The common thread in some front-page newspaper articles is higher than average turnover rates in administrative offices in certain school districts. High turnover rates are inherently guaranteed to result in a multitude of issues in managing the seemingly innumerable moving parts in a school district. New persons on the job do not have much time to learn new technology and information systems, which leads to a greater degree of judgement calls and workarounds until technology and information systems can be learned. This is especially the case where new staff do not have access to “how to” or procedure manual(s) for various business or operational systems.
Stability in school district staffing is preferred when associated with competent, experienced and trained staff. Stability in staffing can be an advantage in achieving greater cost efficiencies in administrative and operational areas, in addition to higher levels of effectiveness in achieving strategic goals and objectives. This being said, stability in staffing can also be a two-edged sword, when viewed in the context of internal controls.
Rotation in staff should be promoted where practical to provide more effective internal controls over various administrative and operational areas. Rotation in staff can also be a valuable part of overall training, in addition to helping ensure continuous operational efficiencies and effectiveness over the long-term. In the context of internal controls, rotation in staff, in some instances, has led to disclosures of irregularities due to errors or fraud.