Sunday, May 9, 2010
Donation Case
A member of the school board has contacted you and indicated that they have been able to purchase two dozen Apple I-Pad’s and would like to donate them to your school. The school board member lives in your district and does not want to share them with any of the other schools. What steps will you take prior to responding and after responding to this inquiry?
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First step I would take would be to speak to my superintendent of schools to see what he thinks about accepting the I-pods. If he feels it is fine to take them, I would then like to see why does the donation want to come just to my school and not to all of the systems. After finding the answer to all of my concerns and if I feel that it is justified for my school, then I would accept them and find the most value of how to use them and showing the students that I-Pods are not just about music.
ReplyDeleteI would want to introduce them to the I-Pods being located one in each of the higher grades and then to the lower if enough would be available. I would like to monitor the use of them with books to listen to, finding appropriate music to listen to while studying and using this technology for the good of the class and preparation of testing and reward system.
Prior to responding, I would develop a plan of action. I would plan to share this wealth and new technology with all of the schools within our district rather than just within my school building. I would express gratitude for the donation but ask why the school board member does not want to share them with other schools. Upon their response, I would explain how these technologies would benefit each school. They could be stored in the library and checked out when teachers want to use them. The TRT would be able to find new applications that would be used in each subject area where all classes and students would have an opportunity to use them. I feel that the I-Pad's can be used in any grade level as long as the application their using is age-appropriate. I do feel that having all 24 I-Pads to our school would be wonderful because each student would have one in their hands when the teacher was utilizing the tools. Howeever, I would not want to be greedy. After getting my answers from the school board member and expressing my thoughts, ideas, and concerns I would carry on with the I-Pads as the school board member wished.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kari, that trying to share the wealth and developing a plan of action would be a good idea. The Ipad does have so many apps that could be used by a class - especially at the high school level. It would be nice to have enough for an entire class to use, but if there were a way to share among schools, that would be better. If they had to housed at one school, maybe others could reserve them for a specific time period and check them out like in the library system.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I see this as a conflict of interest coming from a school board member. But if an individual citizen wants to donate to one school, I would have to check into the division's policy on accepting donations. I would like to see them in a central location and be signed out by different teachers. After doing some checking with the division's policy, if it is still alright just to accept a donation to ONE school, then I would allow them to come to this one school. I would then setup a sign out policy for teachers to utilize to use them in their classrooms. One might even use them to get other staff using them by offering professional development points to attend an inservice on their usage.
ReplyDeleteI agree with L. Overstreet. I do see this as a conflict of interest that a school board member would want to give this donation but have them only to be used by one particular school. Before talking with the school board member, I would do want Carolyn suggested and talk with the superintendent, just to let them know what was going on and the policy regarding such donations. After seeking some guidance from the superintendent, I would then contact the board memeber and ask them why they chose our school for the donation and not others. I would listen to the board members comments and try to understand their point of view. Then, I would explain my point, that although we would love to have this piece of technology, so would the other schools, and the fact is, is that we could all find some benefit from them. I would also explain my "conflict of interest" concerns to the board member and hopefully they would understand and choose to make the donation to the entire district.
ReplyDeleteI would let this school board member know how much I appreciate their graciousness, but that I cannot accept because it is not fair to the other schools; that it is only right for all of the schools in the district to receive their fair share, as well. I would, again, thank them, profusely, but decline the offer. Then I would contact the superintendent and let them know of the entire exchange.
ReplyDeleteI would check school board policy first. If the guidelines forbid such donations then there wouldn't be an issue. If it does not forbid such donations I would explain to the school board member that their generosity is greatly appreciated, but if they gave a donation like that, there couldn't be any stipulations on how and where they could be used. If he then refused to give the donation, then there is no issue, but if he decides to still give the donation, then they could be used by any school in the district, they would simply have to sign up for them in advance.
ReplyDeleteI agree this is a conflict of interest. Before I accepted any such gift I would check with the superintendent, all district policy and the other school board members. If after reviewing this information, the gift is allowed I would talk to the donor about her desire only to give to my school. If not allowed I could not accept the gift even though it would be a huge benefit to the educational process.
