Help

Students

Helping

Schools

Mecosta Osceola Personnel

Cooperative

“Sit Down vs. Drive Through”

2011

Mecosta-Osceola

Intermediate School District Curtis Finch, Ph.D. Superintendent

Ron Bongard, Hope Shaw, Larry Sredersas &

Sheri Thompson – MOISD Board members

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

Structure

• ISD/ESC/RESA/ESA Info

• Big Picture/State Trends in MI

• History

• Design

• Methods

• Rewards

• Contact Information (All on-line at www.moisd.org)

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

MOISD

• 10,000 Students

• Six (6) Districts – 5 Public and 1 Charter

• Rural

• 1500 Square Miles – As large as Rhode Island

• Ferris State University

• $24 million Operating Budget

• 250 Employees

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

What is an ISD/RESA/ESA?

• 57 ISDs/580 local school districts

• ISD Board Members elected by Local Boards

• Mecosta-Osceola ISD – General Education

• Technology

• Early Childhood

• Professional Development

– Special Education Center

– Career and Technical Education

• Service organization designed to diffuse individual district “extreme” cost programming by consolidation

• ISDs = ESCs = RESAs = ESAs = ?

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

MOISD Schools

• Big Rapids (2300)

• Chippewa Hills (2700)

• Crossroads Charter Academy (625)

• Evart (1150)

• Morley-Stanwood (1600)

• Reed City (1800)

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

MOISD Board Members

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

MI State Trends

• Different ISDs are doing different collaborations

• MI Legislature has tripled pressure for production while gutting MDE

• Increased academic standards on locals

• ISD (non) elections can impact cooperation

• Local pressure to not cooperate because of “School of Choice” legislation

• More mandates are coming…monthly

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

MI Trend

• Technology partnerships – Fiber

– On-line learning

– Purchasing

• Bidding on larger scales with multiple districts/ISDs – Health care

– Equipment

– Energy

– Transportation

• Community organization around topic (i.e. early childhood)

• Governmental agencies – MOTA, U.S. Forest Service

• Collective bargaining

• Contact MASA (www.gomasa.org) for examples

• 1st one to focus on Sharing People/Services beyond business functions

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

Catalyst for Collaboration?

• Fear of change

• Fear of other school district’s strengths

• School of Choice

• MEAP/ACT/SAT Scores

• You need SOMETHING to bring the districts together – You can not force real collaboration! – Personality?

– Event?

– Legislation?

– Geography?

– Common Needs/Problems?

• “Good to Great” was our catalyst!

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

History of MOISD Shift

• “Good to Great” by Jim Collins – Local Superintendents

– Administrative Team

– MOISD School Board

• Grad Students analyzing top companies looking for “great”

• Adopted Concepts & Principles

• “Service” – Guiding Mission

• Collaboration = Cooperation

• Good ISDs Survive, Great ISDs Serve

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

Competing ISD Philosophies

• Two Different ISD Philosophies

A: “Here are the services we offer, which ones of these would you like to use?”

B: “How can we change to deliver the services you want and need?”

• 60% A – 40% B

• Since 2000 almost all have new leaders

• Economics has magnified the different approaches – those who serve are “epi-centers” of change

• Board elections change customer focus

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

Level 5 Leadership First Who ... Then What

Confront the Brutal Facts

(Yet Never Lose Faith)

The Hedgehog Concept A Culture of Discipline Technology

Accelerators

The Flywheel and

the Doom Loop

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

GOOD TO GREAT

APPLICATIONS

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

Needs/Variables:

• Resources shrinking

• Internal expertise not keeping pace

• Cost for expertise increasing

• Collaboration opportunities are at all

time high

• How can we increase expertise and

share costs without cutting local jobs?

• State push for cooperation

• Third party or ours?

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

Philosophy:

Sit Down vs. Drive Through • Roadblocks – “Sit Down”

– Timing of districts to join the group

– Retirements vary

– Job losses

– Financial & emotional risk up front

– Schools of Choice – Competition

– Turf Wars

• Whenever Ready – “Drive Through” – Spring board for more Collaboration

– Demonstrate Commitment to Locals/Others

• Don’t wait to start until the “timing is right”! Let your customers who are ready… drive through!

