WASBO Protégé Resources

Protégé Roles and Responsibilities

  • Be receptive to guidance and willing to learn
  • Complete and share a self-assessment
  • Commit to personal growth, continuous learning, and excellence in the profession
  • Commit to being available and accessible in both a structured or informal manner
  • Attend local regional meetings and participate in professional development opportunities
  • Seek to understand and uphold the standards, norms, and values of the school business management profession including the Code of Ethics
  • Commit to the process of reflection, goal-setting and completion of a Professional Development Plan (PDP)
  • Participate in assessing the WASBO Mentorship Program
  • There is a nominal fee of $100 to help cover administrative and other costs of the WASBO Mentorship Program

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Benefits to the Protégé and the Protégé's School District

Successful mentorship relationships benefit everyone involved – the protégé, the mentor, the organizations with which each are affiliated, and the profession.

Benefits to the Protégé
Once a mentoring relationship has been established, the protégé has access to opportunities that may otherwise be unavailable.  Benefits from mentoring relationships include the following:

  • Smoother transition into the profession of school business management
  • One-on-one attention from a professional who has expertise and is willing to support your unique professional needs
  • Opportunity to share ideas with someone else in the same profession
  • Guidance and helpful advice in their development as a professional
  • New and/or different perspectives
  • Assistance with the integration of knowledge and skills learned from conferences, workshops and reading materials
  • Knowledge and wisdom that only experience can provide
  • An opportunity to build a network of contacts in the field and network within the professional community

Benefits to Both School Districts
The employers of both the mentor and protégé benefit from the growth of each individual.  The school district that employs the protégé benefits from the more rapid development of the individual.  They benefit from:

  • Increased morale, productivity, and effectiveness
  • Shortened time required for new administrator to develop the necessary competencies
  • Reduced risk of errors or missed opportunities for the district
  • The mentor’s district gains from the newer information or theories shared by the protégé and from the increased leadership abilities of the mentor
  • Greater retention of qualified candidates

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Duration of the School Business Management Mentorship

While it is recognized that relationships built during a mentorship experience may continue indefinitely, the School Business Management Mentorship Program is designed to extend for one year.

The level of involvement is under the joint control of the new business official and his/her mentor.  Activities range from infrequent telephone communications to periodic meetings where important experiences are shared and advice rendered.  This unstructured approach enhances program flexibility, which is necessary so that individual needs can be addressed.  However, the expectation of the mentor is that he or she make a commitment to be attentive and available to the needs of the protégé to insure his or her success. Therefore, availability to respond to frequent questions and contact is important.

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