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No job is done until the paperwork is completed.

Posted by The Lone Arranger on 3/11/2021, 9:54 am

OK, this question is primarily for 5A & 6A head directors...especially if you also have experience in small schools.

I am asking about the administrative side of the job. All of us have to deal with administrative/logistical paperwork, but I would like to know what you felt were the differences between the small school(s) you worked for and the large school where you are now when it comes to what you had to do in order to ensure that all of the administrative/logistical paperwork had gone through "the system" and been approved.

Right now, even though there are times when I worry that I might have forgotten something, I am usually WAY ahead when it comes to POs, bus requisitions, etc. I am looking to move into a large school program, and I don't want to get hired only to get fired because the paperwork is never done, or otherwise screwed up.

Thanks!

Re: No job is done until the paperwork is completed.

Posted by This is on 3/11/2021, 7:19 pm, in reply to "No job is done until the paperwork is completed."

Why some large 6a program HDs are starting to get their own secretaries. Otherwise, no time to ever teach.

Re: No job is done until the paperwork is completed.

Posted by fumw on 3/11/2021, 12:42 pm, in reply to "No job is done until the paperwork is completed."

Small school you quickly learn who does what, how they want it done, and how long it takes. Then you are golden because that person was in that job since before you were born and will be there after you die.

Large school, everything takes more paper, goes through more people, and takes much longer. Many times at the campus level it is similar to the small school in that business managers, etc turn over less frequently than principals (at least in my experience). Problem is when it leaves your building, and the bigger the district is, the worse it is. Paperwork changes regularly (because the deputy assistant to the person in charge of making up new crap for you to do has to do something). Paper gets stuck on someone's desk that you later find out has been out for two weeks, and they are the only one qualified to approve your request for pencils because they have an MBA in pencil allocation. Policies and procedures change based on who answers the phone that day - and you pray for the day it is a janitor walking by the desk because that is the only time you will get a logical answer.

Bottom line, more time, follow up frequently until the process is complete, and do not expect flexibility. Best bet is if you have something like we had in the most disfunctional district I worked in. There was a long time secretary on campus that was our unofficial red tape jungle guide. She helped keep an eye on things and let us know when things went snafu, and when they did, she knew the people to call to get it straightened out. Befriend that person and treat them like the most important person in your life, because they are.

Re: No job is done until the paperwork is completed.

Posted by Yeah... on 3/12/2021, 8:51 am, in reply to "Re: No job is done until the paperwork is completed."

"...and do not expect flexibility."

You got that 100% right...and that includes not only the paperwork you do once you have a job there, it can also describe the HR department as well...as I have discovered about a year ago.

I applied for a position in a large district. I had an inactive application already on file, so all I needed to do was update it. I noticed that one of my previous references had not returned the questionnaire that the application automatically spits out when you submit it. Even though I had not spoken to "Fred" (obviously not their name) in a couple of years, we were on good terms, and I thought I would call them and ask them about the reference.

Unfortunately, "Fred" had died shortly before I originally filled out the application, and that was why he didn't return the questionnaire. So, I deleted that entry in my application, and replaced him with another reference. I then re-activated my application.

Two days later, I was involved in an interesting exchange of emails:

HR: One of your references has not returned the questionnaire. Can you see what the hold up is?

ME: [looking at the application, everything has come back OK] I'm sorry, but I'm confused. According to my application everything needed from my references has been returned. Which one is missing?

HR: We are missing one from "Fred".

[remember, I had deleted him because he had passed away]

ME: I had deleted "Fred" from my application because they are deceased.

HR: Well, we need a questionnaire back from "Fred".

ME: "Fred" has died.

HR: We still need his questionnaire.

ME: "Fred" is DEAD. How is he supposed to return a questionnaire to anybody?

HR: My director requires a questionnaire from "Fred" if we are to move forward with your application.

I found out who the HR director was, and contacted them. They gave me the SAME "wash-rinse-repeat" crap that the secretary did. It amazes me that they had no clue that every now and then people die! They must be immortals in that HR department.

Re: No job is done until the paperwork is completed.

Posted by Dodged a bullet on 3/15/2021, 7:47 pm, in reply to "Re: No job is done until the paperwork is completed."

That does not sound like a place humans would want to work.

Re: No job is done until the paperwork is completed.

Posted by Done both on 3/11/2021, 12:38 pm, in reply to "No job is done until the paperwork is completed."

I've worked in both large and small. In both I've had the experience of administrative folks holding up the works (intentionally or otherwise). The biggest difference for me - in my small school they were in the same building or right next door, and I could go bug them in their office when necessary. They also knew my name and my face. Once the finance clerk left early on a Friday without signing off on the PO (which had been on her desk since Monday), when I stopped by to ask about it her boss told me she was gone but went and approved it right then without even looking at anything, because he knew if I was asking for it then it was legit. In my current position the finance folks are a 25 minute drive away, in a building I have no other reason to visit. I've been here 2 years and haven't met any of them in person. I haven't gotten desperate enough to drive over there, but sometimes it takes several rounds of emails and phone calls to get things pushed through.

In my experience, as long as you're doing your part of the paperwork, there's no disciplinary action coming your way because stuff isn't done. I wouldn't stress about that.

Re: No job is done until the paperwork is completed.

Posted by Percguy on 3/11/2021, 11:35 am, in reply to "No job is done until the paperwork is completed."

Having worked in both large and small school environments, the biggest difference I've experienced is the number of people who have to sign off on something before it is "complete." Here at my 3A school, I typically turn in a form to one person, and it's done or simply gets passed on to one more person. In the 5A and 6A districts I worked with, I would have to babysit forms through the entire process, because inevitably, it would get stuck on someone's desk somewhere down the chain and hold up the process. My forms were always in weeks early, and if I wasn't tracking each of them through their respective approval process, something would get held up and create a crisis for me.

Re: No job is done until the paperwork is completed.

Posted by Small school director on 3/11/2021, 5:40 pm, in reply to "Re: No job is done until the paperwork is completed."

Sounds like a nightmare in many large schools! I have to brag on the simplistic way things worked in my 2a school. Other than bus requests, I dealt with only 2 people, the bookkeeper and the Supt. My POs and invoices were all in the bookkeeper's domain. I would visit weekly to stay on top of paperwork. If I needed large items I'd knock on the Superintendent's door for approval (or disapproval). When I submitted a PO I already had approval so my principals rubber-stamped them. It was a simple system that worked.

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