Administrative merger of primary schools

​

Outline of the situation

In the nineties the government policy for primary schools was aimed at enlarging the administrative scale. Especially associations or foundations for private schools usually administered a few schools or even only one. Because of the increasing complexity of education such associations with commonly voluntary Boards of Education mostly lacked the essential knowledge and competences to direct the professional management. With the introduction of the lump sum, boards also became bearer of financial and human resources risks. Concurrently, in private education the identity of a school was and still is a unique selling point. Scaling up sometimes offers managerial solutions, but has more bureaucracy and loss of identity and recognition as drawbacks.

​

This situation had made six private associations for primary education with 13 schools in the Voorne-Putten/Rozenburg region decide to federate. After several years of successful collaboration, the federative form turn out not to reduce the administrative burden. It even delayed decision-making on strategic issues. For that reason the associations decided in 2004 to merge.

​

​

Directing and supervising the merger

As the planned merger date came near, the operationalization of the merger decision became precarious for the boards of education of the six associations. The basis and the belief in the viability of the merger appeared to crumble. The federative board requested Interactive Consult, based on its process experiences, to direct the process to a successful merger.

​

​

Outcomes

As of January 1, 2005, five out of six associations within the federation have merged. This originated an association of 11 schools and approximately 2200 students and 200 employees. During the year 2005 we further developed and implemented an adequate administrative business model. Through cooperation and maintaining good relations with the sixth association in the original federation a new merger followed some years later.

​

​

More information

See the website of the merged association VCO De Kring: www.vcodekring.nl (only in Dutch).