h) 257.305a .316a 388.192 .720 .1201 .1254 .1263 389.31 .32 .52 19 By August 1 annually, file with Municipal Finance Commission list of constituent school districts with outstanding bonds, notes, purchase contracts, or other obligations as of June 30. Superintendent or representative serve as member of county tax-allocation board. Appoint member of county tax-allocation board from board of education members of one of three smallest constituent districts. Provide school bus safety education course for bus drivers, if not provided by a state univer- sity. Record school bus drivers, with physician's certificate, employed by primary school districts. Make recommendations for loans to school districts from county funds. In counties of more than 1,000,000 population, provide petitions for emergency reorganization. Receive certified membership reports from local districts. Furnish list of post office addresses of treas- urers, presidents, and secretaries of constituent district boards to county treasurer between August 20 and 30. Notify department of education of unqualified teachers, district employer, and amount of salary paid. Forward request of local school districts to form community college district to state board of education, along with proposed tax rate. Forward approval of state board of education to local district and designate date for election. In cases of requests from intermediate districts to form community college district, intermediate district with highest valuation forwards state approval to other intermediate districts and designates date for election. 20 .62 In county of over 1,000,000 population, superin- tendent of intermediate district serves on county library board. Permissive Responsibilities of ISD's Michigan Compiled School Laws MCL Section 340.291b-d Operate educational media centers. .294b-h Submit question of electing intermediate dis- trict board of education members to electorate of constituent districts. .298a(l)(f) Cause annual school census to be taken in consti- tuent districts (per 340.941-948, which is per- missive). (k) Establish and conduct schools for wards of juvenile court. (1) Lease or purchase sites; build, lease, or rent facilities. (2) Administer oaths for qualifying board members or other transactions. .298b Borrow: (a) For temporary purposes up to amount voted by the board of electorate. (b) Or issue bonds to finance sites, buildings, equipment, or other facilities not to exceed 1/10 of 1% of state equalized valuation without a referendum. .298c Sell, exchange, rent, or lease property not needed. .298c(1)(b) As provided in county plan for special education, operate programs for special education services under contract. (c) Employ special education director and personnel. (e) Lease, purchase, or otherwise acquire vehicles, sites, buildings, and equipment. 340. (1') .298d .298f 30la(h) .302a .303a .304a .307a-324a .330-330u .330v-x .39l(5) .585b .587 .914 .931-938 21 Operate special education programs or contract for delivery of programs. Operate educational recreational programs. Provide economic benefits to employees; grant sabbatical leaves to qualified employees. Receive institute fees. Reorganize by consolidation. Reorganize by annexation. Request superintendent of public instruction for authorization to make area study. Special education programs: submit question of coming under provisions of these sections to electorate; prepare special education budget; submit special education millage proposal to electorate; issue bonds to finance facilities and equipment with approval of electorate. Operate area vocational educational-technical programs; submit question of coming under provisions of these sections to electorate; prepare vocational education-technical budget; submit vocational educational-technical millage proposal to electorate; issue bonds to finance facilities and equipment with approval of electorate. Disorganize, if composed of less than five con- stituent districts. Operate bilingual programs. Enter into contract with business and industrial firms to provide secondary vocational education programs. Establish nursery school and day-care programs. Donate or sell books to city, township, or county libraries, except where county library has been established. Teachers Institute: collect annual fee and remit to superintendent of public instruction; request institute to be held in third- or fourth-class districts. 123. 237. 388. 388. 389. .941-948 381-384 .952a-958b 120c .193 531-533 1148 .1151 .1162 .1173-1174 .1183 .1184 11 .51 385.171 22 Initiate school census in constituent districts; receive and verify school census reports. Construct, maintain, and operate joint water- supply and waste-disposal systems. Incorporate building authority for acquiring school facilities. Establish driver safety school. Conduct alternative education programs for pregnant women. Establish and operate adult education programs. In cooperation with juvenile court, supervise alternative juvenile rehabilitation programs. Establish special education programs and services for trainable individuals. Receive reimbursement, if millage is levied, for area vocational-technical education. Receive allowance for transportation of handi- capped. Receive allowance for operating educational media centers. Receive allowance for cooperative educational programming. Request approval from state board of education to form community college district. Propose and designate special election date for community college districts composed of one or more intermediate districts. Establish and operate job-upgrading programs.8 From the foregoing list of mandated and permissive responsi- bilities, it is evident that the functions of the 105's are compre- hensive but flexible. Basically, a role of mutual agreement with 8Lewis, op. cit., pp. i-vii. 23 constituent school districts must exist. The ISD performs coopera- tively rather than authoritatively in areas of mutual interest. It reinforces both the policies of the State Board of Education and the independence of the local education agencies. Achelles and Gentry described the role of the ISO in this way: The regional service agency emphasizes educational planning, development, communication and coordination. It is leader- ship oriented and its role is to seek solutions to educa- tional problems, information, human skills, and utilization of knowledge and technology. This role compliments the state education leadership function and interprets and aug- ments its regulatory role. ISD's simultaneously provide requested coordination and service to local districts. In his study of the functions and organizational structure of ISD's, Kloster sought the opinions of superintendents of rural, suburban, and urban school districts of various sizes. They indi- cated a preference for the regional rather than a state unit to provide regulatory and supervisory functions because they felt the state agency had less understanding of the local conditions and problems. Local superintendents were not as opposed to having the ISO as people might think. However, they saw a need to avoid competition in the regular instructional program. Kloster also reported that Michigan Department of Education personnel felt the ISO network should be strengthened both in terms 9Charles M. Achelles and Thomas A. Gentry, "The State Depart— ment of Education and the Voluntary Regional Services Agency: Adver- sary Relationship or Uneasy Truce?" Planning and Changing 7 (Winter 1977): 155-56. 24 of regulatory functions for the state and in its permissive roles. The permissive areas the State Department of Education personnel saw as appropriate for stronger ISD‘s were: (1) More technical assistance for the local education agencies, particularly in the areas of grant application and program eval- uation. (2) Responsibility for long—range regional lanning. (3) Responsibility for educational research and deve o ment. (4) Expanded role in education policy development. (si More administrative support to the local educational unit, including leadership training. (6) Primary role in the development of more sophisticated information systems with improved data bases. (7) Expanded role as a communications link. (8) Responsibility for information dissemination. Kloster did not specifically consider the personnel function of ISD's, but his survey of the Administrative Support Service par- tially touched on personnel operations. He reported, "Data received from respondents regarding administrative support services are ran- domly distributed and somewhat inconsistent among the groups of districts."11 No generalizations could be drawn from his results in the personnel-operations area except that, "in general, all districts expressed a substantial need for continuous technical assistance with major problems of a non-recurring nature, such as public relations "12 A study specific programs, reorganization, and legal problems. to the personnel function may bring into focus the needs of that area as well as furnishing a framework for program development in personnel services at the ISO level. 10Kloster, op. cit., pp. 88-89. 111mm. pp. 76-77. 12Ibid., p. 77. CHAPTER III METHODS AND PROCEDURES Egpulation This study was limited to the 21 school districts that consti- tute the Genesee Intermediate service area, excluding the Flint Public Schools. Flint was not a part of the study population because of its large size in relation to the other districts. Since the study dealt with only one intermediate service area (Genesee), all the local school district central office administrators who had a personnel responsibility were included in the survey. The Genesee Intermediate Directory was used to establish the parameters of that population. Where the directory information was unclear about local administrative responsibility, the local district was contacted personally to insure that the study population was complete. The total number of central office administrators with personnel responsibility, including super- intendents, was ascertained to be 32. Table 1 depicts the study population. Instrumentation The format of the survey instrument was derived from Kloster's Inventory of Functions and Services of Intermediate School Districts as Perceived by Local School District Superintendents. (See Appen- dix A.) The investigator telephoned Dr. Kloster and obtained his 25 26 permission to use the instrument. Kloster sent a copy of the instru- ment to use in the present research. Table l.--Study population. Total With No Superintendents Personnel Personnel Help Help 12 8 20 Full-Time Part-Time Central Office Personnel Personnel Administrators Management Management Responsibility Responsibility 8 4 12 Total population 32 An inventory of personnel functions and service possibilities was generated, using Kloster's structure. In formulating the content of the instrument, the researcher used the definitions of personnel management found in the writings of French and Schier.1 The personnel processes of staffing, organizational justice, performance appraisal, compensation, and collective bargaining were broken into educationally relevant subcategories with the aid of a committee report on services 1Wendell L. French, The Personnel Management Process, 4th ed. (Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Co., 1978), pp. 45—47; Wilbert E. Schier, The Dortnell Personnel Director's Handbook (Chicago: The Dortnell Corporation, 1969), pp. 237, 380, 462, 758. 