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Jackson Public Schools is a very large operation. It's education, yes, but it's a business, too. Big business means big management demands.
- It is the largest school district in Mississippi: 33,000 students, 4,000 personnel, 66 buildings.
- JPS is the third largest food service operation in the state. They serve 40,500 meals a day, 6.5 million meals a year.
There's more, of course: a transportation system, computers, telephones, supplies. Human Resource records on all those employees; permanent records for every student. Records on job applicants; school accreditation; state and federal required records. Insurance, budgets, attendance, communications. Heating and cooling in 66 buildings. On and on it goes. Running a large operation means a lot of communication, a lot of record storage, and a constant demand for effective management of money, information, time, and human resources.
How does any business manage that many facets? Two ways: interconnected communication systems, and distributed decision-making.
Jackson Public Schools knows that it is critical to its success to share information quickly and accurately. Its new ATM system allows communication in a variety of ways: via voice, video, and data. All over one "pipe." The improved phone system will let managers stay on top of things. And large amounts of data soon will be collected and distributed for better decision-making. Data will be used for professional development, curriculum changes, course offerings, student promotions, and improved teaching techniques. Networked security will protect people and property. And on-line control of environmental systems -- heating and cooling of large facilities can be very expensive -- will hold costs down.
Jackson Public Schools is moving to a site-based management plan. With more data, and more timely data, managers will have the information they need. No more "the district office has the information; they make all the decisions." By sharing information and moving responsibility to the building-level, managers can be accountable for their facilities. Site-based management neatly dove-tails with the state's move to building level accreditation, too. Each manager handles the information, the responsibility, and the consequences for his or her own operation. The outcome? A data-driven improvement plan for each and every school.
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"The community has placed a trust in us to do the right thing with the dollars we have set aside for education in this district. We have to demonstrate that we are worthy of that trust every day."
-- Dr. Willie Mott, Deputy Superintendent for Facilities and Operations, Jackson Public Schools |
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