Want a Stronger School Culture? Think ‘Professional Development’

ISM often finds that private-independent schools still underfund professional development (PD), perhaps unaware of its importance and thus downplaying it in the budget. Ensure that enough resources are allocated to professional development for all school employees. The difference could be a vibrant school culture rather than one that’s simply “going through the motions.”

As with all operations and budget expenditures, systematic movement of the PD budget line must be formulated during the quadrennial strategic planning activity. Make sure you include specific (financial) proposals in support of all personnel professional development.

ISM’s expected guideline is roughly 2% of the total budget of expenses for faculty professional development, plus an additional 1% of the total budget for support of professional development for nonteaching personnel (including Trustees).

A common—not universal—response is to protest that the current PD budget is less than that and that much of the money goes unrequested and unused each year. This suggests to ISM that a school has not yet integrated professional development systematically into its personnel evaluation system.

Make it clear that a requirement for continued employment at your school is developing a career-long PD plan, coupled with focused movement on that plan each year. Requests for funding can then be expected to increase.

You may, indeed, face the opposite problem—substantially more funds requested than the 3% provides. Many schools have moved to a committee system to screen applications for PD funds under those conditions. The committee’s recommendations then come to the administration for final decisions and resulting disbursements.

Faculty professional development and nonteaching personnel professional development are usually different both in concept and in execution. Faculty PD is a function of research findings in each teacher’s own field(s). Nonteaching personnel’s PD is a function of your school’s strategic plan and the direction of each employee’s specific career path.

For example, a lower school teacher may focus on research around children’s language development. An upper school science teacher may focus on research in geological formations indigenous to the school’s region. Meanwhile, an administrative support person’s professional development may focus on a particular administrative software package and its applications. A custodian may focus on safety-related products and their use throughout the campus. The Admission Director’s PD may focus on trends in computerized demographic analysis.

When determining PD funding, the Finance Committee Chair, School Head, and Business Manager should examine the budget from three angles.

1. Ensure that PD funds from all sources are included in your budget.
2. If you’re not earmarking enough funding, consider how to move the PD line strategically (i.e., over time through strategic planning and strategic financial planning) to 2% for faculty and 1% for nonteaching personnel. Add at least 0.1% a year—and more if possible. Thus, if your budget is $5 million, and you currently spend $50,000 on professional development (1%), increasing by 0.1% each year would increase the budget by $5,000 annually. At the end of 10 years, you would be at the full 2%. You would also start setting up the nonteaching budget at 0.1% each year as well. Note that you must adjust for inflation.
3. Finally, consider what the return on investment will be—anticipated and actual. For faculty, the ROI should be considered under the two headings:
   1. student performance, enthusiasm, and satisfaction; and
   2. teacher retention (where you see the faculty member as being part of the overall personnel plan projected out five years).

For nonteaching personnel, the ROI should also be considered under the two headings:

1. 1. achievement of strategic plan objectives (school personnel), and
   2. increased expertise and effectiveness (Trustees).

Adding to your PD budgets (following ISM benchmark recommendations) should be an essential part of your strategic plan and strategic financial plan. Measuring the return on that investment demonstrates that this is one of the best uses of your resources in your budget.

Highlight professional development activity, including your own, throughout the full range of your school’s teaching and nonteaching staff. The long-term beneficiaries will be your school’s students—present and future.

Additional ISM resources:
The Source for School Heads Vol. 17 No. 1 Three Dimensions of Meaningful Professional Development
The Source for School Heads Vol. 17 No. 2 Three More Dimensions of Meaningful Professional Development
The Source for Academic Leadership Vol. 15 No. 2 Five Strategies for Your Professional Development Initiatives

Additional ISM resources for ISM members:
I&P Vol. 41 No. 12 A Renewed Perspective for Professional Development
I&P Vol. 41 No. 16 Professional Development: Five Worst Practices