Mon Oct 24 2016, 5:30pm
District Meeting Room
Regular Meeting

DISCUSSION ITEMS

Proposal for Pilot of Board Meeting Format Shift

Proposal:  Beginning in  January 2017 change the format of our meeting schedule so one meeting per month is focused as a workshop during which the board will work more deeply and in a more focused manner on issues directly related to student learning while the second meeting is a business meeting, similar to our current format.

Background:

School Boards serve multiple functions and have varying degrees of impact on student learning.   There are many models that seek to identify qualities and work of effective school boards.  Examples of such models are:

 These models have strong similarity between the identified characteristics.  These are summarized below.

Key Work of School Boards

Iowa Lighthouse

CPB/McGraw-Hill

Smoley

Vision

Effective school boards commit to a vision of high expectations for student achievement and quality instruction and define clear goals toward that vision. 

Effective school boards have strong shared beliefs and values about what is possible for students and their ability to learn, and of the system and its ability to teach all children at high levels. 

Effective Boards Focus on Student Achievement

Acting Strategically

Accountability

Effective school boards are accountability driven, spending less time on operational issues and more time focused on policies to improve student achievement. 

Effective Boards Watch the Return on Investment

Exercising Appropriate Authority

 

Policy

 

 

 

Community Leadership

Effective school boards have a collaborative relationship with staff and the community and establish a strong communications structure to inform and engage both internal and external stakeholders in setting and achieving district goals. 

Effective Boards Engage the Communities They Serve 

Connecting with the Community

Board/Superintendent Relationships

Effective school boards lead as a united team with the superintendent, each from their respective roles, with strong collaboration and mutual trust. 

 

Functioning Cohesively as a group

Exercising appropriate Authority

 

Effective school boards are data savvy: they embrace and monitor data, even when the information is negative, and use it to drive continuous improvement

Effective Boards Use Data

Making Rational Decisions

 

Effective school boards align and sustain resources, such as professional development, to meet district goals. According to researchers, LaRocque and Coleman, effective boards saw a responsibility to maintain high standards even in the midst of budget challenges. 

Effective Boards Allocate Resources to Needs

 Acting Strategically

 

Effective school boards take part in team development and training, sometimes with their superintendents, to build shared knowledge, values and commitments for their improvement efforts

 

Working toward Board Improvement

 

As you review this table you will likely be able to easily identify areas where this board and superintendent could improve our work together.   It may a reasonable theory that one of the impediments we face is the format of our meetings.  We typically have multiple items that are discussed.  For the most part, these are not related to one another and predominate toward operational matters and policy as opposed to developing a deeper understanding of issues, initiatives, and strategies associated with student learning.

 

I have drafted a revision to Policy 1400 that reflects this proposed change.  If the board is amenable to the shift this policy revision will be presented for consideration in November.

  

 

 

Attached Files:
1400 REV 10.16.pdf application/pdf 180K