O processo de construção da gestão democrática escolar : desafios da relação entre a Secretaria Municipal de Educação e as escolas municipais de Cuiabá

Abstract

The objective of the research presented here is to describe the process through which the democratic management of schools is constructed, with a focus on the relations between the Municipal Secretary of Education (MSE) and the schools pertaining to the municipal school district of Cuiabá–MT. The democratization of school management in Cuiabá began in 1986, a period which coincided with the effervescent atmosphere created by the movement for the (re) democratization of the country. For that matter, after more than twenty years of its institution, it is pertinent to reflect upon the contribution of this process to the construction of democracy. Researching the relations between the MSE and the district schools results in a new way of perceiving this process, as numerous researches already conducted have focused primarily on the school environment. The theoretic foundation for this research is the analysis of the structures of modern society, based on Weber’s sociologic theory, with concepts and categories such as rationalization, bureaucratization and domination contributing to the understanding of the limits that circumscribe the process of democratization which has taken place within the municipality of Cuiabá, in conjunction with the MSE. This research is based upon qualitative methodology, of which three instruments were used to collect data: documental analysis, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Official documents, such as circulars published by the Directorship of Educational Policies (DEP)/MSE-Cuiabá, responsible for communication among district schools, were collected and analyzed. The purpose of the questionnaires was to characterize the team of the above-referred directorship and their interpretation and comprehension of the democratization process. The interviews, which were conducted with functionaries of the DEP and directors of individual schools, reveal distinct positions and viewpoints regarding the process of democratization of school management in Cuiabá. During research, it became clear that the results of this process included important conquests, of which the following stand out: the consolidation of the professional career of those involved with education; the institution of the Community School Council; the electoral process for members of the Management Team (Director, Coordinator and School Secretary); the strengthening of school autonomy; the Pedagogical Policy Project of the schools; the institution of the Municipal Forum on Education; the Municipal Conference on Education and the Municipal Education Council. These are considerable advances; however, the democratization of school management, within the perspective of the construction of a counter-hegemony movement which lies outside current procedural frameworks, still must confront and overcome great challenges, such as the influence of clientelism, the rationalization of the bureaucratic process which translates to the mere execution of instituted procedures, and domination in the relation of power that exists between the MSE and district schools.