27 that an 150 personnel administrator may perform, which was submitted to the Superintendent of the Ingham Intermediate School District in 1980. (See Appendix B.) The resulting inventory was then pilot tested with five trained personnel specialists. These specialists included: 1. An intermediate district superintendent-~not part of the study population 2. An assistant superintendent, intermediate district--not part of the study population 3. Superintendent, local school district--part of the study population 4. Director of personnel, local school district--part of the study population 5. Professional rights and responsibility chairperson-- not part of the study population These individuals were selected for the pilot test because they rep- resented a broad spectrum of personnel experience. The field test led to rewording and rearrangement of some portions of the inventory. The reworded inventory was then submitted to the same group for reanalysis, and they approved it. The final version of the inventory, developed through this analysis-review process, contained 36 items and was called The Inventory of Personnel Functions and Service Possibilities as Perceived by Local School District Superintendents and Personnel Administrators. (See Appendix C.) Because the study was limited to one ISD, it was necessary to attempt to elicit responses from the total population. The 28 superintendent of the Swartz Creek Schools gave an explanatory announcement about the study at a County Superintendents meeting and requested their cooperation. Thirty-two inventories were mailed to all central office administrators in the Genesee Intermediate service area who had personnel responsibilities. A letter of explanation was included with each survey. (See Appendix D.) To facilitate follow-up, administrators were requested to respond within a week. The investigator phoned the secretaries of those administrators who had not responded in a week and reminded them of the need to complete and return the survey. Nonrespondents were also sent a second letter and another survey. (See Appendix D.) The researcher personally called those who did not respond to the secretarial contact and offered to meet with them to facilitate completion of the inventory. A third copy of the survey was sent when needed. As a result of these procedures, 31 questionnaires were returned for a 97% return. One superintendent was on vacation and failed to return the questionnaire on time for inclusion in the study. The distribution of returned questionnaires can be found in Table 2. The table shows that one inventory was not returned from the superintendents-with-help group; however, the 92% overall response from that group allowed the researcher to draw conclusions from the data. 28a Table 2.--Distribution of returned questionnaires. Supt. With . Full-Time Part-Time Personnel 5:81:93; th Personnel Personnel Total Help 9 Admin. Admin. Total population 12 8 8 4 32 Questionnaire returns 11 8 8 4 31 Research Questions The research questions this investigator attempted to answer are as follows: Research Question A 00 local school districts need assistance from the ISO with five selected personnel processes and with general operations? Related Questions 1. Do local school districts need assistance from the ISO in the staffing process? Do local school districts need assistance from the ISD in the collective-bargaining process? 00 local school districts need assistance from the ISO in the organizational-justice process? 00 local school districts need assistance from the ISO in the compensation process? Do-local school districts need assistance from the ISO in the performance-appraisal process? 00 local school districts need assistance from the ISO in the general-operations process? 29 Research Question B Does the way the personnel responsibility is delegated within the administrative structure of local school dis- tricts affect the perceived need for ISD assistance? Related Questions 1. Is there a difference in need for personnel-management assistance between local districts that have personnel administrators and those that do not? 2. Is there a difference in need for personnel-management assistance between local districts in which the superin- tendent is responsible for personnel management and those that have a personnel administrator? 3. Is there a difference in need for personnel-management assistance between local districts having personnel management as an adjunct administrative responsibility and those having a full-time personnel administrator? Data Analysis Two main data groups constituted this design. The first group was superintendents, with two subgroups: 1. those superintendents with personnel help, and 2. those with no help in personnel operations. The second main group was those central office administrators with personnel responsibilities; this group also had two subgroups: 1. those central office administrators who were full-time personnel administrators, and 2. those central office administrators who were part-time personnel administrators. The inventories were coded to identify the local district and the position of the respondent. This coding system allowed for 30 follow-up, as well as a separation of the responses by position. A tally sheet was maintained, on which a recording of the positive and the negative responses to each item and a "feel strongly" tally was kept. The "no strong feeling" indication was so seldom used that inclusion of this response was judged to be nonproductive. To reduce the possibility of error, the tally sheet for each subgroup of respondents was color coded: green for superintendents with personnel help, red for superintendents with no help, blue for full-time personnel administrators, and gray for part-time personnel administrators. The color-coded tallies were converted into per- centages representing the "yes" and "no" responses for each subgroup to each item on the inventory. A total percentage "yes" and "no" response was calculated for each item of the inventory to report the population's response. The resulting tabulations illustrate the response to each item by sub- group and a total "yes" and "no" response. A tally of "feel strongly yes" and "feel strongly no" was kept to indicate the depth of feeling in regard to the responses registered. The percentage responses were calculated from the 31 returned inventories. (See Tables 3-8 in Chapter IV.) A total response of more than 50% positive was deemed to indicate that respondents felt local school districts need assistance from the ISO on the service in question. The response totals were the indicators for judging what the population wanted in terms of personnel services from an ISO. 31 The responses of the four subgroups that constituted the survey population were listed separately to facilitate subgroup comparisons. One subgroup might have felt that an ISO should provide a particular service, whereas another subgroup might not. The more-than-50%-response indicator for providing services was too gross a measurement for judging differences between subgroups. A 15% difference in subgroup responses was considered large enough to be meaningful. A chi-square check of this judgment revealed that a 15% difference in responses would happen by chance only 5 out of 100 times or less. The 15% difference was therefore a valid assumption. Hence subgroup comparisons were made, using the criterion that a 15% or greater difference between subgroup responses was meaningful. The purpose of the study was to identify the personnel needs of local school systems with which their ISD was in a position to be of assistance. This need was identified by using a criterion of more than 50% total positive responses of the survey population to items regarding such needs in the survey instrument. The differences in needs that may exist between local districts having full-time personnel administrators, part-time personnel admin- istrators, superintendents with personnel responsibilities, and superintendents with personnel help were identified by the 15%-response- difference criterion. Only those items on which one subgroup's responses differed from those of another subgroup by 15% or more, on which one response was negative and the other positive, or on which both responses were positive but differed by 15% or more were con- sidered germane to the study. 32 Chapter IV contains an analysis of the data, based on the personnel administrators' responses to the survey instrument. Included is a summary of expressed needs for ISO assistance in the six areas considered in this study. CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS OF DATA This chapter contains the results of the survey. The inven- tory was completed by 97% of the population of administrators having personnel responsibility in the Genesee Intermediate service area. In the following discussion, the questions are restated and percen- tage computations are used to indicate the strength of "yes" or "no" responses. The data are arranged to compare the four administrative groups, as well as to show the total percentage of "yes“ or "no" responses. The four administrative groups were as follows: 1. superintendents with personnel help superintendents with no help personnel administrators--ful1-time boom administrators with part-time personnel responsibility The respondents, if so inclined, could register a strength of feeling in regard to their "yes" or "no" answers. A column labeled "Feel Strongly" and "No Strong Feeling" was provided for their response; a tally of the "feel strongly" responses is provided in the tabulations. The Staffing Process Participants were asked 12 questions about the need for ISO assistance with the staffing process. The tabulation of responses to these questions is shown in Table 3. 33 34 Table 3.--Responses to questions related to the staffing process. Supt. Supt. Full-Time Part-Time ISD's should: W/Pers. W/No Personnel Personnel Total Help Help Admin. Admin. Q1: provide assistance in YES 9% 38% 0 25% 16% staff recruitment and , , q , selection N0 91% 62% 100% 75% 84% Feel strongly YES 1 0 0 1 NO 3 0 6 O 02: Question discarded--typing error reduced clarity 03: provide information YES 75% 88% 63% 100% 81% resources for tempo- . w , rary help N0 25% 12% 37% 0 19% Feel strongly YES 1 0 4 NO 1 0 1 Q4: recruit and in some areas YES 8% 12% O O 6% secure temporary help for a a a 8‘ its constituent districts "0 92” 88" 10°” ‘00” 94% Feel strongly YES 0 0 0 1 NO 3 0 5 O 8 05: aid in staff development YES 91% 100% 100% 100% 97% (inservice and human , relations) N0 ” 0 0 0 3% Feel strongly YES 6 5 2 17 NO 0 O O 0 0 Q6: assist in recruitment YES 0 12% 25% O 9% 0‘ “I"OVItY per5°ns NO 100% 88% 75% 100% 91% Feel strongly YES 0 O 0 0 NO 0 6 Q7: develop guidelines for YES 27% 25% 38% 25% 29% equa‘ emp‘°yme"t °pp°r’ NO 73% 75% 62% 75% 71% tunity programs Feel strongly YES 0 0 O 0 0 N0 1 O O 1 2 Table 3.