Management in a School System

Evaluation of Decision to Close and Closure Process It seems as though FBPS was trying to fulfill the more popular of the Six PESTEL factors, technology. The launch of its International Baccalaureate Programs seemed promising; however, it came at the worst possible economic time. The US economic recession of 2005 took toll on not only the FBPS campuses but other reputable schools surrounding it. This indication quickly started impacting the FBPS organization. The closure of several schools and the announcement of others not continuing with certain academics.

The fact that only two campuses would remain open—the Richmond and the North Richmond campuses—rankled parents, and the fact that news of the closing of the Staunton campus school came after the enrollment deadline at other neighboring schools was a shock that parents simply were not inclined to accept. The FBPS assured parents that the closures were not the result of finances—but Moody’s indicated otherwise as the credit rating of the school had decline to Caa2.

The school was essentially denying its financial state to the parents and failing to communicate effectively with them in advance of closings so that families could make plans for their children accordingly. As Iverson and McPhee (2002) note, a school’s leaders must be true to the “communicative character of knowledge”—and the leaders of FBPS simply were not. Social Responsibilities and Impact on Stakeholders The social responsibilities demonstrated by FBPS were to students, parents, and investors—and the school failed on all three fronts.

As a for-profit school, it had a duty to provide returns to investors—and yet by mishandling its transition period, it essentially destroyed its reputation and drove families away and back into the arms of the original founders of the school who became the competition. Those who had invested in the school were going to lose, especially as Moody’s downgraded the business’s credit rating, which would impact its ability to secure new loans at a decent rate (John, Lynch & Puri, 2003).

Students were also going to be left out in the cold. The FBPS had a social responsibility to ensure that their education could continue—and yet instead of alerting parents ahead of time so that arrangements could be made, the school bluffed them and said that no closings would happen. This in spite of the fact that parents had already received an email alert: clearly the FBPS had no intention of showing its hand, regardless of how it impacted students.

Parents realized the duplicity at the heart of the school’s new management—and that is why they began to leave in droves. None wanted to stick around and continue to be abused by a school that had no regard for their hardship, their children’s futures, or even their own investors. The school’s management had not the faintest idea of what it meant to be honest.

Administrative Closure Options Organizational theory according to Weber’s bureaucratic approach should have been applied so that all stakeholders were in the know. This would be an example of classical organizational theory: structure, specialization, predictability, stability, rationality and democracy would have been its hallmarks (FAO, 2018). A modern management example would have been systems approach, linking communication with balance and decision analysis.

And a behavioral example would have been servant leadership behavioral theory, which would have obliged the leaders of the school to focus on serving its clients instead of leaving them hanging without recourse to any other options. Weber’s bureaucratic approach applies in the sense that it would have given the school more of a stable structure. There would have been less chaos during the transition and better foresight would have prevailed. Its steps would have appeared more rational and less whimsical.

Systems approach would have given the school a more cohesive characteristic. Communication would have been the top most aspect, and all parents would have been informed well in advance of any closures. The school would have been more balanced in its approach to handling its finances and better decision making would have ensued as well. Servant leadership would have given the school a better sense of what its goal was in the first place. Instead of trying to put profits before people, it would have put people before profits (Quain, 2018).

The idea of servant leadership is to make sure that those who rely on you are taken care of. Plans for Future Direction One long-term plan for the future direction of FBPS would be to divest itself of its current leaders, re-organize, and start working on its credit rating. With its image in tatters, it needs to also focus on restoring its brand and reputation. It can do that by surveying consumers to find out what went wrong and how it can improve.

One short-term plan would be to find a way to keep the Staunton campus open for one more year so that parents can transition without too much pain. This would help to ensure that the school’s reputation is not damaged beyond repair. It would also be.