ReplyDeleteAn individual donation of this type is always greatly appreciated. I think that the cause for conflict lies in the fact that the person making the donation is also a member of the school board. I can see why that person may want to donate to a single school if he/she is an alumni, has children or grandchildren at the school, etc. This does, however, pose a problem when he/she is closely affiliated with all schools. Policy should definitely be reviewed and adhered to in this case. If after consulting policy, I still did not feel comfortable a donation of this sort, I would speak with the board member in hopes that he/she would understand why this donation would be a great benefit to all schools. Like the rest, I would think that the items could be held in a central location (or a few at each school) and requested by the teachers as needed.
ReplyDeleteI would discuss it with the superintendent and make sure it was not against our county's policy manual. I would see about getting a grant to write for the schools that were not allowed to "share the wealth" and see about getting hem I-Pads of their own. I have seen what the I-Pad can do and let me just say WOW what a gift that would be!
ReplyDeleteI would discuss the prospect of this donation with the superintendent. My suggestion would be that the iPads be centrally located and made available for use by any of the schools. I would suggest that the instructional technology resource teachers take the lead in training and assisting teachers in the use of the iPads with their students.
ReplyDeleteI would Thank the Board member and state that I needed to check our schools infrastructure before proceeding to make sure we would be able to use the iPads to their fullest capacity.
ReplyDeleteI would then check the school policy on material donations, then contact the Superintendent and the Technology Director and work with them to make sure we were able to have the devices in my school.
I would set-up a pilot project to use the iPads in selected classrooms and have evaluation criteria built in so results could be measured. I wold have a plan to use the iPads in my school initially, and then share (a few of them) with other schools as part of the pilot program.
Once I had the plan developed, I would go back to the Board member and explain that we are appreciative and would be able to accept the iPads into our pilot project in hopes of providing supportive data so that iPads could be placed in other schools as well.
I would check with the Board Policy first to see if donations are allowed. We have many people who do donate to our schools. Our high school program has a cash incentive "give-away" for SOLs and many community members and Board members donate to that school. I would love the technology. I would find a way to have the donation available to staff members to check them out after they have completed training on them. ISLLC Standard 4 addresses how an administrator should involve the community and use community resources.
ReplyDeleteIt is really not fair to only give to one particular school when you are serving as a board member. The school board serves the entire community, even though each member has a district to lead. It is a conflict of interest (as many people have stated) and it shows favoritism to a specific school. The thought is wonderful, but as an administrator you have to be careful how things are perceived in the school community due to the politics involved in education. Personally, I would have to find a way to make them accessible to the entire school system.
ReplyDeleteBefore ending the conversation with the board member, I would ask him to clarify why the I-Pads were intended to be donated solely to my school. I would revisit my school board policy manual regarding donations and the acquisition of new technology supplies. I would contact the superintendent since this is a matter pertaining to a board member. With the superintendent’s blessing, I would graciously accept the I-Pads. I would inform faculty members of the recent donation and conduct an informal survey to learn which faculty members have an interest in using an I-Pad and which (if any) have had experience using one. I would consider faculty input from the survey to develop a fair, methodical approach to distributing the I-Pads in a manner most conducive to student learning. I would explore, if possible, any opportunities for professional development relating to the I-Pads.
ReplyDeleteI also think that this could be a conflict of interest. But first I would check my policy manual and make the superintendent aware of the board member's offer. Ideally, these resources should be shared among buildings. Checking them out through your TRT is a great idea. Once the donation is approved, I would develop a staff development plan and then schedule times when the TRT can come into the classrooms and demo/instruct the students how to use this. I would prioritize grades 3-5 first as testing grades, then make them available to K-2.
ReplyDeleteAs many of you have stated, I would check our policy regarding donations. I would also speak with the Superintendent to ensure that the donation from a school board member is appropriate. If the donation was approved by the Superintendent, I would accept the I-Pads and consult my staff to determine the best use of this the technology in our school. I would also be sure to have staff and students write thank you letters for such a generous donation.