--Continued. 35 Supt. Supt. Full-Time Part-Time ISD's should: W/Pers. W/No Personnel Personnel Total Help Help Admin. Admin. 08: provide local districts YES 64% 63% 100% 100% 75% assistance in career a w and retirement planning N0 36% 37” 0 0 25” Feel strongly YES 2 0 6 NO 1 l 2 Q9: aid local districts in YES 45% 50% 63% 50% 52% developing staff reduc- w tion processes NO 55% 50% 37% 50% 48% Feel strongly YES 0 2 0 4 N0 1 l O 4 010: provide leadership in YES 64% 71% 100% 75% 77% retraining personnel NO 36% 29% 0 25% 23% Feel strongly YES 1 2 2 5 NO 1 l 2 4 011: help develop job YES 18% 63% 37% 75% 42% desc" pm“ NO 82% 37% 63% 25% 58% Feel strongly YES 2 0 2 N0 0 O 0 012: provide evaluation YES 45% 63% 37% 75% 61% assistance to local u a 8 districts N0 55% 37% 63% 25% 39% Feel strongly YES 0 2 O 4 NO 0 2 0 3 36 According to the survey respondents, local districts want ISD help in the staffing areas of 1. Information resources for temporary help Staff development Career and retirement planning #00“) Retraining of personnel Questions 3, 5, 8, and 10, in regard to the preceding areas, all received strong support from the survey population. Questions relating to the ISD's direct involvement in local policy setting or personnel placement received a negative response from the survey population. The following were answered negatively: 1. Staff recruitment and selection Recruitment and securing of temporary help Recruitment of minority persons b (.0 N o o o Aid in developing guidelines in equal opportunity employment Questions 1, 4, 6, and 7 related to the preceding areas; all were answered negatively. Local districts desired no direct involvement by the ISO in staffing or local policy making. The technical assistance that ISD's can provide local districts depends on the local districts' administrative staff size. Question 9, related to developing staff-reduction policies, was rejected by super- intendents with help and was accepted by 50% of the superintendents with no personnel help and 63% of the personnel directors. This ques- tion evenly split the survey population. The feel-strongly responses were evenly split as well, with four "yes" and four "no" answers. 37 Other technical-assistance questions showed a decided split between those school districts having personnel help and the others. Ques- tion 11, Help develop job descriptions, was answered negatively by the superintendents with help (82%) and accepted as an ISO function by superintendents without help (63%). Sixty-three percent of the full-time personnel directors were against this function, whereas 75% of the administrators with part-time personnel responsibility were in favor of this service. Four administrators felt strongly in the positive; two felt strongly in the negative. Question 12, Provide evaluation assistance for local schools, also engendered a split between subgroups. Superintendents with personnel help were 55% opposed, whereas superintendents with no help were 63% in favor. The support administrators were also divided in their responses. Personnel directors were 63% opposed, but part- time personnel people were 75% in favor. Four administrators felt strongly yes, whereas three were strongly opposed. The Collective-Bargaining Process Seven questions were asked about the need for ISO assistance with the collective-bargaining process. Table 4 shows the tabulation of responses to these questions. Local administrators would welcome the ISD's serving as an information center for school bargaining staff contracts; 84% of the survey population approved and 13 individuals felt strongly in favor of this service. The idea of ISDs serving as a legal clearing house (Question 3) received almost as much support, with 81% affirmative 38 Table 4.--Responses to questions related to the collective-bargaining process. Supt. Supt. Full-Time Part-Time ISD's should: W/Pers. W/No Personnel Personnel Total Help Help Admin. Admin. 01: serve as an information YES 73% 88% 88% 100% 84% center for schools bar- gaining staff contracts NO 27% 12% 12% O 16% Feel strongly YES 5 1 13 NO 0 0 02: provide help with legal YES 36% 100% 50% 50% 59% issues (single retainer) N0 64% 0 50, 50% 41% Feel strongly YES 3 1 0 8 NO 1 O 1 2 03: serve as a clearing house YES 64% 88% 100% 75% 81% f°r ‘ega‘ queSti°ns N0 36% 12% o 25% 19% Feel strongly YES 3 3 1 1 8 NO 1 O O O 1 04: provide analysis of YES 36% 63% 63% 100% 58% bargaining positions NO 64% 37% 37% O 42% Feel strongly YES 3 3 1 1 NO 1 0 2 0 05: provide salary/ YES 73% 75% . 88% 100% 81% benefit information NO 27% 25% 12% 0 19% Feel strongly YES 4 2 1 11 N0 0 l 0 1 06: help generate a consis- YES 45% 63% 50% 50% 52% tent approach to contract a q a n a settlment with local NO 55% 37% 50% 50% 48% districts Feel strongly YES 3 2 0 O 5 N0 0 O 1 O 1 Q7: provide at-table YES 9% 13% 25% O 13% expertise t° 1°55] no 91% 87% 75% 100% 87% districts 1 Feel strongly YES 1 0 NO 3 2 8 39 responses and eight respondents feeling strongly positive about this service. The strongest support for ISD service was for salary/benefit information (Question 5), with 81% positive support and 11 feel- strongly-positive notations. These three information-collecting services, as defined in Questions 1, 3, and 5, received consistent positive support from all constituents of the survey population. Technical-assistance questions, such as Questions 2, 4, and 6, differentiated the superintendents with personnel help from those with- out such help. Question 2, concerning legal-issue help by an ISO, was rejected by 64% of the superintendents with help but was accepted by 100% of the superintendents with no help. The other administrative categories remained neutral: 50% for and 50% against. However, eight of the "yes" respondents felt strongly, whereas only one in the "no" category recorded a strong "no." Question 4, regarding analysis of bargaining positions, received a 64% negative response from superin- tendents with help and a 64% positive response from superintendents with no help. The striking aspect of this question was that 63% of the full-time personnel administrators and 100% of the administrators with part-time personnel responsibility responded positively. Eight members of the sample responded with a strong "yes," whereas two recorded a strong "no" feeling. Question 6, regarding ISD involvement in collective-bargaining strategies, was rejected by 55% of the super- intendents with help and accepted by 63% of the superintendents with no help. The remaining administrators surveyed were equally divided on this question. Five administrators felt strongly "yes"; only one felt strongly "no." 40 Direct involvement by an ISO in the collective-bargaining process for local districts (Question 7) was resoundingly vetoed by 87% of the survey population. Eight of the respondents registered a strong negative feeling as well. Respondents from constituent districts viewed the ISD's as serving as information centers for legal issues, bargaining informa- tion, and salary/benefit information. To a lesser extent, they saw ISD's as furnishing help with legal issues, analyzing bargaining positions, and, in some cases, helping to generate a consistent approach to contractsettlement. But respondents did not feel the ISO should provide direct involvement in collective-bargaining to local districts. The Organizational-Justice Process The questionnaire contained five questions about the need for ISO assistance with the organizational-justice process in personnel operations. A tabulation of responses is shown in Table 5. Local district personnel overwhelmingly desired current infor- mation on personnel practices and on issues relating to personnel. Eighty-three percent of the survey population responded positively to Question 3 on this issue. One hundred percent of the support adminis- trators requested this service, whereas 56% of the superintendents responded positively. Seven strong "yes" responses and only one strong "no" feeling were registered. A resource library (Question 2) received positive support from the individuals responsible for per- sonnel. 41 Table 5.--Responses to questions related to the organizational-justice process. Supt. Supt. Full-Time Part-Time ISD's should: W/Pers. W/No Personnel Personnel Total Help Help Admin. Admin. 01: aid local districts in YES 27% 25% 50% 50% 35% work rule development N0 73% 75% 50% 50% 65% Feel strongly YES 1 0 0 0 1 NO 1 0 l 2 4 02: establish for local YES 55% 63% 88% 75% 70% district use, a resource w library on personnel NO 45% 37% 12% 25% 30% information Feel strongly YES 1 0 0 1 NO 1 O 0 1 03: provide information YES 56% 88% 100% 100% 83% periodically on current personnel issues and N0 44$ 12% O 0 17% practices Feel strongly YES 2 2 1 7 NO 1 0 O 1 04: provide leadership in the YES 64% 88% 88% 75% 77% development of a coordi- . a d hated system(s) of main- NO 36% 12% 12% 25% 23% taining personnel records Feel strongly YES 3 4 2 1 10 NO 1 0 0 O l 05: assist in job evalua- YES 36% 43% 63% 75% 48% tl°" StUG‘eS NO 64% 57% 37% 25% 52% Feel strongly YES 1 1 1 0 3 NO 1 O 0 1 3 42 Technical assistance by an ISO (as in Question 5, relating to job-evaluation studies) was accepted by 53% of the full—time personnel administrators and 75% of the administrators with part-time personnel responsibilities. However, the superintendent groups rejected Question 5. Both superintendent subgroups rejected direct involvement in local school operations through work-rule development (Question 1). The personnel administrators were ambivalent about this issue; both subgroups registered a 50% positive response. Four strong "no's" were registered and one strong "yes" was recorded for Question 1. The development of a coordinated system of personnel record keeping was supported by all groups surveyed. The Compensation Process Respondents were asked four questions about the need for assistance with the compensation process. See Table 6 for the tabu- lation of responses to these questions. Questions regarding assistance of an ISO in compensation studies (Question 1), benefit program analysis (Question 2), and researching insurance programs (Question 4) were answered positively by all surveyed administrators. Providing staff and cost projections received mixed responses. Superintendents with no help were decidedly against this issue, whereas other categories of administrators were neutral or slightly positive. Question 3, relating to cost and staff projections, received a 50% "yes" and 50% "no" response, with five strongly supporting and one strongly negative about the ISD's involve- ment in this process. 43 Table 6.--Responses to questions related to the compensation process. Supt. Supt. Full-Time Part-Time ISD's should: W/Pers. W/No Personnel Personnel Total Help Help Admin. Admin. 