In order to complete this activity, I had a lengthy philosopical discussion with AH, our Head of School, about the nature of contractual relationships in education. In a nutshell, I believe the entire issue boils down to one of the standards the Center for the Study of Ethics identifies for school administrators: “The educational leader honors all contracts until fulfillment, release or dissolution mutually agreed upon by all parties.” It really is that simple.
One of the ideas AH shared with me is that, once teachers and administrators begin to talk in terms of specific contractual obligations, the battle is lost and one should seek a satisfactory conclusion as soon as possible. The kind of relationships that should exist between professional educators can not be defined contactually so, if that it what it comes to, the relationship is probably not salvageable. This is, of course, not a hard and fast rule, but a guideline that illustrates the idea that an administrator should be honor-bound to do right by his teachers.
Ethical considerations do crop up, of course, but, with this guideline in mind, they are simpler to navigate. For example, if a teacher is protected by a contract but behaves in a manner not in the best interests of the students, ethical questions arise about how to protect students while respecting the contractual obligations to the teacher. In such a case, one must work on the students’ behalf first while never compromising on what is due to the teacher.
In my personal vision statement, I said that a school leader should serve as the living embodiement of his or her school’s values. By following these guidelines and keeping this principal in mind, a leader can use the details of contractual obligations to further the goal of student learning by demonstrating the navigation of complex, real-world obligations in a moral way..