The major responsibilities of human resources management are attracting, developing, and maintaining a quality workforce.
Review the RSPS (Rancho Solano) case from Topics 1 and 2. Recall that the board of directors at RSPS has hired you as part of a consulting team to review the situation and present your findings and recommendations. Refresh your memory on the issues in the K-12 sector in general, as well as in the case of RSPS in particular, by reading the case study again. Your next task is to identify three subsystems that are in need of change in RSPS, as well as the people (human resources) you would "attract, develop, and maintain" in order to effectively implement change.
Based on the RSPS case, you will choose one subsystem to change and write a 1,250-1,500 word paper in which you address the following questions that pertain to the major human resource management responsibilities and to change management. Strengthen your recommendations by showing how your proposed changes are working in another successful organization. In your comparison, consider referring to successful private, charter, or public schools in Arizona. A list of recommended websites and articles is provided at the end of this document for use in conjunction with this assignment.
Address then following in your paper:
1. How will the subsystem change affect the two other subsystems within RSPS that you have identified and how will you realign the total system?
2. Identify and explain how you would ensure that the proposed change will satisfy any three stakeholders of RSPS?
3. How should RSPS attract, develop, and maintain the workforce required to bring about your proposed change?
Rancho Solano Case Study
Rancho Solano Private School (RSPS) was founded in 1954 by the Bayer and Freesmeyer families. Over the years, the reputation of the school was established as a leading academic institution with an advanced curriculum. Parents describe the school as having a highly performing academic environment with a rigorous curriculum, but also as having a safe and family-oriented atmosphere in a place where community was valued.
Not surprisingly, the student population grew and the school opened multiple campuses around the valley (Gilbert, Union Hills, Greenway [Scottsdale,] Missouri [Phoenix,] and Hillcrest [Peoria]).The Freesmeyer family eventually sold RSPS to the for-profit Illinois-based Meritas Family of Schools in 2007.
The mission of the Meritas group was to broaden the international focus of Rancho Solano, along with the nine other schools it owned (across the United States, Switzerland, and Mexico). Even under the new ownership, the environment in the various RSPS campuses was still described as achievement oriented and supportive.
Milestones
1954 Rancho Solano Private School founded by the Bayer and Freesmeyer families
1954 Inaugural opening at Missouri Campus
1979 Union Hills Campus established
1991 Greenway Campus established
2003 Gilbert Campus created
2007 Rancho Solano Private Schools joins the Meritas International Family of Schools
2008 Union Hills Campus relocated to Hillcrest Campus
2008 The inaugural freshman class joins Rancho Solano Preparatory High School
2010 Rancho Solano Preparatory High School is designated an authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) Programmed School
2012 Rancho Solano Preparatory High School graduates first class in May
2012 Rancho Solano's new 6th-12th grade Middle & Upper School Campus opens in August
2013 Opening of Upper School Athletic Complex & Student Center (Ranch Solano Preparatory School, 2014)
Within one year of Meritas owning the school, parents noticed a subtle name change. The school, which was previously known as "Rancho Solano Private School," was now "Rancho Solano Preparatory School." This name change, in itself did not seem to affect the school's image nor functioning at an operational level, however, it was an early indication of the strategic direction the school would head within the next few years. In 2008, RSPS attempted to enter into the high school business at its Union Hills campus, but that initial attempt was not as successful, as would have been anticipated.
This was probably a contributory factor to the relocation of the high school to a new state-of-the-art campus in Scottsdale known as the Ventura campus. A high point for RSPS came in 2010 when it launched its international Baccalaureate program (IB program), closely followed by its first graduating class in May of 2012. However, that same year, 2012, was when RSPS decided to close both the Union Hills campus and the Missouri campus.
At the time of the Missouri closure, families were informed that low enrollment was the reason behind the closure and that all other campuses (Hillcrest, Gilbert, Greenway and Ventura) would remain open. However, that period was relative tumultuous in the United States. The economic recession in the country between 2005 and 2011 led to many organizations going out of business, and the education sector was not exempt (U.S. Department of Labor, 2013).
In addition to the economic recession, private schools in Arizona have faced intense competition from Charter schools (charter schools are independently run public schools). Between 2011 and 2013, two top-rated charter schools opened campuses within five miles of RSPS Hillcrest in Peoria. Basis Schools, which has been consistently ranked in the top 10 high schools in United States (Hansen, 2011), opened its Peoria campus in 2011 while Glendale Preparatory Academy (one of the Great Heart Schools) opened a 75,000 square foot location in Peoria in 2013 (Youwestvalley.com, 2012).
Subsequently, some RSPS (Hillcrest campus) students transferred over to those schools. In 2013, an e-mail was sent out to parents in error, informing them that the Hillcrest campus middle school would be discontinued. That e-mail was withdrawn on the same day, and shortly afterwards, the head of the school retired. A new head of school, Dr. Audrey Mernard, was appointed by Meritas in 2013. Dr. Mernard, a well-educated and experienced administrator, worked with "strategic planning experts" to create a niche and a new mission for the school. The school was set on a path to pursue an intentionally international focus (Stanton, 2014). Strategically, RSPS was headed in a new direction.
