| Stakeholders |
Role |
The Parents are Not Owners
Why not? |
Parents are “customers” – or beneficiaries – but are not owners simply because they are beneficiaries. They are one interest group with a vested interest in certain benefits and beneficiaries. Their primary interest is in the benefits provided to them as parents and to their children. Given their personal perspective as beneficiaries in the present and immediate future, they do not have the exclusive moral authority to determine the purpose of the school.
|
The Students are Not Owners
Why not? |
Students are “customers” – or beneficiaries – but are not owners simply because they are beneficiaries. For the same reasons as parents, they do not have the exclusive moral authority to determine the purpose of the school. |
The Government is Not an Owner
Why not? |
While government may be the major – or even the only – source of funds, it is not the “owner” but a “bulk purchaser” on behalf of the public in general. In return for providing resources from public funds, it maintains the right to require certain results or place certain restrictions on the school Board, but is not directly the “owner.” |
Its Vendors are Not Owners
Why not? |
The Board has a responsibility to ensure that vendors are not treated unfairly, but the Board has no accountability to them regarding the benefits that the school produces, the beneficiaries or what the benefits are worth. |
Its Employees are Not Owners
Why not? |
The Board has a responsibility to ensure that employees are not treated unfairly, but the Board is not accountable to employees regarding the benefits that the school produces, the beneficiaries or what the benefits are worth. |
A Community College is Not an Owner
Why not? |
The Board may find it very useful to maintain connections with other related organizations to inform its wisdom regarding the benefits that the school should produce, but is not accountable to the college for those benefits or for what they are worth. |
The Public are the Owners
Why? |
The public has the moral authority to determine the purpose of the organization and is thus the owner. The public includes stakeholders such as parents, students, and employees when they are considering the purpose of schools from the broad perspective of the common good rather than from their personal perspectives. The Board is accountable to the public as a whole to specify the benefits to be produced by schools, the beneficiaries, and what the benefits are worth. |