01: aid local districts in YES 64% 88% 100% 100% 81% compensation studies NO 36% 12% O 0 19% Feel strongly YES 5 1 12 NO 0 O 02: assist with benefit YES 55% 88% 100% 100% 76% programs analysis NO 45% 12% 0 0 24% Feel strongly YES 3 4 S 1 13 NO 1 0 0 O 1 03: provide staff and YES 55% 38% 50% 75% 50% cost projections to a w u a local districts NO 45% 62% 50% 25% SUN Feel strongly YES 2 1 1 1 5 NO 0 O 1 O 1 04: research insurance YES 55% 88% 100% 75% 73% programs and carriers , w for local districts N0 45” 12b 0 25% 27% Feel strongly YES 3 1 1 NO 0 O O O 44 The Performance-Appraisal Process Three questions related to the need for ISO assistance with the performance-appraisal process. Responses to these questions are shown in Table 7. I All questions in the performance-appraisal group were service and information oriented. Evaluation of inservice, staff development, and retraining programs all met with extremely high positive responses from the survey population. A 93% positive response or above was recorded for all questions in the performance-appraisal group. The General-Operations Process The four questions in this category pertained to general operations of a personnel service and were asked in an attempt to measure the amount of articulation between local district personnel and the ISO. Table 8 shows the tabulation of responses to these questions. The total survey population perceived the ISD's to have a definite lobbyist function. Question 2, relating to lobbyists, received a 100% "yes“ response, with 21 feel-strongly "yes" votes about this issue. Questions 1 (pertaining to providing a data base of personnel-related information) and 3 (related to providing resource information for personnel programs) received strong support from all segments of the survey population. Question 4, which related to direct involvement of the ISO in developing local personnel opera- tions, received a "hands-off" response from superintendents and acceptance from personnel operatives. Table 7.--Responses to questions related to the performance-appraisal process. 45 Supt. Supt. Full-Time Part-Time ISD's should: W/Pers. W/No Personnel Personnel Total Help Help Admin. Admin. 01: provide inservice in YES 82% 100% 100% 100% 93% staff and administra- q tor evaluation "0 18” O 0 0 7% Feel strongly YES 4 5 5 1 ‘5 NO 1 O O 0 l 02: assist in promoting staff YES 90% 100% 100% 100% 94% development programs for local districts N0 10% O 0 0 7% Feel strongly YES 5 3 4 1 14 NO 1 O O O 1 03: provide assistance YES 100% 63% 100% 100% 93% in staff retraining , programs NO 0 37% O O 7% Feel strongly YES 4 4 4 1 13 N0 0 0 0 0 O 46 Table 8.--Responses to questions related to the general—operations process. Supt. Supt. Full-Time Part-Time ISD's should: W/Pers. W/No Personnel Personnel Total Help Help Admin. Admin. 01: provide a data base YES 82% 75% 100% 100% 87% of personnel related , information NO 18% 25% O 0 13% Feel strongly YES 2 2 1 NO 0 O O 02: provide lobbyist functions YES 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% in personnel matters before state and other NO 0 O 0 0 0 agencies Feel strongly YES 10 2 2] NO 0 O 0 03: provide resource YES 73% 100% 100% 100% 89% information for q a personnel programs NO 27” 0 0 0 1]" Feel strongly YES 3 2 2 10 NO 1 0 0 1 Q4: assist in the develop- YES 36% 37% 63% 75% 48% ment 0f 10C31 distrICt N0 64% 63% 37% 25% 52% personnel operations Feel strongly YES 0 1 1 2 NO 1 1 0 2 47 Summary of Expressed Needs Research Question A Do local school districts need assistance from the ISO with five selected personnel processes and with general qperations? Related Questions 1. 00 local school districts need assistance from the ISO in the staffing process? There is a need for ISD's to: A. Item 3--provide information resources for temporary help 81% yes B. Item 5--aid in staff development (inser- vice and human relations) 97% yes C. Item 8--provide local districts assistance in career and retirement planning 75% yes D. Item 9--aid local districts in developing staff-reduction processes 52% yes E. Item lO--provide leadership in retraining personnel 77% yes F. Item 12--provide evaluation assistance to local districts 61% yes Based on a positive response by the survey population to 6 of the 11 questions in the staffing category, the researcher concluded that local school districts need the ISD's assistance with the staff- ing process. 2. 00 local school districts need assistance from the ISD‘in the collective-bargaininggprocess? There is a need for ISD's to: A. Item l--serve as an information center for schools bargaining staff contracts 84% yes B. Item 2--provide help with legal issues (single retainer) 59% yes 48 C. Item 3--serve as a clearing house for legal questions 81% yes D. Item 4--provide analysis of bargaining positions 58% yes E. Item 5--provide salary/benefit information 81% yes F. Item 6--help generate a consistent approach to contract settlements with local districts 52% yes Local school districts need assistance from the ISO in the collective-bargaining process. The survey population responded affir- matively to six of the seven questions in this category. 3. Do local school districts need assistance from the ISD in the organizationaltjustice process? There is a need for ISD's to: A. Item 2--establish for local district use a resource library on personnel information 70% yes B. Item 3--provide information periodically on current personnel issues and practices 83% yes C. Item 4--provide leadership in the develop- ment of a coordinated system(s) of main- taining personnel records 77% yes Based on a positive response by the survey population to three of the five questions in this category, it was concluded that local school districts need assistance from the ISO in the organizational- justice process. 4. 00 local school districts need assistance from the ISO in the compensation procesS? ‘ There is a need for ISD's to: A. Item l--aid local districts in compen- sation studies 81% yes 49 Item 2--assist with benefit program analysis 76% yes Item 4--research insurance programs and carriers for local districts 73% yes Local school districts need assistance from the ISO in the compensation process. The survey population responded positively to three of the four questions in this category. 5. 00 local school districts need assistance from the ISD in thegperformance-appraiéal process? There is a need for ISD's to: A. Item l--provide inservice in staff and administrator evaluation 93% yes Item 2--assist in promoting staff- development programs for local districts 94% yes Item 3--provide assistance in staff- retraining programs 93% yes Based on a positive response by the survey population to all of the questions in this category, it was concluded that local school districts need assistance from the ISO in the performance-appraisal process. 6. 00 local school districts need assistance from the ISD in the general-operations process? There is a need for ISD's to: A. Item 1--provide a data base of personnel-related information 87% yes Item 2--provide lobbyist functions in personnel matters before state and other agencies 100% yes Item 3--provide resource information for personnel programs 89% yes 50 Local school districts need assistance from the ISO in gen- eral operations. The survey population responded positively to three of the four questions in this category. Research Question 8 Does the way the personnel responsibility is delegated within the adminTEtrative structure of local school dis- tricts affect the perceived need for ISO assistance? Related Questions 1. Is there a difference in need for_personnel-management assistance between local districts that have personnel administrators and those that do not? When responses of superintendents with no personnel help were compared to those of superintendents with such help, the follow- ing differences were revealed: Staffing Process Superintendents with no personnel help felt a greater need for ISD assistance than did superintendents with help on: A. Item ll--help develop job descriptions no help: 63% yes help: 18% yes 8. Item 12--provide evaluation assistance to local districts no help: 63% yes help: 45% yes Collective-Bargaining,Process Superintendents with no personnel help felt a greater need for ISO assistance than did superintendents with help on: A. Item 2--provide help with legal issues (single retainer) no help: 100% yes help: 36% yes 51 B. Item 3--serve as a clearing house for legal issues no help: 88% yes help: 64% yes C. Item 4--provide analysis of bargaining position no help: 88% yes help: 64% yes 0. Item 6--help generate a consistent approach to contract settlements with local districts no help: 63% yes help: 45% yes Organizational-Justice Process Superitendents with no help felt a greater need for ISO assist- ance than did superintendents with help on: A. Item 3--provide information periodically on current personnel issues and practices no help: 88% yes help: 56% yes B. Item 4--provide leadership in the development of a coor- dinated system(s) of maintaining personnel records no help: 88% yes help: 64% yes Compensation Process Superintendents with no help felt more positively than did superintendents with help that the ISO should: A. Item l--aid local districts in compensation studies no help: 88% yes help: 64% yes B. Item 2--assist with benefit programs analysis no help: 88% yes help: 55% yes C. Item 4--research insurance programs and carriers for local districts no help: 88% yes help: 55% yes 52 Superintendents with help felt a greater need for ISD assistance than did superintendents with no help on: Item 3--provide staff and cost projections to local districts no help: 38% yes help: 55% yes Performance-Appraisal Process Superintendents with no help felt a greater need for assistance than did superintendents with help on: Item l--provide inservice in staff and administrator evaluation no help: 100% yes help: 82% yes General Operations Superintendents with no help felt more positively than did those with help that the ISD should: Item 3--provide resource information for personnel programs no help: 100% yes help: 73% yes From a total of 34 items, 15 response differences were noted between local districts that had personnel administrators and those that did not. In five cases the superintendents with no personnel help were positive, whereas superintendents with help were negative. In eight cases, superintendents with no help were much more positive than superintendents with help. In one case, superintendents with help were positive, whereas superintendents with no help were negative. In one case, superintendents with help were more positive than super- intendents with no help. These differences in responses indicate that a difference exists in the administrators'perceptions of local school district needs. 