Five Business Lessons Learned From 10 Years Of Building A School System

Pamela Furr is founder and Chief Financial Officer of Puzzle Box Academy and Kaleidoscope Interventions.

For the past decade, I have been on a mission to build a new model to fix a broken system.

I worked for years in finance and insurance, but when my son was diagnosed with autism in 2007, I left that field and dedicated my life to education. I went back to school to earn my degree in early childhood education and, 10 years ago, I opened a private school with the goal of meeting the individualized needs of neurodiverse students in Florida. Our school system now has three campuses, serving people ages 2 to 23, and I believe our growth demonstrates that it is possible to provide high-quality, affordable and accessible education to all learners, while still keeping classroom ratios low and paying teachers competitive salaries.

On my journey to build a school system from the ground up, I’ve learned valuable lessons that can be applied to many different businesses and industries beyond education.

Put Experts In Charge

I realized early in my career as an educator that leaders are often put in roles that don’t align with their experience. For example, principals without accounting or finance backgrounds are frequently tasked with governing school budgets. It seems like common sense to put finance experts in charge of budgets and curriculum experts in charge of curriculum. In your organization, be intentional about matching team members with their areas of interest and expertise.

Give People The Tools They Need To Succeed

In education, it’s a common misconception that all teachers are given specialized training and resources to cater to students’ diverse needs. But I saw firsthand in my own studies that this isn’t the case. Many teachers lack the tools and the support necessary to work with learners of various abilities and backgrounds. In our schools, we prioritize ongoing training and knowledge sharing among teams, from teachers to administrative staff.

The best resources you have are your front-line employees. Establish regular opportunities for them to discuss challenges, brainstorm solutions and celebrate successes, such as weekly huddles or monthly skillshares. Ensure that every one of your employees has a toolbox to build upon and draw from.

Foster A Culture Of Collaboration

Sharing information among team members is vital for creating a culture of collaboration. We regularly gather feedback from every department in our schools and share updates in our company newsletter so we all know what is happening across IT, HR, facilities, administrative offices and each grade level. I believe that the receptionist answering phones in the front office should have just as much knowledge as the director of HR.

Starting in 2024, we’re going to expand our culture of collaboration to share our decade of experience with public and private school teachers. We plan to open doors for site visits and teach off-site workshops about developing a truly neurodiverse classroom.

Knowledge should be shared. Be generous with your teams’ expertise, both internally and externally. Find ways to bridge knowledge gaps in your industry, whether through trainings, meet-ups or online resources.

Look Beyond The Resume For Relevant Experience

You can’t look at a student’s profile on paper and know for certain if they are ready for a certain grade level. A 9 year old may lack the reading skills or social-emotional learning to be in third grade, even if that’s where their age would place them. In the same way, you can’t look at a job applicant’s resume and determine if they are the right fit for a position. The resume is only one aspect of a candidate.

Take a holistic approach to hiring, and look at their education, work experience, capabilities, personality and ability to learn. Do your due diligence during the onboarding process with new employees, and pay attention to any critical gaps. Are these problems easily solvable with training, or are they going to continue to be issues? If it’s the wrong fit, it’s best to let them go early on, instead of waiting until their 90-day review.

Create A Culture True To Your Values

A lot of organizations today have moved away from creating a family mentality at work—but not in my environment. I often say that I have one biological child, but I’ve adopted 140 others.

This is the mentality that works in our organization because we’re not dealing with numbers; we’re dealing with children. Every student comes in with a story, and every employee who has dedicated their life to work in this field also has a story. You don’t know what people are going through when they come into school or work, so we try to remember that every person you talk to could be in crisis, and you could be the person who either makes or breaks their day. We make care and compassion core to our company culture, but we also hold our family members accountable. If something happens that needs to be addressed, we hold a family meeting and explore each side of the story.

Foster a culture that represents your core values. Define what makes your organization tick, and make this the foundation for all of your actions and decisions.

Over the last 10 years, I’ve learned that with a clear mission and the right team, you can accomplish incredible things. Don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo and follow your own path to success.

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