Engaging Support Staff in Manatee County Public Schools

One of my favorite days of the school year is F-DOS, or First Day of School, when the students excitedly return to class after the summer break!

What those exuberant students may not realize when they step off the sparkling bus and enter the building with polished floors, fresh paint, and classrooms full of restocked textbooks and materials is that someone was working all summer! Without the dedication of the educational support force, the school year could not open so smoothly nor continue to operate until L-DOS! (LAST Day of School--my second most favorite day of the school year.) Every responsibility, every task completed, and every decision made by support employees filters down and impacts the education of the students in the classroom.

Manatee County Public Schools in Florida certainly embraces that concept. Their Human Resources department includes this core value: Our district employees are our most valuable asset to empower our students in reaching their goals. Manatee County knows that all district employees, not just those employees in the classroom, contribute to the educational success of the students.

Sam and I were invited to present our Building Better Schools seminar to the Manatee County’s central support staff as part of the district’s Leadership Academy 2008. Assistant Superintendent Herb Tschappat opened the session by sharing his favorite points from our book, Building Better Schools by Engaging Support Staff, and reinforcing our shared belief that support staff are professionals and are important ambassadors for the school district.

Now if you have heard Sam Bartlett speak, you know what an inspirational and motivational presenter he is! (And if you haven’t heard him speak, contact the office and get him scheduled for your district right away! www.engageinstitute.com ) Sam not only encourages audience members to become engaged ambassadors for their district, but he also gives them specific strategies and tools to make a difference. His life goal is to Liberate Greatness in others, and the principles that he shares transfer to all areas of life. Part of the seminar includes small group interactions where key points can be applied to the participants’ specific job needs. This is one of my favorite parts, since Sam and I get to interact with the groups and hear the wonderful things that they are already doing in their work and their new ideas for doing just a little bit more.

At the end of the day, the seminar participants expressed appreciation that their district had an in-service specifically geared to their needs and their responsibilities as part of the educational mission of Manatee County Public Schools.And Sam and I left Florida greatly impressed with the value that Manatee County Public Schools places on each of their employees. They have dedicated support employees who are, indeed, making positive contributions to the educational mission of the district! Have a great school year, Manatee!