For the longest time, one can imagine, rules and regulations have guided human engagements. In most countries in the world, including the US, education policies have been instrumental in helping the school system with defined rules and procedures. In truth, the regulations are responsible for creating an enabling mechanism that addresses the learning and safety of the students, leadership, and management practices that will see a successful realization of the educational goals and objectives (Scott et al., 2016). However, despite the existing policies and regulations, many schools are still faced with various challenges from the management and leadership practices to unavailability of learning resources, to mention but a few. This essay is just but the tip of an iceberg of the institutional challenges caused by the failed implementation of policies. The later part of the paper also addresses the solutions to such problems. The following constitutes the challenges.
a). The spending practices and monitoring of finances.
First and foremost, the spending practices and monitoring of finances is one of the prevalent causes of its present despair. According to Moon (2018), the District, in many cases, has been engaged in adopting a yearly budget whose estimated revenue can not satisfactorily cater to the planned expenditure. In such occasions, the District ends up using its own money to cover for the noted gaps and therefore leaves the institutions in a vulnerable position of sustenance and growth. For instance, in the financial year 2018-19, the District had a planned expenditure summing up to $2.1 billion. However, when the projected revenue came shorter than that, it resulted in a loss on the district institution’s coffers and consequently limited service provision to various schools that heavily depend on such income.
Also, another aspect of financial malpractice is seen in the District’s lack of consistent procedures of authorization and payments. One such practice is realized through the provisions of ad hoc and extra duties (Chukray & Salazar, 2019). In 2017-18 alone, the District paid almost $3.2 million to cater for ad hoc expenses and over $ 13.4 million in extra duty. While we cannot ignore the circumstances that lead to involvement in extra-duties and ad hoc, excessive stipends on them saw a weakness in the manner of procedures for such authorization and payments.
Next, Houston ISD has often been reported to have a weak control system of termination of staff contracts in the payroll system. Lack of a vibrant system to control the process of separation of staff contract results in the overpayment of the staff that leaves before the end of their contracts (Klein, 2010). Such payments often deprive the general financial pool of the districts and such replicates badly on the daily operations of an organization in what can be seen by inefficient acquisition of resources, among other essentials.
b). Disorganized staff, departments, and functions
To begin with, in terms of the organization of the Human Resource Department, the District has maintained the quantity of the general managers at five positions with a remarkable number in the lower levels of other departments (Mungal, 2016). This is equal measure has interfered with the human resource power in various campuses and other departments across the schools. For instance, the low level of staffing at the transport department often proves it financially strenuous as the District has to engage in overtime payments to cater to bus routes across schools and campuses.
Also, the structure of other departments of Houston ISD is not properly arranged. This often results in duplication of functions and also hampers the financial muscles of the District as there is no maximization of the programs (Moon, 2018). For instance, separation of Educational Technology and Instructional Technology raises more confusion. Another department includes the Office of Communication and the Strategic Engagement and Outreach Department. The two departments are of the same roles of composing new stories and handling of communication in crisis. The duplication of these duties is detrimental to the District in terms of mixed responsibilities and increased cost of operation to meet a large number of human resources.
c). Unstandardized Programs and Services
Primarily, in Houston ISD, the programs are exercised in a decentralized manner. As such, each campus applies some of their activities differently from each other, and this results in different student experiences in schools. For instance, there is a disparity in disciplinary practices per campuses across the districts. This disparity creates a distinct feeling of what education entails to each learner i.e., students with harsh disciplinary actions are generally having different views of what justice requires (Martinez, 2017).
Also, the authorization of the principals in leading the very many services about education creates inconsistencies and always results in high costs being incurred. For instance, the decision on nutrition and its schedule are at the hands of the principals. Also, the authorization of the principals to control matters of infrastructural designs like desks, electronic equipment is alarming. This often provides apparent inconsistencies throughout the campuses and increased expenditure as a result of untrimmed regulations.
Solutions to the educational policy challenges facing the Houston IDS.
In terms of spending and monitoring of finances, the District can engage in the following;
In addressing the increasing gap that is often left with the discrepancy between the annual and the projected budget, the District can create partnership programs with other organizations (Scott et al., 2016). This will go further in outsourcing financial resources to meet the demands and the needs of Houston Independent District School. This will ensure that the District is enabled to run its operations effectively across all the schools and campuses.
Moreover, to reduce the unnecessary amounts that are spent in ad hoc and extra duty, the District needs to provide the right equipment and resources which will improve on performance and service delivery within the designated time frame. Also, the creation of an institutional culture that starts from the top leadership where extra duty is considered an extension of work and, therefore, not payable unless under challenging circumstances is critical in controlling such expenditures (Klein, 2010).
Lastly, revising the staff termination process within the human resource with a clear procedure that ensures no payment goes to such employees upon termination of the contract. This can include engagement in pre-job agreements that nullifies any further fees after the end of contracts.
Furthermore, regarding the disorganized staff, departments, and functions, the following stand out.
Firstly, the need to revise and modify the organizational structure by absolving some responsibilities into one umbrella will help in streamlining the number of leaders at the apex of the organization. To a more significant extent, this will go further in ensuring that the lower human resource department, like transport, is well-staffed for effectiveness and efficiency.
Additionally, realignment and reorganization of the various departments in Houston will help reduce the costs incurred for performing the same duty in different departments. For instance, there should be a combination of Educational Technology and Instructional Technology that will streamline their operations and reduces confusion, and generally, costs that could otherwise have been incurred had they operated separately( Staff, 2016).
Equally, to avoid the problem of miscommunication that is often faced with students, parents, and another workforce, bringing together the Office of Communication and the Strategic Engagement and Outreach Department becomes essential. This will go further to channel communication accordingly in all campuses and schools throughout the District.
Besides, the issue of unstandardized programs and services can be addressed in various ways. Among them includes;
There is a need to create uniformity of practices and experience of what education entails. Therefore, the issue differences in disciplinary actions should be replaced with a generalized method of instilling discipline among learners that cater across the District. This will go further in creating a uniform output of equal learners.
Correspondingly, the District should develop a standard for equipment like furniture for all levels of education. Such standards provide a framework that will guide the expenditure by each principal and therefore save on unnecessary costs that could otherwise have been realized.
Next, there is a need to develop standardized guidelines for meal schedules that will guide principals on the best way to expedite such authority. These guidelines will ensure that there are regular and consistent meal practices throughout all schools in the District without any form of biasness.
Summarily, the problems that emanate from Houston Independent District School is just but a tip of the iceberg of challenges that faces institutions with poorly implemented educational policies. As such, the need to reflect on the significant role of educational systems is paramount in ensuring that each organization realizes its set goals and objectives concerning helping learners achieve quality education.