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

Formation

• Road Trip to Manistee ISD & Charlevoix

RESA in Northern Michigan

– Studied structure & concepts

– Built upon Business Functions

• Worked with Local Supers on needs

– Designed Co-Op to meet needs

• Worked with Dave Olmstead – Thrun

Law Firm of Lansing, MI on legal

formation document (517-374-8773 – available on-

line)

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

MOP Co-Op Basic Structure

• Advisory Council made up of seven

board members – one rep for each

• Original Cooperative Agreement signed

by all School Boards

• MOISD, & Charter School Advisory

Council wrote “policy” and “procedure”

manuals

• Designed to share services… (people?)

• Meet every-other month

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

Organizational Structure

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

Internal Secrets to Success

• “Good to Great” vs “Deep Change” vs “The

Tipping Point” vs. “Motion Leadership”?

– Common Language/Vision

– Relationships

– Time and Timing

– Trust

– Results bring Customers

– Commitment by local Board(s) of Education

– Commitment to vision by ISD Board despite

movement in and out by participants

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

External Keys to Success

• Build system that is flexible, universal, and inclusive

– Be consistent with process

– Get input from local on needs

– Never say “no” to a service

• ISD takes the $ & personnel “risk” up front

• Make it difficult for the “Lone Ranger” supers

• Local Board members are “moles” for growth

• ISDs should “steal” cooperative parts from each other – adapt for customers

• Three exact “copies” of this model - more coming

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

MOP Co-Op Services

• Maintenance – Boiler Certification

– Electrical Certification

– Plumbing

– General Maintenance

• General Education – Pupil Accounting

– Title I Services

– Early Childhood

– Literacy Consultant

– Social Worker

• Technology – Computer Technicians

– Network Technician

– Data Coach

– Data Manager

– Assistant Data Manager

2007

Winner’s Circle

Award

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

MOP Co-Op Services (cont.)

• Financial Services

– Accounts Receivable & Payable

– Budget Development

– Payroll

– Business Manager

• Transportation

– Supervisor

– Mechanic

– Asst. Mechanic

– (Partnership with MOTA)

• The Sky’s the limit!

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

Employees

• All MOP Co-Op employees –

– “At-will”, but officially under the MOISD

– Built on “market” value

– Local and ISD “contacts/supervisors”

– Covers areas of finance, maintenance,

technology, and general education

– MOISD responsible for unemployment,

discipline, payroll, etc.

– Billed two different ways – per day/per

function depending upon position

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

Business Services Example

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

Hidden Rewards

– Employees are “family” vs. out-source

– Expertise rises exponentially

– Ability to share in emergencies

– Cross Training

– Lower Vulnerability – passwords in-house

– Program Alignment

– Common Vision for Two Counties

– Increase “Value” of ESC to Locals

– Increase Trust with other systems

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

Process

• Superintendents/Boards/MOP discuss trends/needs

• Districts have retirements/movement

• Request an employee/part of one

• MOP Co-Op Advisory Council recommends direction/hire

• MOISD approves hire

• Employee works in local district(s) for the MOP Co-Op

• Evaluated/supervised cooperatively by both the ISD and the local

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

MOISD Board Role

• All employees come through Co-Op

• All agreements signed together

• MOISD responsible for Unemployment

• Council shapes Co-Op Vision

• Made choices to “Front Load - $” Ideas

• Approve Policy and Procedure changes

• Approves Annual Budget and priorities

• Promotes MOP Co-Op throughout districts and connections

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

MORE REWARDS OF

COLLABORATION • Common ISD Calendar

• Wind Turbine Project

• Natural Gas Exploration

• ISD Enhancement Millages

• Trimesters w/ Common Start Time

• SuperTechs group

• Pearson D.A.T.A. Project – 6 years

• Skyward, SMS, SDS, Purchase – 4 to 6 years

• Wide Area Network, filters, software, security back-up

• Impacts teaching & learning and PD

• Thirty % increase in Career Center use

• Open to Governmental Services (MOTA)

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

Access Documents

• Access Website for MOP Co-Op

documents at www.moisd.org

• MOP Co-Op is under “About Us”

– All documents to build

– Policy Manual

– Procedure Manual

– Agreements

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

www.moisd.org

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

“About Us – MOP Co-Op”

Help

Students

Helping

Schools

More Info?…

• Call: 231-796-3543

• cfinch@moisd.org

• Come Visit . . . Big Rapids, MI or

visit virtually at www.moisd.org