Decision Making by my principal

Decision #1 – Only require teachers to plan together on their 90 – minute day

Decision making model - Levels of Involvement - Consensus
Scenario - At the end of the first quarter, my principal sent out a survey to ask what the teachers liked or disliked about the opening of school. He received many suggestions about the three required planning days (90 minute planning block, data planning, business planning) during the week. While he disagreed with these suggestions, he used the consensus model of desision making, and our teachers were only required to meet one day for 90 minutes a week. Several grade levels met on other days anyway, but the majority did not. As a new principal, he was not willing to deny the requests of the majority of teachers. He asked for the feedback, and he used it to make a positive change.
My thoughts - I agreed with my principal on his decision.  As a new prinicpal, he did not need to come in and change everything that teachers did right away.  He needed to let them have input on things and how certain situations were run.  This was a decision that he could allow the teachers to have input with and voice their opinion.  The consensus model allowed for everyone to let their voice be heard and go with the majority. 

Decision #2 – Dissolve a classroom of students and move a teacher into another role at the school.

Decision making model -  Levels of Involvement - Gather input from the team and decide
Scenario - At the beginning of last year, our numbers were low in 2nd grade, and below our projection. We lost one teacher due to district staffing allotments. One teacher transferred to a strategic staffing school, so my principal had to replace his role of technology teacher. My principal brainstormed with the  leadership team (himself, the AP and literacy facilitators), and we decided to dissolve a 2nd grade class (numbers were at 18 in each class, and they went up to 22). We moved the second grade teacher (whose class was dissolved) into the technology teacher role. My principal wrote a letter to the parents of the students that were impacted, and he spoke with the class to inform them and to answer questions.
My thoughts -  I agree with the decision making model that he used.  If he had done this without any input from others, he could have had a lot of people angry and mad the rest of the year.  The teachers would have felt as if he had done this without having their point of view heard. By meeting with the team that it impacted and getting thier input, it allowed that team to feel better about the decision that had to be made.  Gathering input from  only the second grade team it allowed only those teachers who would be effected to have a say in the matter.  Many times if teachers feel that they are heard in a matter like this, it makes the transition much easier for those working on that team.