Structure of Houses-Faculty Members-Proposal

I started to draft a full-blown proposal that could be (and still can be) tweaked and revised etc. and be submitted dually as a proposal to Shawn and the foundation for rules, procedures, etc.; and I'm sure you will all be totally shocked to learn that I quickly realized that it was going to be very long.

So I thought instead of trying to finish that version (which will take me some time), I'd post my general thoughts one section at a time for comments and critiques so that I can produce a better version as I write it than I would have otherwise, and we'll hopefully have less tweaking and revising to do later.

So I'll start with a big one: my ideas for the basic structure and operation of the Houses; specifically, in this segment, the structure of the faculty members of the House. In the next post, I will discuss student leaders and members of the Houses.

First, the general consensus is that there should be four Houses; which seems to everyone like a good number.

As a whole, the broader organization will have certain requirements of the Houses: that they have the same leadership structure; that they follow certain rules and procedures the same way; that they have a certain minimum number of House meetings and events. Outside these requirements, the way each House runs will be determined by the House itself; primarily by the Head of House with consensus from other staff members of the House. The general idea is to establish some consistency between Houses; but also to give them some freedom so that each House can develop its own traditions, rituals, and character.

LEADERSHIP

NOTE: Please don't get stuck on names that I'm using in this proposal. The idea is not the names of different positions, which could be changed to anything, but the positions themselves.

Faculty Members

I. Head of House--The Head of House shall be a teacher who has volunteered for the position. In the beginning, each Head of House will become both a member of the House and the Head at the same time. In the future, Heads of House would first have to be members of the House for a minimum amount of time (say, a year) before they were eligible to be a Head of the House. If there are multiple teachers interested in being a Head of a House, or multiple teachers who would prefer to share the responsibility, they will be allowed to alter periodically, though for the sake of consistency, terms should be a minimum of one year. In the (unlikely) event that there is contention over the position of Head of House, the remaining faculty members shall choose the Head of House between the eligible candidates by whatever method they deem appropriate; and if that fails, the administration shall choose the Head of House.

The primary functions of the Head of House would be to:

1. Be the exemplar for the House, embodying the ideals and behaviors expected of student members of the House. These ideals and behaviors are first and foremost to be consistent with the values and expectations of ECHS. This means that the Head of House should always set the tone when interacting with other Houses that we are all one school; and that no House is more important or better than another; that no House is sufficient in itself; and that therefore, all Houses need each other to be complete and to succeed. While an amount of House pride is to be expected and encouraged, the Head of House shall always exemplify sportsmanship, a spirit of friendship toward all other Houses, and exceptional character in personal interactions. Therefore, the Heads of Houses shall also be expected, at all times, to show no partiality toward their own House in awarding points, or in failing to deduct points, as appropriate.

2. Preside over all House functions, including but not limited to House meetings, House events, and affairs of House business. Other faculty members of the House may provide these functions in absence of the Head of House; however, the Head of House is to be considered the ultimate authority in the House, with the final say over all internal decisions in the House. The Head of House can be superseded only by the administration in affairs internal to his or her own House. In the unlikely event that significant problems arise with a Head of House, he or she can be replaced by unanimous vote of all other faculty members of the House. NOTE: This is not something I think would ever happen, but I do think some sort of policy needs to be in place, especially in the event that this program is expanded to the entire student body in the future.

The Head of House would also have all the same powers and authority of other faculty members of a House; including the ability to reward or subtract points for students from any House for the annual House Championship. (NOTE: I will discuss my thoughts on the House Championship and the point system in a separate post; so please no discussion on that here.) The Head of House would also be the final arbiter in matters of intra-House discipline that are not matters of school discipline; although previous levels of leadership would likely have dealt with many issues before they reached the Head of House. In the future, if the program is expanded to the whole school, there is also the potential that the Heads of House could become involved in other disciplinary issues for students from their Houses, augmenting or replacing the current detention system which I know that many of us feel is a bit ineffectual. Note that this is not part of the proposal as it stands right now, but just for the sake of putting it out there, I would envision this process something like this: a) a student commits an offense, and a teacher writes up a referral; b) the discipline coordinator receives the referral and records the infraction, and does whatever else may need to be done based on the offense, then c) sends the student to his or her Head of House to schedule detention, d) at which, the Head of House will discuss the issue with the student at whatever length he or she deems appropriate; and then assign an appropriate task for detention. For example, if the offense was talking in Ms. Burbage's class, the Head of House might lecture the student, have the student write a letter of apology to Ms. Burbage, walk the student down to Ms. Burbage to apologize in person and deliver the letter, and then discuss the issue with the student and Ms. Burbage, with a focus on how the student will act to prevent future offenses, and what the student thinks would be appropriate discipline if the offense is repeated. Or, if Ms. Burbage prefers, the Head of House might have an initial talk when the detention is scheduled, but then schedule the detention with Ms. Burbage herself if she has her own plan for detention.


