Title: School Board Roles, Responsibilities, Work and Tools: A Candidates Primer
1School Board Roles, Responsibilities, Work and
Tools A Candidates Primer
- Missouri School Boards Association
- 2009
2- Section 1 Roles Responsibilities
3Single, Unified Purpose
- Student Achievement is the central function of
public schools.
4Single, Unified Purpose
- School Boards succeed when they govern districts
in which every student is learning, in every
subject, every year, no matter what.
5Board Work The Big Picture
- Boards Govern
- The Boards main tools are its Governing
Documents - The Superintendent works for the Board
- Administrations Manage
- The Administrators main tool is Procedure
- District Staff work for the Superintendent
6Board Work The Big Picture
- On a seven-member board, no matter how good the
idea is, if it doesnt have three more friends on
the board, - it dies.
- Board governance is group work
7Board Work Whats Our Role?
- School Boards
- Clarify district purpose
- Connect with the community
- Employ a superintendent
- Delegate authority
- Monitor district performance
- Take responsibility for themselves
8Board Work The Big Picture
- How does the Board fulfill these roles?
- Through its Governing Documents.
9Board Work The Big Picture
10Board Tools Governing Documents
- Governing Documents Direct or Control
- Legal compliance/liability risk
- Long-term district goals
- Expenditure of public funds
- Employment/evaluation standards
- Staff training/improvement standards
- Open meeting focus and work
-
-
11Board Work Specific Tools
- Governing Documents include
- School Board Policy
- The Districts Comprehensive School Improvement
Plan (CSIP) - The Budget
- The Superintendent Evaluation
- The District Professional Development Plan
- The Open-meeting Agenda
12Why are these Governing Documents?
- Each specifically identified in law as board
responsibility - Each requires board approval
- Each results in procedure or action
- All district work directly or indirectly linked
to one or more Governing Document
13Governing Documents Impact
14Administrative Operations Channels
15Board Work The Big Picture
- So the governance challenge, for any issue, is in
learning to - dial back
16Board Work The Big Picture
- to the right Governing Document
- Policy Superintendent Evaluation
- Budget Strategic Plan CSIP
- Agendas District Prof Development Plan
17Board Work The Big Picture
- Which of the governing documents is the best
tool for the board to use in addressing the
current issue/idea/challenge?
18- Section II
- Channels of Authority
19Board Work Channels
- Issues become the Boards when appropriate
administrative channels have been exhausted
without resolution - The Board responds according to the guidance of
its own governing documents
20Board Work Channels
- Board member(s) who act on issues before
administrative channels are engaged and
exhausted, or in violation of their own governing
documents increase liability, violating their
responsibility and threatening district stability
and solvency.
21Maintaining Roles/Responsibilities
- Confusion between governance and management and
the failure of boards and superintendents to
observe their appropriate roles are primary
causes of school district inefficiency and
failure.
22- Section III Effective Practices
23Board Work The Research
- Boards do make a difference in Student
Achievement - Effective and ineffective Boards share some
characteristics - Effective and ineffective Boards differ regarding
basic approach - Research identifies seven principles for
effective board governance
24Board Work the Research
- Effective boards almost always say
- Its about the kids
- At the end of the day, we all get along
25Board Work The Research
- But ineffective boards say the same things!
- (There must be something more!)
26Board Operations The Research
- Effective and ineffective Boards differ with
regard to basic attitude/belief - Elevating
- Accepting
27Board Work The Research
- Effective Boards adopt elevating attitudes
toward each of the following 7 principles - Focus on building/maintaining a system based on
clearly defined responsibilities, the measurement
of performance, and decisions informed by those
measurements. - Ability to create and sustain initiatives
- Supportive workplace for all employees
- Targeted, regular Professional Development
28Board Work The Research
- Effective Board members adopt elevating
attitudes toward the following principles - Site-specific decision making informed by data
- Community Engagement
- Shared Leadership
29Board Work Tough Questions
- For the individual member
- Am I elevating, or am I accepting?
- For the board as a whole
- Is my board elevating, or accepting?
30Board Work Getting the Job Done
- Effective Boards work
- As a collaborative group (consensus)
- With an elevating attitude
- In response to data
- Mindful of research-based principles of
effectiveness - Within appropriate channels
- Through their governing documents
- With a long-term strategic vision
31Board Work Doing the Job Right
- Ineffective Boards work
- From an individual perspective
- With a accepting attitude
- On the basis of personal agenda or opinion
- For the moment
- Without attention to role and responsibility
- Using the path or tool that is most obvious to
them
32Board Work Adding it Up
- One single, unified purpose
- Six fundamental responsibilities
- Six governing documents
- Seven Board members
- Three year term
33Effective Governance
- Remember Jim Collins (Good to Great)
- What we plan is important, but
- What we do is more important, and
- What we stop doing may be most important
34Candidates should know
- Every five years, DESE (Missouris regulatory
agency for k-12 education) determines District
accreditation
35Candidates should know
- Accreditation depends on fifteen factors
- Standardized test scores (seven standards)
- Mathematics at Elementary, Middle, and High
Schools - Communication Arts at Elementary, Middle, and
High Schools - Sub-group achievement
- Attendance Rates
- Graduation Rates
- Availability of Advanced Courses (H.S.)
- Availability of Career Education Courses (H.S.)
- ACT test results (H.S.)
- Post-graduation placement in College
- Post-graduation placement in job market
- Fiscal solvency
36- Section V Broader Conclusions/
- Next Steps
37Questions to Remember
- Which governing document applies?
- Upon what data/information can this idea find
three friends? - Are we operating efficiently (through channels)?
- Are we following our own rules/documents?
- How can this change be made lasting?
- Is our Board work successful?
- How do we know?
38Further Opportunities
- Additional district-based trainings
- MSBA Board Candidate Workshop
- State-required Certification training
- -sixteen clock hours
- -within one year of election or
appointment - -criminal/accreditation penalties
- -currently grant-funded (FY 2010)
39For more information, explore
- DESEs website www.dese.mo.gov
- On main menu, go to School Data and Statistics
- Select your district
- Review your districts Annual Performance Report
- Review your districts District Level
Accountability Report - The Missouri School Boards Association website
www.msbanet.org - The National School Boards Association website,
especially their Key Work of School Boards,
www.nsba.org - The Iowa Association of School Boards website,
Iowa Lighthouse Inquiry, www.ia-sb.org
40For still further information, contact
- Academy of Public School Governance
- Missouri School Boards Association
- (800) 221-6722, ext. 304
- (573) 445-9920, ext. 304
41Board Work Exercise
- Dialing it Back to the governing documents
- Policy
- Superintendent Evaluation
- Agendas
- Budget
- Comprehensive School Improvement Plan
- District Professional Development Plan