53 2. Is there a difference in need for personnel-management assistance between local districts in which the superin- tendent is responsible for personnel management and those that have a personnel administrator? When the responses of superintendents with no personnel help were compared to those of the personnel administrators, the following differences were revealed: StaffingiProcess Personnel administrators felt a greater need for ISO assistance than did superintendents with full personnel responsibility on: A. Item 8--provide local districts assistance in career and retirement planning superintendents no help 63% yes full-time pers. adm. 100% yes B. Item lO--provide leadership in retraining personnel superintendents no help 71% yes full—time pers. adm. 100% yes Superintendents with no personnel help felt a greater need for ISO assistance than did personnel administrators on: A. Item 3--provide information resources for temporary help superintendents no help 88% yes full-time pers. adm. 63% yes 8. Item ll--help develop job description superintendnets no help 63% yes full-time pers. adm. 37% yes C. Item 12--provide evaluation assistance to local districts superintendents no help 63% yes full-time pers. adm. 37% yes 54 Collective-Bargaining,Process Superintendents with no personnel help felt a greater need for ISO assistance than did personnel administrators on: Item 2-—provide help with legal issues (single retainer) superintendents no help 100% yes full-time pers. adm. 50% yes Organizational-Justice Process Personnel administrators felt a greater need for ISD assistance than did superintendents with no help on: A. Item 2--establish for local district use a resource library on personnel information superintendents no help 63% yes full-time pers. adm. 88% yes B. Item 5--assist in job-evaluation studies superintendents no help 43% yes full-time pers. adm. 63% yes Compensation Process No items in this category met the 15% difference criterion. Therefore, there were no apparent differences in perceptions of need in relation to the compensation process. Performance-Appraisal Process Personnel administrators felt a greater need for ISD assistance than did superintendents with no help on: Item 3--provide assistance in staff-retraining programs superintendents no help 63% yes full-time pers. adm. 100% yes 55 General-Operations Process Personnel administrators felt a greater need for ISO assistance than did superintendents with no help on: A. Item A--provide a data base of personnel-related information superintendents no help 75% yes full-time pers. adm. 100% yes B. Item 4--assist in the development of local district person- nel operations superintendents no help 37% yes full-time pers. adm. 63% yes On a total of 34 items, 11 response differences were noted between local school districts with a full-time personnel administrator and those whose superintendent was responsible for personnel management. In five cases, the personnel administrators were much more positive than superintendents with no help. In two cases, superintendents with no help were much more positive than personnel administrators. In two cases, superintendents with no help responded positively and personnel administrators responded negatively. In two cases, personnel administrators responded positively and superintendents with no help responded negatively. The response differences indicated that a discrepancy existed in administrators' perceptions of local school district needs. 3. Is there a difference in need for personnel-management assistance between local districts haVing personnel management as an adjunct administrative responsibility and those—havihg a fulTLtimepersonnel administrator? When responses of personnel administrators with full-time responsibility were compared with those of administrators having 56 personnel as an adjunct administrative responsibility, the following differences were noted: Staffing_Process Administrators having personnel as an adjunct administrative responsibility felt a greater need for ISO assistance than did personnel administrators with full-time responsibility on: A. Item 3--provide information resources for temporary help full-time pers. adm. 63% yes part-time pers. adm. 100% yes B. Item ll--help develop job descriptions full-time pers. adm. 37% yes part-time pers. adm. 75% yes C. Item 12--provide evaluation assistance to local districts full-time pers. adm. 37% yes part-time pers. adm. 75% yes Personnel administrators with full-time responsibility felt a greater need for ISD assistance than did administrators having personnel as an adjunct administrative responsibility on: Item 10--provide leadership in retraining personnel full-time pers. adm. 100% yes part-time pers. adm. 75% yes Collective-Bargaining Process Administrators having personnel as an adjunct administrative responsibility felt a greater need for ISD assistance than did personnel administrators with full-time responsibility on: 57 Item 4--provide analysis of bargaining position full-time pers. adm. 63% yes part-time pers. adm. 100% yes Personnel administrators with full-time responsibility felt a greater need for ISO assistance than did administrators with personnel as an adjunct administrative responsibility on: Item 3--serve as a clearing house for legal questions full-time pers. adm. 100% yes part-time pers. adm. 75% yes Organizational-Justice Process No items in this category met the 15% difference criterion. Therefore, there were no apparent differences in perceptions of need in relation to the organizational-justice process. Compensation Process Administrators having personnel as an adjunct administrative responsibility felt a greater need for ISO assistance than did personnel administrators with full-time responsibility on: Item 3--provide staff and cost projections to local districts full-time pers. adm. 50% yes part-time pers. adm. 75% yes Personnel administrators with full-time responsibility felt a greater need for ISO assistance than did administrators having personnel as an adjunct administrative responsibility on: Item 4--research insurance programs and carriers for local districts full-time pers. adm. 100% yes part-time pers. adm. 75% yes 58 PerformanceeAppraisal Process No items in this category met the 15% difference criterion. Therefore, there were no apparent differences in perceptions of need in relation to the performance-appraisal process. General-Operations Process No items in this area met the 15% difference criterion. There- fore, there were no apparent differences in perceptions of need in relation to general operations. On the 34 items, eight response differences were noted between personnel administrators with full-time responsibility and those having personnel as an adjunct administrative responsibility. In two cases, the part-time personnel administrators were positive and the full-time personnel administrators were negative. In three cases, the full-time personnel administrators were more positive. In three cases, the part-time administrators were more positive. The slight difference in responses (disagreement on only two questions) represented no dif- ference in perceptions of needs. Chapter V contains a summary of the study, conclusions regard- ing the research questions posed by the researcher, and suggestions for further research. CHAPTER V SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS. DISCUSSION, AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Summar The main purpose of this project was to identify the personnel needs of local school districts with which their ISD is in a position to be of assistance. Attention was also given to whether a difference exists among the needs of local districts having full-time personnel administrators, part-time personnel administrators, superintendents with personnel responsibilities, and superintendents with personnel help. A six-category, multi-item survey was developed, using the format designed by Kloster. The survey items dealt with specific functions within the selected categories of personnel operations. A pilot study was carried out, using five trained personnel specialists. The survey was sent to these five experts for review and suggestions for improvement. Using their suggestions, the inventory was revised and returned to the pilot group for approval. The finalized instru- ment, the Inventory of Personnel Functions and Service Possibilities as Perceived by Local School District Superintendents and Personnel Administrators, contained 36 items. This inventory was sent to the target population. 59 60 The study population comprised all the local school district central office administrators in the Genesee Intermediate School District who had a personnel responsibility. The Flint school system was excluded from this population because of its large size in com- parison with the other districts. Ninety-seven percent of the popula- tion surveyed (31 individuals) responded by returning a completed inventory. Each of the 32 administrators in the study group was asked to respond with a "yes" or "no" answer to each of the 36 items. A "feel strongly" or "no strong feeling" column was provided to gauge the intensity of feeling in regard to the answer given. The 12 super- intendents with personnel help, 8 superintendents with no help, 8 full-time personnel administrators, and 4 administrators with a part-time personnel management responsibility responded "yes" or "no" to each survey item; if so inclined, they registered the strength of their feeling in regard to the items. A total response of more than 50% positive was deemed to indicate that the reSpondents felt an ISD should provide the service in question. The response totals were the indicators for judging what the population wanted in terms of personnel service from an ISD. The responses of the four subgroups that constituted the sur- vey population were tallied separately to facilitate comparisons between subgroups. One subgroup might have felt that an ISD should provide a particular service, whereas another subgroup might not. The more-than-50%-response indicator for providing services was too gross a measurement for judging differences between subgroups. 61 A 15% difference in subgroup responses was considered large enough to be meaningful. Achi-square check of this judgment revealed that a 15% difference in responses would happen by chance only 5 out of 100 times or less. The 15% difference was therefore a valid assumption. Hence subgroup comparisons were made, using the criterion that a 15% or more difference between subgroup responses was meaningful. The differences in needs that may exist between local dis- tricts having full-time personnel administrators, part-time personnel administrators, superintendents with personnel responsibilities, or superintendents with personnel help were identified by the 15% response difference criterion. Only those items on which one subgroup's responses differed from those of another subgroup by 15% or more, on which one response was negative and the other positive, or on which both responses were positive but differed by 15% or more were consid- ered germane to the study. Conclusions In this section the conclusions derived from the tabulation of responses to the survey items are presented. The research questions and general questions are restated in the form of conclusions, followed by a discussion of each question. Research Question A Local school districts need assistance from the ISO with the five selected personnel processes and with general operat1ons. Discussion: A positive response to 24 of the 34 items comprising the inventory indicated a general need to use the 150 as an information 62 resource for program-development coordination, and as a research center for personnel management. Direct involvement of an ISD in local-level management deci- sions was not favored. Superintendents with personnel help were the least supportive of programs that could be conceived of as involving an ISO in local school operations. Related Questions 1. Local school districts need assistance from the ISO in the staffing process. Discussion: The responses indicated a need for ISO assistance in gathering and disseminating information, retraining present staff, and planning retirement. Any staffing program that could be perceived as interfering with local control was not accepted by the survey popu- lation. Technical-assistance programs, those programs that help a local district establish operational procedures or policies, were better received by the individuals directly involved in personnel operations than by superintendents with personnel help. 2. Local school districts need assistance from the 150 in the collective:bargaihing process. Discussion: Items on the collective-bargaining process engendered the strongest feeling and the widest range of responses from the sur- vey population. They felt that ISD's should serve as information centers and help with legal issues. The technical—assistance area of bargaining-position analysis was accepted by administrators involved with personnel services. All segments of the survey population rejected an ISD's direct involvement with local bargaining units. 