II. House Regent--the House Regent would be a faculty member of the House. Like the Head of House, the Regent would initially be a faculty member who officially becomes a House member and the Regent simultaneously; but in the future, the Regent would be required to have been a House member for a minimum period of time (say, one year). The Regent, like the Head of House, may alternate between different faculty. In fact, the Regent and the Head of House may rotate responsibilities between each other, or between other faculty House members, as they deem fit; as long as, for the sake of consistency, they maintain their position for a minimum term (say, one year). In the (unlikely) event that there are significant issues that arise with the Regent, the Regent may be asked to step down by the Head of House. If the Regent contests this, the matter will go first to the remaining House faculty members to arbitrate as they see fit, and if this does not resolve the issue, it will go to administration. Again, I don't foresee this ever happening, but I think it is necessary to have some sort of policy in place. If multiple members of the faculty vie for the position of Regent, but the Head of House is uncontested, the Head of House shall choose the Regent after discussion with the candidates and consultation with the other faculty members of the House. If the Head of House is contested, then the Head of House must be chosen first by the methods outlined in the previous section; and then the Head of House will choose the Regent as above.


The primary functions of the House Regent would be to:

1. Assist the Head of House in all his or her functions; and to assume the responsibilities of the Head of House in the event that the Head of House is unavailable. Like the Head of House, the Regent should be an exemplar at all times of the essential values and ideals of ECHS first and of the House second. Like the Head of House, the Regent is also expected not to show partiality in the assignment of points for the House Championship.

2. Exercise oversight of the conduct and welfare of the students of the House. Although the Regent is not to show partiality when dealing with the House Championship and items related thereto, and although the Regent shall, like the Head of House and all faculty, consider all the students of ECHS to be of equal value and priority without preference to House, the Regent should assume an active involvement with the student members of his or her House. Although the Head of House shall be the final authority in House affairs, and although students should always feel free to approach the Head of House, it is the Regent to whom students should first direct their concerns, or to whom they should be directed by other faculty when they express their concerns. The Regent shall also maintain clear and open lines of contact with the Head of House about student affairs. The purpose here is not to separate the Head of House from the students--far from it. The Head of House should be as involved with students as possible. However, the Head of House will have other issues to deal with on a regular basis, and thus the position of the Regent is intended to provide students a solid and readily available connection to House leadership.

The House Regent would also have all the same powers and authorities as other Faculty members of the House, including the awarding and deduction of points for students of all Houses. As the second-in-command of the House, the authority of the Regent shall be superseded only by the Head of House or the administration. The Regent shall have the authority to deal with intra-House disciplinary affairs as he or she sees fit without previous consultation with the Head of House; however it shall be the Regent's duty to inform the Head of House of any and all decisions made in these cases. In the future if the program is expanded to include matters of school discipline, the Regent shall also have authority equal to the Head of House in dealing with student discipline issues; however, more serious matters should always be deferred to the Head of House.


III. House Scribe--Like the Head of House and the House Regent, the House Scribe would be a faculty member of the House. Initially, the House Scribe would become a member and the House Scribe at the same time. In the future, the House Scribe would have to be a member of the House for a minimum period before being appointed Scribe; however, this minimum period could be less than that required for the Head of House or the House Regent (say, one semester). If more than one candidate vies for the position of House Scribe, the Head of House shall discuss with all candidates and consult with the Regent and other House faculty members before appointing the Scribe. If a Head of House is not currently in position, then the Regent, who is acting Head of House, shall appoint a Scribe. If neither the Head of House nor the Regent has been appointed, then the Head of House must be chosen by the process outlined in previous sections; and the Head of House will then appoint the House Scribe as outlined above. Like the Head of House and the Regent, the House Scribe may rotate assignments among the faculty members of the House; however, for the sake of consistency, a Scribe should hold office for a minimum term at a time (say, one year). In the (unlikely) event that there are issues with the House Scribe, the Head of House may ask the Scribe to step down. If the Scribe contests this, he or she must do so to the Regent. If the Regent concurs with the Head of House's decision, then the decision stands. If the Regent does not concur, the matter will go to all the faculty members of the House for resolution by whatever process they deem appropriate. If this does not resolve the issue, it shall be brought to the administration. (Again, this is just to establish a policy.)

The primary functions of the House Scribe would be to:

1. Assist the Regent and the Head of House in their responsibilities. This includes standing in for the House Regent in the event that the Regent is unavailable. If both the Regent and the Head of House are unavailable, the House Scribe shall be the acting Head of House and shall carry out any of the day-to-day functions of those positions, including the oversight of House meetings and events, and House matters of an ordinary variety. However, the Scribe shall not have the authority to make any policy decisions or arbitrate significant intra-House issues. Such matters shall be deferred until the Head of House or Regent are available. If the absence of the Head of House and the Regent are long-term, or if the positions are currently not occupied, the Scribe shall have the authority to make policy decisions and arbitrate intra-House issues only via consultation and approval of other faculty House members, until and unless the House faculty members vote to give the Scribe full authority in the interim. Like the Head of House and the Regent, the Scribe is to be an exemplar of the ideals and values of ECHS first and the House second; and is likewise to show no partiality when dealing with inter-House matters.

