Management

Put a More Positive Spin on K–12 Disruptors and Change Management

K–12 districts and schools weathering changes from all sides find safe harbor and a more strategic path forward when working with trusted advisers and partners.

Jason Cronister

Jason Cronister is the director of CDW's Advisory Services.

As K–12 districts and schools grapple with the growing challenges of building consolidations, changing neighborhood demographics and shifting student enrollments, there's a feeling that more is on the line when leaders and school boards approach budget planning season and priorities for spending. Without a crystal ball, it's difficult to forecast precisely where funding shortfalls may occur, what supply chain challenges may arise or which neighborhoods may see student populations spike or collapse.

Working with a third-party consulting partner to smooth out the wrinkles of planning and prioritizing, and to develop strategies for more effective, proactive change management — rather than simply reacting to changes after the fact — can go a long way toward helping schools and districts truly optimize budgeting and spending processes and gain more from every dollar spent. Such a partner helps district and school leaders develop a coherent, strategic roadmap for the future, ensuring all community stakeholders' voices are heard throughout the process.

In my work leading CDW's Advisory Services, I've seen the way many teams respond to change, and how shifting budget landscapes force their hand in making tough spending decisions. I’d like to share some advice for K–12 leaders working to effectively manage such changes, and where it makes sense to lean on partners for help.

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Lead With Empathy When Communicating Changes

School closures, consolidations and budget cuts are more than operational challenges; they are deeply emotional community events. When a school building closes due to budgetary pressure or the changing demographics of a neighborhood, the community loses a bit of its character. When schools often stand as the center of their neighborhood, helping community members understand the why and how behind such changes can put school and district leaders on the defensive.

Instead, leaders need to approach change as a human-centered process. Engage community and school stakeholders early, including parents, teachers, students, community members and perhaps clergy, if appropriate. Communicate transparently about the factors shaping the decisions that must be made and ensure each of those stakeholders feels heard and remains involved throughout the process. Without their buy-in or investment, even the most well-designed plans will be met with skepticism or, worse, fail to launch.

Take a Holistic Approach to Budget Changes

When it comes to investing in the infrastructure required to keep schools and districts running smoothly, point solutions or one-off tools are a thing of the past. Decisions about budgets, facilities, transportation, technology and other mission-critical questions are tightly interconnected.

To be effective, school leaders need to take a step back to assess and define the real underlying issues forcing change — along with the necessity of new solutions — not simply the visible or surface-level problems. Once this analysis occurs, district leaders can better align resources and priorities and negotiate trade-offs, across the district and communitywide. This analysis should include the costs of each proposed solution, alongside the cost of doing nothing, showing where costs can be optimized and highlighting areas that will drive meaningful outcomes.

While leaders undertake a holistic approach to this work, it doesn't mean they're going to solve everyone's challenges at once. Avoid initiative overload by staying tightly focused on the specific questions or challenges at hand. Are you trying to solve a problem or address an issue? Those are two different things, and it's important to communicate the distinction effectively when all stakeholders are at the table to ensure they also understand and can provide buy-in as the right solutions come into focus.

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Align Innovation to Mission and Outcomes

Like it or not, artificial intelligence has also taken a prominent seat at the table, forcing change in some areas that schools or districts may not be prepared to consider. AI continues to change the paradigm in education. Not so long ago, leaders were concerned that students were using AI to cheat; now, they're concerned that students aren't using AI enough.

Understanding AI's potential as a training tool and a means to gain efficiencies — not only in classroom management but also on the administrative side and in the processes inherent to budget planning and spending — requires district and school leaders to have entirely new, distinct conversations about what's possible and the outcomes they hope to achieve. The goal isn't just to use new tools, but to prepare students for today's and tomorrow's world while remaining true to the district's mission.

No matter where the conversation falls when it comes to AI initiatives, and educational technology more broadly, if it's not planned or tailored directly to the school’s or district's mission, it will fail. A positive piece of advice for districts charting a new path forward: Always keep your mission top of mind when planning any technology initiative.

When an AI- or technology-driven initiative does not enable measurable, meaningful results or progress against the broader mission, it's time to reconsider its priority and level of effort. Above all, when the path forward isn't clear, remember that there's experienced, unbiased help standing by to get the journey started.

This article is part of the ConnectIT: Bridging the Gap Between Education and Technology series.