63 3. Local school districts need assistance from the ISO in the organizationa11justice process. Discussion: A coordinated system of record keeping, a resource library, and dissemination of information on current personnel issues and practices were all overwhelmingly approved by the survey respond- ents. Administrators performing personnel-management functions were more positive toward receiving technical assistance from an 150 than were their respective superintendents. A majority of personnel admin- istrators approved assistance in job-evaluation studies; superinten- dents viewed the issue negatively. 4. Local school districts need assistance from the ISO in the compensation process. Discussion: The survey population accepted services in compensa- tion studies, benefit program analysis, and insurance research. Projecting costs and staffing was accepted by superintendents with personnel help but was rejected by the other superintendents. Super- intendents of smaller school districts may have viewed projecting staff needs as inviting too much ISD involvement. 5. Local school districts need assistance from the ISO in the performance-appraisal process. Discussion: ISD involvement in inservice programs for evaluation, staff development, and staff retraining was strongly supported by the survey population. 6. Local school districts need assistance from the ISD in the generfilloperations process. Discussion: The survey respondents unanimously approved the con- cept of the ISO providing lobbyist functions in personnel matters 64 before state and local agencies. Generating a personnel data base and providing resource information on personnel programs were also strongly approved. However, direct assistance in personnel program development at the local level was not approved by the superinten- dents; personnel administrators approved this involvement. Research Question B The way thp_personnel responsibility is delegated within the administrative structure of local schoolidistricts does affect the perceived need for ISD assistance. Discussion: The differences in perceptions of the need for ISO assistance stemmed from the respondents' position and involvement in personnel management. The personnel administrators were willing to have ISD help in all categories eXcept those implying direct involve- ment in local operations. Superintendents maintained a more theo- retical point of departure. They did not accept those programs that might have involved an ISO in local decision making. Superintendents who had no personnel help were more flexible than their counterparts with such help; they accepted programs from an ISO that impinged on local management but that required a greater resource allocation than individual school districts could afford. Related Questions 1. There is a difference in need for personnel-management assistance between local districts that have personnel administrators and those that do not. Discussion: All local districts supported ISD programs that were informational and/or educational in personnel-related areas. The difference became pronounced when items concerned the ISO becoming 65 involved through programs that might influence local management deci- sions. Local school district administrators were opposed to any service that hinted of ISO decision making in local operations. Administrators with no help were more positive toward ISD involve- ment. Although they were willing to seek technical assistance, the administrators with no help rejected those programs that would directly involve the ISO in local school operations. 2. There is a difference in need for personnel-manpgement assistance between local districts in which the super- intendent is responsible for personnel management and those having a personneliadministrator. Discussion: Personnel administrators were willing to have ISD help in all categories but those that were directly related to their own jobs. Staff recruitment and selection, job-description develop- ment, and the provision of collective-bargaining expertise are examples of programs viewed negatively by personnel administrators. Superintendents managing personnel operations rejected those programs that directly involved the ISO in local operations. Examples of pro- grams rejected by those superintendents were providing staff and cost projections, developing work rules, conducting job-evaluation studies, and developing local district personnel operations. 3. There is no difference in need for personnel-management assistance between local districts having personnel management as an adiunct administrative responsibility and those’having a full-time personnel administrator. Discussion: These two administrative groups were positive toward the ISD's involvement in informational, educational, and technical- assistance programs. There was little evidence of concern in regard 66 to the ISD's involvement in local operations. The administrators with personnel management as an adjunct responsibility would accept help in developing job descriptions and evaluation assistance from the ISO, whereas administrators with full-time personnel responsi- bilities would not. This difference was perceived to be based more on work load than on any theoretical consideration. There was no apparent difference in the two groups' perceptions of the need for personnel-service assistance. Suggestions for Further Research The need for an ISO to provide service in personnel-related areas was documented in this study. Further research is needed to design and generate a mechanism for providing these desired services. The personnel administrators were the most positive toward ISD involvement and could serve as a resource during developmental stages. These personnel managers, acting as a liaison between local districts and the ISO, could increase the positive attitude of their superintendents toward ISD involvement in personnel programs. Superintendents of local districts were less positive toward ISD help than were their personnel administrators. The more local help the superintendent had, the less welcome were ISD service possi- bilities. The development of programs designed to meet the superin- tendents' expressed needs could engender support for further program development to meet the needs of the other segments of the survey population. Financing of personnel programs needs creative attention. The personnel program, revealed by this study as needed, has a cost 67 component. No one school district can bear the burden of a multi- school undertaking. Costing on a pay-per-program or a per-district levy are two methods of sharing the cost. An equitable solution to program cost should be sought so that local districts would pay their "fair share" for service through the ISD. Exploration of management methods that would allow partici- pative strategic planning of the personnel service is necessary to meet the ISD's obligation of service to local districts. A manage— ment system so devised would furnish direction for educational pro- grams to local districts as well as being used as a conduit for information flow to the total school community. A study of manage- ment configurations with a participative component is necessary to meet present needs and to insure that future programs address the new chal- lenges that will be faced by local school districts. Resource allocation, personnel, and materials need to be studied to make the best use of the skills of present personnel and to hire people with specific experience at the ISO level to meet the personnel-program needs of the districts the ISO serves. This study of personnel needs was only the beginning of a multi-faceted research program that is necessary to provide relevant, economical, and participative service to the local school districts in the ISD service area. APPENDICES 68 APPENDIX A INVENTORY OF FUNCTIONS AND SERVICES OF INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICTS AS PERCEIVED BY LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENTS 69 APPENDIX A INVENTORY OF FUNCTIONS AND SERVICES OF INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICTS AS PERCEIVED BY LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENTS SCHOOL DISTRICT NAME: SCHOOL DISTRICT CODE N0. INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT: PLEASE RETURN BY MAY 10 TO: Alexander J. Kloster Marquette-Alger Intermediate School District 427 West College Avenue Marquette, Michigan 49855 FOR INFORMATION CALL: 1-906-228-9400 1-906-227-2016 70 71 INVENTORY OF FUNCTIONS AND SERVICES OF INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICTS AS PERCEIVED BY LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENTS GENERAL (REGULAR) INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS Please respond to the following items in terms of your perception of how best to provide these services. In addition it is important to know the strength of your feeling relative to each of your answers. Please check the appropriate response to record your feeling relative to each of your answers. For example, if you believe that Inter- mediate School Districts should not operate programs for regular pupils, you would check "no“. In addition if you are very firm in this belief, you should check the proper space in the "feel strongly" column. A. Instructional Program Feel No Strong YES NO Strongly Feeling l. ISD's should operate pro- grams for "regular" pupils as a regular practice. 2. Under no circumstances should ISD's operate programs for "regular" pupils. 3. ISD's should oeprate instruc- tional programs for regular pupils only upon request of local districts. 4. ISD's should have authority to operate needed programs when local districts fail to do so, i.e. gifted, enrich- ment, summer school etc. (Assume need has been estab- lished). YES NO Feel Strongly No Strong Feeling 72 10. 