2. Serve as a keeper of House records; to include documentation and maintenance of the roster of all student House members; documentation of significant House meetings; maintenance of House policies and procedures; and documentation of any other significant issues important to the House. In addition, the Scribe shall serve two other functions with regard to record-keeping as it relates to the House Championship. First, the Scribe for each House shall be responsible for verifying the accuracy of the House totals. A system of checks and balances should be established here. Obviously, each Scribe will want to ensure that the total for his or her own House is accurate. In addition, each Scribe should also verify the accuracy of the totals of one other House. For example, the Scribe for House A would verify House B, who would verify House C, who would verify House D, who would verify House A. At the end of the House Championship, it shall be the sole and joint responsibility of the House Scribes to verify the results and thereby determine the winning House. In addition, the House Scribe will serve as an analyst for his or her own House, both for general House matters as well as for matters involving the House Championship. For example, when a competition event is announced, it shall be the Scribe's responsibility to accept student submissions for participation on behalf of the House and to oversee any selection process that is needed. In addition, it shall be the Scribe's duty to collect and analyze performance data, as directed by the Head of House and the Regent, for the purposes of improving the House's performance in the Championship. NOTE: this analysis is never to lead to the conclusion that students who desire to compete should be excluded; and the methods, analysis, and conclusions drawn therefrom must be consistent first with the philosophy and values of ECHS, and second with the philosophy and values of the House.

The House Scribe would also have the same powers and authorities as other faculty members of the House, including the awarding and deduction of points for students from all Houses. However, given the Scribe's direct connection to the House Championship, the Scribe should generally limit the awarding or deduction of points from any House except in cases when it is blatantly obvious that the point award or deduction is well-earned. This is not a rule; and a Scribe should never be censured for awarding or subtracting points in ways that would not be considered excessive by other faculty members. But it is a matter of integrity, since the Scribe's position puts him or her in direct authority over the House Championship points. Therefore, in order to avoid the appearance of tampering or dishonesty, the Scribe should exercise judicious consideration before awarding points, especially to his or her own House; or subtracting points, especially from other Houses. In the future, if the program is expanded to include school discipline, the House Scribe may, if called upon by the Head of House or the Regent, assist in matters of discipline. In all cases, any necessary records of discipline should be maintained by the Scribe.


IV. General House Members--A member of the faculty may join a House as a faculty member of the House. NOTE: Students who are members of a House, and subsequently return to ECHS as faculty, will automatically be considered a member of that House. Except for the initial selection of the Head of House, House Regent, and the House Scribe, a faculty member must be a member of a House for a minimum amount of time (say, one year for the Head of House or the House Regent; one semester for the House Scribe) before becoming eligible for one of those leadership positions. House Members cannot be removed from the House except by their own request, or by administration, or upon involuntary termination of employment. (Again...this is just to establish policy, so please, no one get sensitive!)

The primary functions of the General House Members would be:

1. To assist the Head of House, House Regent, and House Scribe in the successful operation of House meetings, events, and other affairs. Specifically, in cases in which the Head of House, the Regent, or the Scribe need assistance to perform their duties, it is the responsibility of the House Members to provide that assistance. In matters that must go before the full assembly of the faculty House Members, it shall also be the responsibility of House Members to consider all relevant issues and render thoughtful decisions. Like the three official House leaders, General Members are expected to exemplify first the values and ideals of ECHS, and second the values and ideals of the House. They are therefore, among other things, expected to show House pride and spirit; but also to display sportsmanship, camaraderie, and solidarity with the other Houses as members of the same school. Note that while General Members will have authority in matters of intra-House discipline, significant matters must always be referred to the Regent or Head of House; and the General Members are more than welcome to automatically refer all such issues respectively. In other matters of student affairs, however, the House Members may freely take on some of the same functions as the Regent, serving as a support for students and connection to the House authority. Again, significant issues in this regard should always be referred to the Regent; but what defines "significant" shall be left to the professional judgment of the faculty House Member.

2. Assist in competition events in a facilitative capacity, or as an impartial judge when needed. The general policy should be that when two Houses compete, the officiating judges should not be from either of those two Houses; therefore, House Members should be available to serve in this capacity as often as possible. Especially because it is not appropriate for Heads of Houses to serve as judges, given their positions; nor Regents, given their function with students; nor Scribes, given their authority in the Championship. (This really belongs in the section on the Championship, but...) If General House Members are not available as judges, preference shall go first to the Regent; then to the Scribe; then to the Head of House.

General House Members also have full authority to award and deduct points for the House Championship according to the rules outlined (not here) for doing so. In all cases, it is the responsibility of the faculty member awarding or deducting points to notify the Scribe for the House for whom the point adjustment is needed. It shall be the Scribes' responsibility to determine how they wish to verify one another's point changes; which means that at the request of the Scribe of any House, it shall be the General Member's responsibility to report point changes for any other House. Only under certain and specific circumstances (to be outlined in a later section) may the point changes assigned by a General Member be contested. It is therefore the expectation that all faculty House Members will treat the assignment of points with seriousness and fairness, and will not show partiality in their decisions. In the future, if the program is expanded to include school discipline, the General Members may occasionally be called upon by the Regent or the Head of House to assist in matters of discipline.