ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a complex, real-life, accessible case study in expecting the best to provoke and stimulate conversation around practical problems and alternative solutions that confront educational leaders today. The seniority system, where staffing decisions are made based on time on job, resulted in many young and gifted teachers losing their jobs. Teacher retention policies based on length of service, Last In, First Out (LIFO), are common. This chapter deals with a case where a school superintendent and his school Board must make a choice: accept the judges ruling on protecting students' rights or appeal the decision to allow 3,000 teachers to be laid off. The superintendent has to look at innovative ways to reduce the budget. It is also difficult for him to prioritize his list of initiatives given the fact that teacher cuts may negatively impact his vision and that he may lose support among his schools. The chapter presents various suggestions for dealing with the crisis.