Mernard was quoted as stating "We have to change the way we teach as the world becomes more interconnected," and that "this will pave the way for accelerated investment that continues to build a school recognized for a rigorous, personalized approach to learning ... as well as state-of-the-art facilities and technology" (Creno, 2014). Dr. Mernard embraced her new role and continuously assured parents that the Hillcrest campus (pre-K through middle school) would remain open. Parents who attended the PTSA in mid-December 2013 affirmed that she offered assurances at the meeting.
January 2014
Winter break started on December 23, 2013 and students were scheduled to return to school on January 7, 2014. The resumption date struck some parents as odd because January 7 was a Tuesday rather than a Monday. The reason soon became evident. Early on Monday morning (January 6), the principal of the Hillcrest campus received information that the Hillcrest campus was closing down at the end of the semester.
This news had to be conveyed to faculty and staff at the school. Within a few hours, Creno (2014) reported that "parents of 170 students at Rancho Solano Gilbert and 260 at Rancho Solano Hillcrest received letters stating the company would close the two schools to ‘align our resources to the changing market dynamics.'" Only two campuses would remain open: the Greenway campus and the high school in Ventura (both campuses are located in Scottsdale).
The letter stated "we've made the decision to move all Early Learning and Lower School education to Greenway and all Middle School and High School education to Ventura" (Rancho Solano 2014-2015, 2014). Parents were outraged, students were in disarray, and faculty and administration were in shock. The dilemma was that parents and faculty were left scrambling to find jobs and schools for the 2014-2015 academic year. The timing of the announcement, according to a parent, "showed poor judgment on behalf of RSPS" Benson (2014).
This was because most schools had already completed their hiring for staff and faculty; likewise, open admissions for students who would have registered at the surrounding schools had closed in December (a few weeks prior to the announcement). If parents were informed earlier, it would have been possible for them to try to secure a spot for their children at one of the schools nearby. They attempted to place their children on waiting lists, but most lists had already filled up. Some surrounding schools had a waiting list in excess of 800 students.
Trend in the State of Arizona and USA
As it turns out, RSPS was not the only school closing campuses down. That period was a difficult time for schools in Arizona in general; with the Center for Education Reform (2011) reporting that 22 charter schools in Arizona closed down between 2010 and 2011. The data showed that the major reasons those schools closed down included financial, mismanagement, and academic issues. But it was not only Charter schools that were shutting down. In 2012, Huicochea reported that Tucson Unified School District was closing down 11 schools due to financial reasons.
This trend continued into 2013, when the news Channel ABC15 reported the closure of 11 public schools in December in the West Valley of Phoenix. In the 2014-2015 academic year, yet another school, Hillcrest academy closed its doors on its Phoenix campus to K-4th grade students in September 2014. Shortly thereafter, parents of its 5th -12th grade students received a letter in January of 2015 informing them that the campus would be closing down in 2 days.
The closure was attributed to low student enrolment and financial reasons. Students who wished to continue were offered a bus ride to their Mesa campus. The trend in school closure has continued even into 2015, with Dale (2015) reporting the possible closure of three charter schools which all received F grades on their state report cards in 2014. Anne Ryman, in a news article, stated, "Nationally, the percentage of school districts closing schools doubled from 3 percent in the 2008-09 school year to 6 percent in 2009-10, ... Eight percent of districts closed schools for this school year [2010/2011]; 15 percent anticipate closing schools in 2011-12" (2011, para. 15). Private schools were also affected. Creno (2014) reports that during 2009-2014, enrollment in private schools in Arizona declined by about 9 percent. Recently, Faller (2015) reported that Tesseract school, one of the private schools in Arizona, was in danger of being closed due to a deficit of more than 3 million dollars.
National and Local Trends:
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in a May 2012 publication titled The Condition of Education, shows the projected trend of registration in public schools through 2023/24 as well as the trend in charter and private school from the 1990s through 2011-12. (National Center for Education Statistics, 2012) Their data is presented below:
Public Schools: NCES Projections
Overall, the NCES projects an increase of 5% across the United States in public school enrollment from 2011-12 through 2023-24 academic years. The state of Arizona is projected to be one of the 45 states that will experience the largest increase (a 23% estimate). Arizona is also projected to be the state with the second highest projection in numbers of preK-8th grade enrollment in public school with a projected enrollment of 20% (National Center for Education Statistics, 2015).
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data CCD),"State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education," 2011-12; and Public State Elementary and Secondary Enrollment Model: 1980-2012. See Digest of Education Statistics 2013, table 203.20.
Figure 1. Projected percentage change in public school enrollment in grades prekindergarten (pre-K) through 12, by state or jurisdiction: Between school years 2011-12 and 2023-24
Charter Schools:
According the NCES, from school year 1999-2000 to 2011-12, the number of students enrolled in public charter schools increased from 0.3 million to 2.1 million students. During this period, the percentage of public school students who attended charter schools increased from 0.7 to 4.2 percent" (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2012).
In the 2009/10 academic year, only the District of Columbia and Arizona had the highest number of students registered in charter schools (10% or more). Similarly, the total number of charter schools increased from 1.7% in 1999/200 to 5.8% in 2011-12, (that is from 1,500 to 5,700 schools). NCES reports that in school year 2012-2013, "After the District of Columbia, Arizona had the second highest percentage (14 percent) of charter school enrollment as a percent of total public school enrollment" (2015, para. 5).