ReplyDeleteI would speak to my superintendent regarding the situation. Maybe there is some sort of conflict with the principal of the other school and this school board member. I would also speak to the principal of the school in that district to see what the issues would be regarding this member of the school district. I expect to have a collegial relationship with the other principals in my district, so that when situations occur I am able to have a support system. I would not want to accept the ipad if they came along with conditions. If after I am satisfied with the answers I receive, I accept the ipad. The conditions I would accept the ipads would be the intention in which they are given, the understanding of no conditions upon use, the open communication with principal in the district of the school board member, and the open communication with the superintendent. They would be put on a cart to be checked out from the library for teachers to use in their classrooms. Next, I would ask that the TRT would create trainings for teachers who are interested in using the ipads in order to maximize there usage. What irritates me the most are that my school system put all new Activboards in all classrooms and teachers do not use the technology. Why should that technology sit in the classroom and collect dust? I know that money could be used for another teacher who will utilize the technology. I am still waiting on an itouch that I was promised in January.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I would love to have 2 dozen Apple I-Pads in my school, I would need to consider the moral and political implications of having a school board member (whose child is at my particular school) be the only school to get the I-Pads. I would set-up a meeting with the school board member, and try to help them to see my broader perspective of how beneficial it would be to allow multiple schools to have access to this new technology. Perhaps each school could obtain a few of them. I would help the school board member see the potential value of exposing this technology to more principals so that as their use broadens by more schools, the district may see the need to invest in this technology across the schools and into more classrooms. I would need to make sure that I am in communication with the superintendent to determine my course of action and their beliefs about what should be done.
ReplyDeleteI would check the district policies and call my superintendent regarding the I-pads and discuss with him the values that my school could use them as. I would ask him if he felt that it was unfair or unethical for my school to accept the donation while the other schools do not have access to the same donation. If he felt that it is morally sound to accept the gifts then I would accept them without hesitation so that the Technology Dept could begin to set up any security programs that the I-Pads may need. I would also place several of the I-Pads in the Special Education department. The rest would be distributed throughout the school starting with the higher grades then descending down into the lower grades.
ReplyDeleteAh... politics! Of course I would take the school board member's call about donating the I-pads. I would let the board member know that I am so appreciative of his/her interest in my school and that I would need to first discuss the use and gift of the I-pads with the district Technology Director and also the Superintendent. So I would end the discussion by letting the school board member know that I would love to meet with him/her after I do my checking and that I would also ask the board member to be thinking about explaining to me in detail a little more about his/her ideas of just keeping the I-pads at my school. I end with looking forward to . . .
ReplyDeleteNext, I would contact my supervisors to see if such a donation is possible according to policy and to gain insight and information from the superintendent about this board member. The Technology Director and my ITRT will give additional information as to the logistics, training and use in my school.
I like J. Wenrich's idea of a pilot program, but it would have to be authorized by our district Technology Director. Once invested in, it will obtain a life of itself. So if all is cleared from the School Board Office, then I will set up my meeting with the board member. I think a pilot program at my school is acceptable but only if the board member will agree to allow the I-pads to be used at other schools in the district.
I do have a committment to provide for and protect my school but I would not want to benefit at the cost of relationships with other schools, this feels unethical. I would not accept the I-pads unless the school board member agrees to the plan of use for them which will include sharing them with other schools. Ideally, the pilot program should rotate schools every grading period and the initial year should include every type of school in the district (elementary, middle, and high). There should be a plan in place for evaluating and training on the technology. If the face-to-face meeting seems confusing to us both, then I think we should add the Technology Director and/or the ITRT specialists to further map out the use of the I-pads throughout the district. Then, still if the board member does not agree to a district-wide use, I could direct his/her generosity to a different ares for donation. . . one that does deprive other schools of a tool of instruction.
It would be difficult to accept the iPads under these conditions. I would insist that if other schools had a need, then we would share. As educators, we are committed to helping all students learn, and if that means lending iPads to another school, then that is what we would do.
ReplyDeleteI would also check with my school board policy on donations and conflict of interests. It seems to me the ramifications in the whole community would be greater in the long run than having the benefit of the iPads. Thsi would cause added stress to you and your school as well as for that board member. Just a side note, an anonymous donation of some iPads to one school would not cause a lot of disruption.
ReplyDeleteThis is a difficult situation to be in. Obviously, the iPads would benefit my school. However, I do not want to OWE someone something later on down the road. It would be better if each school in the division could have some of the iPads to be checked out from the library. I will check with my direct supervisor and review county policy before accepting the devices. Then I will discuss my ideas with the donator to see where we can go.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely run this by my superintendent. However, I do not see that donations would be too different than individual schools receiving grant money from local businesses. Some schools get them and some schools don't.
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