School-based management/shared decision-making (SBM/SDM) was implemented at Palm Springs Middle School to improve the school's direction and involve teachers in decision-making. When the principal arrived, teachers were eager to participate. SBM/SDM developed teacher leaders and teams to work on attendance, at-risk students, curriculum, scheduling, and parent involvement. These initiatives led to positive changes, such as improved attendance and reduced suspensions. The principal formed teams around key areas like budget, personnel, curriculum, and parent involvement. Teachers selected the teams they wanted to join. SBM/SDM fostered collaboration and distributed leadership to achieve school success.

1. SCHOOL-BASED MANAGEMENT/SHARED-DECISION MAKING
WHAT CAN IT DO FOR YOUR SCHOOL?
Let's start with the end in mind and that means what can SBM/SDM do for your school and most
importantly for its success? When I became the principal of Palm Springs Middle School in Miami,
FL, the faculty had already voted to be a part of this new district initiative. They were not happy with
the direction the school had taken and were eager to have a part in the visioning of what might turn
things around. The teachers were excited about the possibility of sharing responsibility, as well as
sharing decision making. They were energized by the notion of a new principal who might be a team-
builder and not a top-down leader. School-Based Management/Shared-Decision Making is all about
shared responsibility and valuing the contributions of all stakeholders.
SBM/SDM :
Develops Teacher Leaders
Aids in recruitment and retention
Builds strong teams
Enhances Professional Learning Communities
Brings everyone on-board
Fosters a positive culture
Increases supportive relationships
School-Based Management/Shared-Decision Making (SBM/SDM) began to bring about positive
changes almost immediately. As Socrates once said, “The secret of change is to focus your energy, not
on fighting the old, but in building the new”. Teacher teams developed an attendance improvement
program which brought our school to the top tier of the 50 middle schools in our district. Teachers
wanted to do something for our most challenging student population and so we put together a Student
At-Risk Program (SARP). That program was such a success in eliminating school suspensions that a
team from Harvard included our school in their student drop-out study. Our school's middle school
team helped with our conversion from a junior high to a true middle school with teams and inter-
disciplinary units of study and block scheduling. Our parent involvement team created educational
events for our parents as well as a very successful parent report card pick-up activity which brought
parents into the school like never before.
HOW DID WE START?
We began by doing a bit of on-line research into what SBM/SDM is and how it might be working in
other parts of the country. A Google search of School-Based Management will bring up many
interesting research articles. We shared information with all and asked faculty members to feel free to
discuss the pros and cons among themselves. We encouraged questions and discussions and we shared
ideas about how this new way of doing things might lead our school to success for all. Teachers were
impressed with the fact that SBM/SDM was not the previous top-down way of doing things but was
indeed an opportunity for them to implement their ideas and to have their voices respected. They would
be true Teacher Leaders!
OUR TEAMS
As a starting point, we, some staff members and administrators, discussed the areas of school
management in which teachers were most interested. Budget came to the forefront as an area where

2. teachers were eager to learn more as well as to have some input. How much money did we have in our
operating budget? How can that money be spent? Why do some departments seem to be better funded
than others? Transparency and trust are vitally important in building positive school culture and
“opening the books” so to speak, goes a long way towards building the trust factor.
Personnel was an area of high interest for those teachers more people oriented than finance oriented.
Teachers were indeed interested in having a say into who our new faculty members might be. So, while
our budget team might be looking at how our dollars were being spent, the personnel team was
reviewing applications for open teaching positions and administrative positions as well. The team
would conduct interviews and come up with perhaps three top candidates to be presented to the
principal for final consideration. At times, these two teams worked together to see how cost effective a
new hire might be. Questions such as these arose: Might we need an additional counselor as opposed to
another administrator? Might we be better hiring three teacher aides instead of one new language arts
teacher? Do we need dollars going to technology purchases rather than staff? How about money for
after-school tutoring programs?
All teachers, obviously, are concerned with what and how they will teach. What are the objectives and
what should be covered in their particular subject? What materials will they have access to? This is
where the Curriculum team saw its importance. Most who chose this team were department heads or
grade level leaders with responsibility for overseeing what was being taught in various subject areas
and at various grade levels. Naturally district and state guidelines had to be taken into consideration,
but, there was flexibility in material selection including text books and on-line resources. In addition,
this team also reviewed the effectiveness of elective course offerings and considered how our
curriculum might be enhanced. It was this team that realized the need for an additional Gifted class
especially for a group of English language learners, and for the addition of an advanced art class.
Parental Involvement is an area in which most schools struggle. Even though we know the
importance of frequent interaction with our parents, it is often difficult to find the time to make it
happen. Our P.I team, along with our Title 1 parent liaison, managed to more than double our parent
contact hours through both social media and planned in-house activities. One of the most successful
activities was Parent Report Card Pick-Up whereby parents came to the school on a quarterly basis to
personally receive their child's report card while having an opportunity to interact with teachers,
counselors, and administrators in the school's media center. Usually refreshments were served and
either the band or chorus would perform. Additionally, the team planned educational events like
computer literacy, as well as counselor directed parenting skills.
As we were converting from a junior high school configuration to a middle school structure and
philosophy, it was important to have as much teacher input as possible. Our Middle School team took
on the task of overseeing the formation of student teams, advisory period activities, interdisciplinary
teaching units, and of course block scheduling. Interesting to note here that it was this team of middle
school teacher leaders who actually went out and visited schools which had already implemented this
new schedule concept. Their enthusiasm for what they saw helped our school to launch an innovative
rotating block schedule which we believed improved teaching techniques and increased student
learning.
An exemplary school is one in which respect and caring among faculty members, and between teachers
and students is obvious. A positive school climate and culture is the foundation for all success. With
this in mind, it was felt that a Social committee would be a valuable asset to our School-Based
Management structure. It was this group of teachers, support staff, and parents, who planned activities

