By Sharon Raschke, ED.D., CFO, MSBO Board President, School District Liaison – Dexter Wellness Center Management, Dexter Community Schools
In 2003, I thought I was finishing a dissertation. I didn’t realize I had written myself a roadmap for the next two decades of my career.
My dissertation, Socialization of New School Business Administrators from Outside the Educational Field, focused on people who entered school business from outside K-12 education. I wanted to understand what happened when capable, experienced business professionals walked into a school district and suddenly had to learn an entirely new world. At the time, I was one of them.
Now, 28 years later, I’ve decided to go back and look at that research again, but through a very different lens: What did my research find in 2003 about entering and succeeding in school business—and what did 28 years of actually doing the work teach me about whether those findings were right? That’s what I plan to explore over my eight articles as MSBO President this year.
I’ll start with something I learned very early: You know more than you think—and less than you know.
The people I studied generally did not struggle because they lacked business knowledge. They knew accounting, finance, management and operations. Those were the very skills districts had hired them to bring. What they didn’t know was school business.
There is a difference.
Twenty-eight years later, I believe that distinction is just as important for someone beginning a career in school business today—whether you came from private industry, public accounting, another area of education, or worked your way up within a district.
You probably know more than you think. You were hired for a reason. You have knowledge, experience, judgment and abilities that your organization needs. Don’t discount those simply because everyone around you seems to know a language you haven’t learned yet.
But you also know less than you think. I certainly did.
Knowing how to prepare a financial statement doesn’t mean you understand why a school district makes the decisions it does. Knowing how to manage employees doesn’t mean you understand the relationships, history and culture that shape a school organization. Knowing the technically correct answer doesn’t necessarily tell you how—or when—to move an organization toward it. Those are different skills, and they take time to develop.
One of the most important things my research helped me understand was that someone entering school business is actually learning three things at the same time: the field of public education, the profession of school business, and the particular organization in which you work. You can become very good at one and still struggle with the others.
Early in a career, that can be frustrating. You may wonder why something that seems obvious to you isn’t obvious to everyone else. You may question practices that appear inefficient. You may find yourself thinking, Why in the world do we do it this way? You may even begin to wonder whether you made the right career choice.
The people in my study did. Every one of them questioned that decision at some point.
I understand that much better today than I did when I wrote those words. The answer isn’t to stop questioning. In fact, some of the greatest contributions you will make during your career may come from seeing something differently than the people who have been inside the system for years.
But first, learn.
Learn why the practice exists. Learn the history behind the decision. Learn who is affected. Learn the educational purpose underneath the business process. Learn who knows what and where the good resources are. Learn whom to call when you don’t know something, where to look for the answer, and get comfortable admitting when you need either.
And while you are learning, don’t lose confidence in what you already bring to the table. Looking back, I think one of the healthiest balances a school business professional can develop is this: Be confident enough to contribute what you know and humble enough to admit what you don’t.
You don’t have to arrive knowing everything. In fact, after 28 years in school business, I can assure you that you never will. Stay curious. Ask questions. Learn from people. Find and save good resources. Listen before assuming. And keep bringing the skills and perspective that got you here in the first place.
The goal isn’t to become less of what you were before you entered school business. It’s to take what you already know and add what you still need to learn.
That combination—confidence, humility and curiosity—will take you a very long way. It certainly did for me.
Next month: Before you try to change public education, first you have to understand the field you have chosen to serve.