Biggest Challenges Faced by a Dean of Culture and Instruction at Summit Public Schools
Ernesto, Dean of Culture & Instruction at Summit Public Schools, cites the current teacher shortage as the biggest challenge in their role, noting that they've spent "well over a semester" trying to fill vacancies. This has forced them to balance their usual responsibilities with "planning, grading, and feedback"—tasks typically handled by teachers—highlighting the significant impact of the crisis on school administration.
Education, Leadership, Teacher Shortages, Crisis Management, Instructional Design
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Ernesto Umaña
Dean of Culture & Instruction
Summit Public Schools
UC Riverside, 2011
Harvard University, Master in Public Policy
Political Science, American Studies
Education
Human Resources (HR)
HSI Grad, Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, LGBTQ, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. The current teacher shortage is creating a significant challenge for school administrators.
2. Many schools are facing difficulties filling teaching vacancies, leading to increased workloads for existing staff.
3. In addition to their normal duties, administrators are having to take on teaching responsibilities due to the shortage, creating a significant work-life balance challenge.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your current role?
The biggest challenge in my current role has to be the crisis many schools across the state and country are facing with teacher shortages. We have gone over a semester looking to fill vacancies.
What's made that really challenging for me is that, in addition to my responsibilities that I signed up for, I'm still having to manage and balance teacher responsibilities for classes that we do not have teachers for. I'm doing both the responsibilities of a Dean and some of the planning, grading, feedback, and other things that a teacher would be doing.