Every organization, private and public, large and small, has a degree of internal and external politics that influence the decisions of that organization. School leaders have to understand that schools have coalitions of different stakeholders with varying beliefs, values, and perceptions. Resources within schools are limited and most important decisions revolve around those scarce resources. School leaders need to be adept at agenda setting, networking and coalition building, and negotiating to ensure that stakeholders are involved in the educational process and are supportive of school and district priorities.
The Political Influence and Governance competency is an area that I would like continued growth in. I have a strong understanding of the concepts of schools as a political system, but limited experience in decision making in this area. The COVID-19 pandemic brought political influence to the forefront. As union co-president I worked closely with the superintendent during the summer of 2020 to determine what our learning model would be. I saw first hand the influence that politics have on the decision making process and how important it is to get the support of teachers, parents, and students. Nearly every decision made resulted in some constituents being happy and some being angry.