3. such as luncheons for Black History month, Hispanic Heritage, Asian Culture, Thanksgiving, and other
celebratory events. This eager team also planned an annual day-long cruise from Miami's cruise port as
well as holiday parties at faculty member's homes.
An added feature of a SBM/SDM model is that it can be altered to meet the needs of each unique
school. Some of our teachers felt that discipline overall might need to be tightened up a bit. Things like
students tardy to school or habitually late to class or excess noise in the cafeteria. Every school has its
own issues and some issues are seen differently from the perspective of a teacher. Our Discipline team
provided a forum for these concerns and teachers realized that their voices were heard.
WHY SCHOOL-BASED MANAGEMENT/SHARED-DECISION MAKING?
The era of top-down management and single-handed decision making is truly a relic of the past.
Successful schools, and businesses for that matter, are those who build teams of smart people working
together towards common goals. It was Bill Gates who said, “As we look ahead into the next century,
leaders will be those who empower others”. Just take a look at the amazing tech companies which
have prospered in the recent decade and you will see collaboration as the foundation of their success.
Chapters 3 & 4 in my book, I'm in the Principal's Seat, Now What? deals with the topic of
collaboration and how it is brought about by delegation and how it leads to change. Just think of the
role of a band leader or orchestra conductor. They cannot play all of the instruments, nor would they
want to, but they can lead their groups to great music. Bringing smart, educated, committed, and
passionate people together, focused on a vision, is the key to building the exemplary schools we all
want.
SBM/SDM can be the vehicle which will bring a “we are a team” mentality to your school. It did it at
our school and has done it for schools around the country, and in other countries as well. So...how
might you get started?
1- Do an online search for SBM/SDM and share some noteworthy articles with your staff. Point out
the need for a collaborative culture of smart educators working together.
2- Ask for input from faculty, and perhaps parent leaders, as to what areas of school management
might be of interest to them and where they might add their expertise, talents, and interests.
3- At an appropriate faculty meeting, share with the faculty, what the results of their input shows. As
with our school, was there an interest in improving the way funds are allocated? Was there an interest
in adding new offerings to the curriculum?
4- Select those areas which show the most interest or need and form a team around them. Each
school is unique and will have their own area of need. You may have a small elementary school of
several hundred students or a large high school of several thousand or anything in-between.
5- Let's say you have selected a curriculum area, a social area, and a personnel area. Share this with
the faculty and ask each faculty member to select their area of focus by signing-up for that team. Once
the teams are formed they will be able to meet and select a team leader who will be able to facilitate the
meetings.
6- Find an appropriate time designated for SBM/SDM team meetings. Most schools provide time
within the school day for professional development activities. Our school found a twice monthly time
frame for team meetings and then a monthly time for a general meeting at which teams would outline
their activities.
7- Show administrator support by “dropping-in” on meetings or joining them.
8- Enjoy the new climate of positive relationships and equal commitment to a success for all culture.
NOT THE END, BUT THE BEGINNING!

4. Dr. Allan R. Bonilla was the principal of Palm Springs Middle School in the Miami-Dade County
Public School System for 14 years and was selected Principal of the Year from a field of over 300 K-12
principals in the 4th
largest school district in the nation based upon the success of his school.
He currently serves as a leadership coach and frequent speaker at state and national education
conferences.
He is the author of I'm in the Principal's Seat, Now What? The Story of a Turnaround Principal
published by Corwin Press and available on its website as well as on Amazon.
Dr. Bonilla's website is www.coaching4educators.com His email is abonilla1@yahoo.com
Comments and questions are welcomed.