This article explores factors influencing values management and in particular the way in which teachers and principals perceive their role in the inculcation of democratic values and moral principles with a view to managing schools more effectively within a democratic dispensation. In a small scale qualitative study, it was found that educators need more guidance and support as to how they should perform their duties in a democratic and multicultural dispensation. Ironically, this need is exacerbated by the lack of basic services regarding maintenance of school infrastructure by the provincial department. The main conclusion of the study is that a school should be regarded as an ecosystem which primarily functions through constant dynamic interactions with its community or habitat, where the relationship between the whole and the parts are key. Moreover, if a beneficial habitat exists where everyone feels safe and has a sense of belonging it can benefit education in a broad sense. Furthermore, if a principal leads by example and forms partnerships with his or her school management team and community members to embrace an ethics of care which youngsters can emulate, schools and communities can become humane centres of learning and hope.