11. ISD's should organize and operate all programs for special Edication pupils and provide all services associated with special education. ISD's should ngt operate special education instruc- tional (classroom) programs. ISD's should not be involved in any service associated with ISD's should organize and operate a special education program or service only upon request of one or more local districts. ISD's should be involved in special education programs and services in the same manner and to the same extent that current prac- tice indicates. (Use your ISD as the basis for your response). ISD's should organize and operate gll_programs of vocational-technical instruc- tion. (Local districts would operate only "industrial arts" programs on a volun- tary basis.) ISD's should not operate vocational-technical pro- grams under any circum- stances. YES NO Feel Strongly No Strong Feeling 73 12. 13. 14. 15. ISD's should not be involved in any service associated with vocational-technical education. ISD's should operate voca- tional-technical programs only upon request of local districts. ISD's should have authority to organize and operate needed vocational-technical programs when local school districts fail to do so. (Assume need is established). Other 74 II. REGULAR INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS Although ISD's very seldom provide direct instruction and/or direct services to regular pupils it is possible that in some instances the ISO may be able to operate programs that could result in expanded services and/or greater efficiency. Listed below are some suggested areas of instructions which might be considered as instructional services provided by the ISO. Please answer yg§_or.ng regarding your opinion and also the strength of your feeling about the item. Feel No Strong YES NO Strongly Feeling 1. Academic Enrichment (advanced Math, Science, etc.) 2. Summer School (regular instruction) Remedial Instruction Programs for School Leavers Programs for Incorrigibles Adult Education Programs for Pregnant Pupils oowmm-bw Guidance and Counseling Services 9. Vocational-Technical Pro- grams (all) 10. Programs for Gifted and Talented 11. Second Language Programs 12. Cultural Development Programs 13. Social Development Programs l4. Preschool Programs 15. Outdoor Education Programs YES NO Feel Strongly No Strong Feeling 75 16. 17. 18. 19. Alternative Schools Headstart Basic Adademic Programs Other 76 IV. INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES Many ISD's provide instructional support services primarily in the form of consultant assistance. Listed below are the typical support services which might be provided by ISD's. Indicate your opinion regarding the appropriateness of the service - "yes" or "no'I and also the strength of your yes or no answer. Feel No Strong YES NO Strongly Feeling 1. Reading 2. Math 3. Social Studies 4. Science 5. English (Language Arts) 6. Art Music 8. Physical Education 9. Vocational Education 10. Adult Education 11. Basic Education 12. Community Education 13. Instructional Strategies (e.g. team teaching, etc.) 14. Instructional Strategies for Gifted 15. Counseling and Guidance (include testing) 16. Instructional Media 17. Second Language YES NO Feel Strongly No Strong Feeling 77 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. Career Education Curriculum Development Strategies Inservice, Instructional Staff Other YES '78 SPECIAL EDUCATION SUPPORT SERVICES Most ISD's provide some support services to local districts rela- tive to special education. Some of these services consultative, some are diagnostic, some are prescriptive, and some are ancillary to other services. Please record your opinion regarding the appropriateness of this service as an ISD function and the strength of your feeling regarding each response. Feel No Strong NO Strongly Feeling 1. School Psychologist 2. School Social Worker 3. Curriculum Resource Consul- tant 4. Consultant Service a) Mentally Impaired b) Physically & Health Impaired c) Emotionally Impaired d) Visually Impaired e) Hearing Impaired (include Audiology) f) Learning Disabled g) Other 5. Occupational Therapy 6. Physical Therapy YES NO Feel Strongly No Strong Feeling 79 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. . Transportation . Psychological Clinic Ser- vices (treatment) . Psychological Assessment/ Diagnostic Services Speech and Hearing Clinic Instructional Media Special- ist Parent Support Program Instructional Media Produc- tion Media and Materials Counseling Service Placement Services Special Education Director Special Education Super- visor Vocational/Special Education Coordination Inservices, Special Educa- tion Staff Other VI. YES 80 VOCATIONAL EDUCATION - SUPPORT SERVICES Respond to the items below in the same manner that you responded to Sec. V. NO Feel Strongly No Strong Feeling «nu—l 10. 11. 12. 13. \O m \J 0‘ 0'! h 00 N O O O O O O O . Job Placement . Vocational Counseling Follow-up Studies Shared-Time Coordinator Curriculum Consulting Instructional Counseling Program Planning Special Needs Services CETA Youth Employment Pro- gram Coordination Assessment (Vocational apti- tude and interest) Instructional Media Develop- ment and Distribution Inservice, Vocational Education Staff Other 81 VII. ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT SERVICES ISD's have traditionally provided some level of administrative support services to local districts. Listed below are those services which traditionally considered administrative support services. In addition, some support services are included which are not now provided but could be provided. Please respond to the items below in the same manner as you responded in Sec. VI. Feel No Strong YES NO Strongly Feeling l. Cooperative Purchasing Bookkeeping Services Payroll Financial Consulting Information Serivces . School Plant Planning Budget Preparation mummhwm Reporting (Financial & Statistical) 9. Negotiations (Labor Rela- tions) 10. School Census 11. Interpretation of Directives and Regulations 12. Development of Equipment Specifications 13. Substitute Teachers (recruit- ment, selection, placement) 14. Apply for Substitute Teacher Permits, ISD-wide basis 15. Teacher Recruitment YES NO Feel Strongly No Strong Feeling 82 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. Assist Governing Boards of Local Districts in Selection of Administrators Provide Administrative Support for Primary Dis- tricts Consult and Assist in Reorganization Plans Inservice, Administrative Staff Development of School Calendar Public Relations Programs Analysis and Dissemination of Legal, Regulatory, and Legislative Decisions and Actions Other VIII. YES 83 Respond to these items in the same manner as Sec. VII. OPERATIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES Feel No Strong NO Strongly Feeling 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. \1 O1 01 D (.0 N O C O O C . Equipment Reapir (A.V., Typewriters, etc.) School Bus Inspection School Bus Routing School Lunch Planning Printing and Duplicating Graphic Illustrating . Inventory Control (supplies & materials) . Property Management (equip- ment inventory) . Records and Data Retention and Storage Legal Assistance and Consulting Pupil Transportation Bus Repair and Maintenance Building Maintenance School Lunch Preparation and Distribution Data Processing Services Pupil Health Services Other APPENDIX B REPORT OF TASK FORCE TO EXPLORE SERVICES TO LEAS BY IISD PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATOR 84 APPENDIX B Task Force to Explore Services to LEAs by IISD Personnel Administrator COMMITTEE REPORT 2-4-80 Committee Membership: Mr. Joseph P. Durkin Deputy Superintendent East Lansing Public Schools Mr. Richard Howlett Superintendent Stockbridge Community Schools Dr. Emmett W. Lippe Superintendent Williamston Community Schools Mr. Chandler Nauts Chief Negotiator Holt Public Schools Committee Task: Mr. David B. Smith Director of Personnel Services Lansing School District Mr. Alton Stine Assistant Superintendent and Director of Personnel Holt Public Schools Dr. Thomas J. Vaughan Superintendent Waverly Public Schools Dr. David Haarer (Chairman) Assistant Superintendent for Special Education Ingham Intermediate School District To explore ways in which the Ingham Intermediate School Dis— trict might be of service to local districts in the area of personnel- related services. Committee Recommendations The committee outlined over twenty suggested services which should be provided to Local Education Agencies by the IISD Personnel Administrator. These services are grouped into eight major areas and presented in priority order although the consensus of the committee is that each of the eight areas are important functions of the IISD Personnel Administrator. 86 The sub areas outlined under the major areas are illustrative and not meant to be all inclusive of the services that should be pro- vided to local districts. The committee agreed that to have credibility with local dis- tricts the IISD Personnel Administrator should be positioned at a high level in the IISD organizational structure and should report directly to the Superintendent and be given a title comparable to other report- ing directly to the Superintendent. Potential Personnel Service to Local Districts A. INFORMATION/RECORD KEEPING 1. Provide resource library Personnel Administrator should establish a repository (resource library) on personnel related information. Provide data base Need is apparent for adequate data for decision making in multi areas of personnel function, especially pertaining to negotiations. Be advocate for data base The IISD Personnel Administrator should be an assertive spokesperson for an easy retrieval data system through data processing, microfiche, etc. Provide personnel record keepingyprocedures Personnel Administrator should give leadership in develop- ment of coordinated system(s) of maintaining personnel records. Present Data Processing Study should study impli- cations for coordinated efforts of personnel record keeping requirements. B. COMMUNICATIONS/COORDINATION 1. Initiateymaintain communications network amongflpersonnel administrators IISD Personnel Administrator should provide the leadership in bringing together the administrators responsible for per- sonnel management. Persons must be knowledgeable, an expert and leader in the field. Person must have high credibility and be sought after for leadership. 87 2. Provide information to roundtable Personnel Administrator should keep roundtable duly informed regarding current issues and pertinent information. Needs to provide leadership and dialogue with authority. 3. Provide assistance in retrieving information Districts having personnel questions should with confidence be able to call the IISD for assistance in retrieving infor- mation. CONSULTATION 1. Provide help with legplity issues Not all districts need to ask the same legal questions of counsel. Coordinate efforts. Perhaps try single retainer through IISD. Provide advice on legal issues ("process" information). 