Public schools as business enterprises

There is an indisputable reality in education. A school could not exist as a stand-alone entity. For a school to function properly, it needs an agglomeration of professionals, individuals, and other entities. These entities must work toward concretizing a common goal.

A school is a public entity. It could not function in a private space. But aspects of a public school must always remain private. Thus, a public school could also function as a private entity. What that means is that a public school often exists as a business enterprise, although it must be that way in private.

Considering a public school similar to a “Business” is not out of the ordinary. In education, however, the understanding itself does not always make sense for most stakeholders. People often find it hard to see a public school from a business lens.

The common understanding is that a school is a public entity. School officials must be accountable to the public. Here, I am not refuting that argument per se. But let us consider a few scenarios, which might explain the reason a public school must always function as a private entity or a business.

Public versus private enterprise

On the outset, the question worth asking is whether there is a difference between a public and a private entity, at least in education. Should there be any difference? There are no definite answers.

There is a debate about the characteristics of a public school, as opposed to a private school entity. Of course, they are not similar, at least from an organisational standpoint. However, if we were to examine these entities based on the way they function, any differences, if they existed at all, would be negligible.

We could classify a public school as an organization. As a result, such an entity must function according to certain organizational rules and principles. An inherent trait of an organization is that such an entity is a business at its core.

Whether we are talking about a public school or a private entity, so long as that entity is structured as an organization, it must also hold certain traits, which must resemble that of a business. It must abide by certain business-oriented expectations. For instance, the entity must have a simple business model.

The entity must have a workforce. It must have a simple structure. It must have a leader (or a series of leaders), whom oversees its day-to-day operations.

The entity must have a specific goal. It must have a revenue source. It must have a spending mechanism. It must have an accountability mechanism. For these reasons, a school, whether it is a public or private entity, is a business entity as well. A school (whether public or private) holds many of the characteristics outlined above.

Defining a business enterprise

What might set a school entity apart from a business? Keep in mind that by using the term “Business,” I am referring to practices that are not altruistic. Here, I am talking about practices, which have been concocted specifically to yield maximum results (or profits).

A school might not have the same goal as a business, such as a retail store or any other enterprises. It might not generate profits, such as wealth or other tangible assets. However, the argument could be made that a school must yield results. Those results could be valued as student performance.

Student performance must be relative to the way school officials invested in teachers. It could be incumbent in the way school officials purchase materials and items, which are essential for students to succeed. Every aspect of the functioning of a school fits the idea that a school is an enterprise. Thus, the understanding that schools must function as a business is not that farfetched.

Despite the reality of school settings, whether they embrace their business potentials is not automatic. There might be a need for a bold leader to assert the identity of a school as a business entity. Of course, this is not always possible. School leaders often face pushbacks when they try to manage their school as a business. But this discussion is for another post…