The Highline School District (Washington) developed an employee suggestion program that has helped the district find new ways to save money and be more effective. It seems to be the only program of its kind in schools nationwide. (MD)

Provides newly hired superintendents with factors to consider when negotiating 10 elements of their own contracts: salary, insurance, term of office, relocation expenses, vacation, sick leave, travel expenses, administrative authority, automobile use, and exit expenses. (PGD)

Presents guidelines for deciding whether an elementary or secondary school needs department heads or not. Lists the responsibilities of both department heads who are administrators, and therefore members of management, and of department heads who are supervisors, and therefore members of labor.

Eighteen suggestions for reducing or even preventing grievance arbitration costs are detailed under negotiating the contract, administering the contract, and preparing for arbitration categories. (KS)

Arbitration can be a way to settle employee grievances efficiently and fairly. Count on spending five or six hours in preparation for each hour spent with the arbitrator. Presents strategies for meticulous preparation. (MLF)

Union and school board representatives studied basic negotiating techniques at a five-day workshop. Improved relations and cooperation were the result. (MLF)

A training program used successfully in more that 40 school systems consists of an intensive 5-day workshop involving lectures, role-playing exercises, simulated negotiations, and indepth discussions about bargaining issues. (MLF)

Using two hypothetical case studies (the arrogant athletic director and the amorous band director), this article explains how superintendents and school boards should deal with problem employee behavior. In both cases, consulting the school attorney and confronting the employee appropriately are essential first steps. (MLH)

The key to the success of the Marriott Corporation is its emphasis on employee satisfaction and training. Because it is a service industry, the Marriott Corporation relies on the quality of the contact between its employees and its customers. Education is also a service industry in which this contact is vitally important. Some ingredients of…

Exit interviews are invaluable devices for obtaining feedback on schools and staff relations, handling important administrative details, and turning departing teachers into school ambassadors. This article discusses several basic steps for enhancing oral and written interviews. An inset offers sample questions. (MLH)

A nationwide survey of superintendents' use of and attitudes toward contract services revealed that contracting can, but does not always, relieve worries about facilities, labor, and investments. Superintendents recommended strategies for dealing with contract employees to achieve cost and time savings and improved school personnel relations. (CJH)

Describes the concept of comparable worth, discusses opposing views concerning whether inequities in pay are results of discrimination, considers efforts to determine the comparability of jobs, including teaching, notes the possible impact of implementing comparable worth legislation, and cites developments in state legislation and local school…

Describes various types of difficult bosses and provides tips on how to deal with them. Included are the good but unsettling boss, the incompetent boss, the overcompetent boss, the paranoid boss, and the martinet boss. (TE)

Borrowed from the world of business, "management by wandering around" at least one hour per week should help superintendents make better decisions as well as improve relations with staff. (KS)

A number of school districts have set up employee assistance programs (EAP) that offer help for employees having personal or family problems that affect their job performance. Guidelines for establishing an EAP are offered. (MLF)