2. Provide consultant service on valueyanalysis of_positions Local districts need help with: analysis of positions salaries/benefits classification of positions evaluation job descriptions INSERVICE 1. Provide appropriate inservice Personnel Administrator should provide regular inservice pro- grams to deal with current personnel issues and concerns such as: compliance, civil rights, 504 - handicapped, human rela- tions and evaluation. STAFFING (RECRUITMENT/DECRUITMENT) 1. Provide assistance in staff recruitment and selection Personnel Administrator could keep all districts informed on job availability within the IISD and its constituency. Administrators involved in recruitment/selection process need inservice on appropriate procedures. 88 Aid districts in egual employment_gpportunities The Personnel Administrator should assist in recruitment and staffing and minority persons and help in other areas of equal employment opportunities. Provide assistance with temporary/substitute staff Pools of staff, especially in classified areas, could be established at the IISD. Provide information regarding resources for temporary help Personnel Administrator should inform locals regarding resources available through such programs as WIN, CETA, and WORK STUDY. Provide leadership in retrainingypersonnel Reductions and changes in staff needs require considerable retraining. Be an advocate for staff Personnel Manager should provide assistance in career and retirement planning. HUMAN RELATIONS 1. Provide help in human relations Personnel Administrator should provide leadership through inservice and consultation in sensitizing and coping with human relations issues. PLANNING 1. Develop time lines for Personnel functions Personnel Manager should develop short/long range lines for functions to be performed by the office. Provide staff projections Personnel Manager should develop short/long range staff pro- jections for entire intermediate district area. H. 89 LEGISLATION 1. Provide lobbyist functions in_personnel matters Personnel Administrator should keep LEAs informed on legisla- tive matters affecting them and should be pro-active on behalf of local districts. Provide leadership on federal funding Personnel Administrator should be knowledgeable about special funding resources for personnel functions and keep districts informed about where and how to obtain special funds. APPENDIX C INVENTORY OF PERSONNEL FUNCTIONS AND SERVICE POSSIBILITIES AS PERCEIVED BY LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENTS AND PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATORS 9O APPENDIX C INVENTORY OF PERSONNEL FUNCTIONS AND SERVICE POSSIBILITIES AS PERCEIVED BY LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENTS AND PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATORS Intermediate School Districts have traditionally provided some level of administrative support service to local districts. Listed in the following survey are services in personnel operations which may or may not be best provided at the Intermediate level. Please indicate how you think the following services would be best provided. It is also important to know the strength of your feeling relative to each of your answers. For example, if you believe that Intermediate School Districts should aid local districts in policy and rule development in personnel, you should check "yes". In addi- tion, if you are very firm in this belief you should check the "feel strongly" column. FEEL NO STRONG YES NO STRONGLY FEELING A. Staffing ISD's should 1. Provide assistance in staff recruitment and selection. 2. Provide leadership in security job availability information within the IDS and its constituency. 91 YES NO FEEL STRONGLY NO STRONG FEELING 92 10. 11. 12. 13. Provide information resources for temporary help. Recruit, and in some areas secure, temporary help for its constituent districts. Aid in staff development (Inservice and Human Relations). Assist in recruitment of minority persons. Develop guidelines for equal employment oppor- tunity programs. Provide local districts assistance in career and retirement planning (decruitment). Aid local districts in developing staff reduc- tion processes. Provide leadership in retraining personnel. Help develop job descrip- tions. Provide evaluation assist- ance to local districts. Other items you might suggest YES NO FEEL STRONGLY NO STRONG FEELING 93 C. Collective Bargaining ISD's should 1. Serve as an information center for schools bargain- ing staff contracts. Provide help with legal issues (single retainer). Service as a clearing house for legal questions. Provide analysis of bargain- ing positions. Provide salary/benefit information. Help generate a consistent approach to contract settle- ments with local districts. Provide at table expertise to local districts. Other items Organizational Justice ISD's should 1. Aid local districts in work rule development. Establish for local district use, a resource library on personnel information. Provide information period— ically on current personnel issues and practices. YES NO FEEL STRONGLY NO STRONG FEELING 94 4. Provide leadership in the development of a coordinated system(s) of maintaining personnel records. 5. Assist in job evaluation studies. 6. Other items Compensation ISD's should 1. Aid local districts in compensation studies. Assist with benefit program analysis. Provide staff and cost projections to local dis- tricts. Research insurance programs and carriers for local districts. Other items Performance Appraisal ISD's should 1. Provide inservice in staff and administrator evalua- tion. Assist in promoting staff development programs for local districts. YES NO FEEL STRONGLY NO STRONG FEELING 95 3. 4. Provide assistance in staff retraining programs. Other items F. General Operations ISD's should 1. Provide a data base of personnel related infor- mation. Provide lobbyist functions in personnel matters before state and other agencies. Provide resource informa- tion for personnel pro- grams. Assist in the development of local district personnel operations. Other items APPENDIX D COVER LETTER AND REMINDER LETTER 96 APPENDIX D To: From: John F. Egloff, Ph.D. candidate Date: April 30, 1981 In 1978 Dr. Alexander J. Kloster surveyed local school districts to ascertain what functions and service Intermediate School Districts should provide their respective locals. This study was comprehensive and definitive in the operational areas of Instruction and Educational Support Services, but was inconclusive in areas of Administrative Support Service, specifically Personnel. With Dr. Kloster's permission, I have set out to fulfill my disserta- tion obligation to Michigan State University through attempting to ascertain to what extent a need exists at the local level for personnel related services at the Intermediate level. The information that you provide will be incorporated with other local districts for analysis. Individual district responses are confidential and conslusions will be drawn from statistical data only. Survey results will be made available upon request. Please complete and mail the enclosed survey by May 8. A stamped self-addressed envelope is provided. Your expeditious reply would be welcomed. 97 98 To: From: John F. Egloff, Ph.D. candidate Date: June 7, 1981 An Inventory of Personnel Functions and Service Possibilities was sent to you in early May. The survey population is very small; therefore, a 100% return rate is needed for a statistically meaning- ful result. In the rush of your daily activities the survey was overlooked. Please complete the replacement survey included with this correspon- dence. Your consideration of this matter is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions please call 635-4441 Ext. 280 Office or 635-3980 Home. Thank you for your help in the completion of my dissertation obliga- tion to Michigan State University. REFERENCES 99 REFERENCES Achelles, Charles M., and Gentry, Thomas A. "The State Department of Education and the Voluntary Regional Service Agency: Adver- sary Relationship or Uneasy Truce?" Planning and Changing, 7 (Winter 1977): 129-31. Campbell, Ronald E.; , Gerald E.; and Layton, Donald H., eds. Strengthening State Department of Education. Chicago: Midwest AdminiEtration Center, The Univer§ity of Chicago, 1967. Campbell, Ronald F., and Mazzoni, Tim. "The Educational Governance Project." Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association meeting, April 17, 1974. Crowson, Robert L. Compensatory Education in Michigan: The Politics of Program Implementation. Chicago: University of Illinois at Chicago Circle, November 1974. “The Politics of Implementating State Grant-in-Aid Laws: The Michigan Experience." Paper presented at the Sixtieth American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, n.d. State Administrative Politics in Education: A Case Study of State-Local Ihteraction in Michigan. Chicago: UniVersity of IllinOis at Chicago Circle, 1974. Cutter, Virginia M. Dissemination Policies, Procedure, and Programs of Nine State Education Agencies. Washington, D.C.: Council of Chief State School Officers, National Institute of Educa- tion, Department of Health, Education and Welfare, June 1974. Davis, Harold S. Educational Service Centers in the U.S.A. New Haven: Connecticut State Department of Education, 1976. French, Wendell. The Personnel Management Process. Boston: Houghton- Mifflin, 1978. House, Ernest R.; Revers, Wendell; and Slufflebeam, Daniel L. "An Assessment of the Michigan Accountability System." Phi Delta Kappan 55 (June 1974): 663-69. 100 101 Iannaccone, Laurence. Politics in Education. New York: The Center for Applied ResearCh in Education, 1967. Kloster, Alexander. A Study of Intermediate School District Functions and Organizational Structure. Marquette: Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators, 1978. Lewis, Rae M. Potential Working Relationships Between ESAS and the R & 0 Exchange. Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Education, Department of Health, Education and Welfare, 1979. Masters, Nicholas A.; Salisbury, Robert H.; and Eliot, Thomas H. State Politics and the Public Schools: An Exploratory Analysis. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1964. Murphy, Jerome T., and Cohen, David K. "Accountability in Education-- The Michigan Experience." The Public Interest 36 (Summer 1974): 53-81. Rhodes, Alvin E. Better Education Through Effective Intermediate Units. Washington, D.C.: National Education Association, Department of Rural Education, 1963. Schier, Wilbert E. The Dortnell Personnel Director's Handbook. Chicago: The Dortnell Corporation,‘i969. Stephens, E. Robert. Regional Educational Service Agencies. Washington, D.C.: Educational Research Service. Oregon University, ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management, 1975. Regionalism: Past, Present and Future. Arlington, Va.: American A550Ci5tion of School Administrators, 1977. Task Force appointed by the State Board of Education, August 11, 1976. Rpport of Blue Ribbon Task Force on Intermediate School Districts. Lansing: State Board of Education, 1977. Zwerdling, A. L. "Detroit's Fight for Equal Educational Opportunity." Paper presented at the 29th Annual Meeting of the National School Boards Association, Miami Beach, Florida, April 12-15, 1969.