Reflections on Domain III: Administrative Leadership

Reflections on Domain III: Administrative Leadership

In Domain III, Administrative Leadership, I completed 34 internship hours.  This domain is where I gained the least experience and exposure.  Under Competency 8, Budgeting, Resource Allocation and Financial Management the activity that provided me with the greatest amount of insight into the financial aspects of operating a school is my participation in compiling data and developing an action plan to help my school obtain Title One funding.  During this process I learned how much time and effort goes into applying for Title I funding. I also learned the difference between receiving “targeted assistance funding” and full Title I funding.

Since I did not get a lot of exposure in school budgeting I decided to research the difference between how regular public school receive funding versus how charter schools are funded.  Through my research which included interviews with both public school and charter school administrators I learned that funding is allocated to charters based on attendance.  Unlike regular public schools, charter schools do not get funding at the beginning of the school year.  Their funding is deposited after “snapshot” which occurs in October. 

Under Competency 9, School Safety the activity impacted me most was observing breakfast and lunch and interviewing the cafeteria manager.  Through my observations I learned the importance of having well planned processed for breakfast and lunch.  It takes a lot of effort to orchestrate how the lines should move, schedule lunch periods, ensure the quality of the food and ensure compliance to state regulations.  My interview with the Food Services Manager helped me to get a better understanding of state laws governing school cafeteria, the importance of complying to the regulations and potential consequences if precautions aren’t taken to guarantee food safety.  I also learned that food in the cafeteria has to be cooked, served and stored at specific temperatures and menus must comply with healthy eating standards.