Editor’s Notes:

The following is a relatively detailed board regulation, developed over a period of time, to clarify the roles and responsibilities of the Board. The regulation has helped this board remain a stable functioning policy body over a long period of time. This board operates with board committees. This document, or a shorter version, could serve as a template for board solidification around an agreed, written operational board role.

____________________ Schools                                                                               1110
Board of Education Regulation

AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY OF BOARD OF EDUCATION

ORGANIZATIONAL GUIDELINES

The _______________________ Board of Education is dedicated to serving the educational needs of the community in an effective, efficient, and responsible manner. The Board has established these guidelines to provide for effective planning, decision-making, and organization.

1.

a. There will be twelve regular, monthly meetings. Special meetings will be held as needed.

b. Regular meetings will emphasize action items, and special meetings will emphasize information/discussion items.

c. Every effort will be made to limit meetings to 3 1/2 hours. Estimated time allocations may be assigned to each topic included in the meeting agenda.

d. Meetings will begin promptly at the scheduled time.

e. All meetings require appropriate notification and record thereof.

f. It is general practice to have an executive session at the beginning of each regular meeting. An executive session is a formal part of a Board meeting. Strict adherence will be given to Open Meetings Law and Executive Session provisions.

g. Legal statute prohibits five or more members from conducting or transacting business, unless all members of the Board, the Superintendent, and the public have received proper notification. Care must be taken to meet the spirit and intent of this requirement whenever communication among Board members occurs by telephone or written correspondence, to include e-mail and fax.

2.

a. The Superintendent will prepare the agenda for each meeting in consultation with the President and Vice President.

b. Meeting agendas will be developed both for the year and for individual meetings, based on the major objectives and other priority items established by the Board.

c. The agenda for individual meetings will be strictly followed, in regard to topics. To avoid discussion of important topics at a very late hour, these topics will be scheduled near the beginning of the meeting.

d. Each Board member has responsibility to review agenda materials, and to inform the President or Superintendent of questions or concerns that are greater than mere clarification in advance of the meeting, whenever possible.

e. The Board should make every effort to reach closure on agenda items addressed at a particular meeting.

f. At the end of each regular meeting the agenda will provide for a discussion of proposed agenda topics for future meetings. This provides for full Board participation in the development of agendas, and the opportunity for discussing scope and extent of background materials Board members consider important to decision making. Additionally, it provides opportunity to discuss decision-making strategies. When there is no consensus on inclusion of an item on a future agenda, the President may ask for greater development of the proposed item prior to a decision for its inclusion. A vote may be taken at a future meeting regarding its placement on the agenda.

g. The Vice President should monitor issues for which closure has not been reached and periodically provide a status report on these issues.

3.

a. Once a meeting agenda has been established, the Superintendent has responsibility to develop appropriate background information for discussion and
decision.

b. Executive summaries should accompany detail documents on key issues. The summaries are intended to reduce the number of detail questions on issues at Board meetings.

c. For meeting efficiency, each Board member should read the complete package before the meeting. If a Board member has numerous detailed questions about a particular subject, he/she should contact the Superintendent and/or staff prior to the meeting.

4.

a. The President has responsibility and authority to maintain order during the meetings.  The President will direct the flow of discussion so it maintains an appropriate focus.

b. In order be as fair and productive as possible, Board members will maintain civil discourse and respect for their colleagues.

c. The Board President and Superintendent have responsibility for clarifying the Board’s role in agenda items. When the role seems unclear from the written agenda materials, individual members should ask for clarification at the outset of discussion.

d. The President and Vice President have the responsibility for recommending general procedures for reaching decisions. At the outset of a meeting, the President will outline those procedures for Board understanding and consideration. The Board has the authority to make final determination regarding any procedure.

e. Each item requiring action should begin with a proposed resolution prior to discussion. The usual procedure in decision making is to ask questions, understand the issue under consideration, debate as necessary, and come to a decision. Once a decision is made, it is the responsibility of all to support it.

f. The Superintendent is to make recommendation on all items requiring action.

5.

a. An opportunity for the public to address the Board on any topic is provided at the beginning of each meeting. Board meetings are held in public, but they are not public meetings in the sense of a forum in which all may participate. Members of the public are not usually invited to comment or participate in the business of the Board after this open hearing.

b. Members of the public occasionally have comments they would like to make after the public hearing. Since the Board generally does not take action on a topic or item at the same meeting at which it is first introduced, except for outline matters, there are opportunities for these members of the public to make their-comments.  They are invited to call or write the Board, to comment to the Board after meetings, to comment to the Board just prior to the next meeting, or to comment during the public hearing at the next Board meeting.

6.

The Board President and Superintendent are the official spokespersons for the District. All inquires from the media should be directed to the Board President or the Superintendent.

7.

a. A request for information by an individual Board member should be channeled through the President or the Superintendent. If the Superintendent receives a request for information which he/she feels is overly demanding on the staff,
he/she is to seek approval from the Board before providing it. 

b. Information provided one Board member should be available to all, with an explanatory note.

c. A Board member who is contacted by a resident seeking information, or expressing concern or complaint, should refer the resident to the appropriate level of authority.

8.

When an unexpected issue or concern arises, Board members should inform the President and/or Vice President and the Superintendent.

9.

To assist Board members in keeping up to date on District programs and facilities, there will be an annual Board tour of buildings and grounds prior to the opening of school. Other tours will be arranged as necessary.

10. a. The Board annually will establish and charge committees as necessary. Any Board member may attend any meeting. Each committee shall appoint a chairperson who will present a report at each regular Board meeting. Minutes will be kept and distributed to all Board members.

b. The Board may discuss with its committees what objectives each committee plans to prioritize in the coming year. Each Board committee should provide status reports on the issues on which it is working, including its thoughts as to where it appears to be heading in terms of preliminary conclusions on major issues. This would allow the full Board to contribute to such issues before they are finalized at the committee level.

c. The Board will rely strongly on the detail work of the committees. Questions on a committee report should relate to its process, its assumptions, strategic issues, and the basis for its recommendations.

d. The topics and work of its committees should not result in the Board and its committees spending substantial amounts of time on operational issues, instead of strategic issues.

e. The purposes of the four committees are:

Community Relations:

To advise administration on formal District communications and interrelationships with the community, and to report to the Board as necessary.

Facilities:

To review District facilities as to need for structural upkeep and improvement, and to recommend action to the Board as appropriate.

Finance:

To review and monitor District financial operations, to include detailed monthly reports of appropriations, expenditures, encumbrances, and unencumbered balances in comparison to the budget, auditing procedures as to their scope, conduct, and reports, and District insurance needs for liability, health, workmen’s compensation, and auto/fleet and to recommend action to the Board as appropriate.

Policy:

To review Board Policies to insure consistency with legal obligations and current educational and operational philosophy of the District and to recommend modifications and additions to the Board as necessary.

In addition, the Board will appoint an Education Foundation Associate to act as a liaison between the Board of Education and the Foundation for the purpose of bringing about proper inter-communication and participate in discussions and activities of the Foundation to the extent that his/her individual skills and resources allow. Moreover, the Board will appoint a Legislative Liaison to serve as legislative liaison with County and State School Boards Associations and to report to the Board as he/she deems appropriate.

11.

The following are procedures for recruiting, selecting, and appointing personnel:

a. Superintendent - Upon a vacancy in the position of Superintendent, the Board shall meet and determine a process for recruiting, selecting, and appointing a Superintendent in accordance with the circumstances of the time.

b. District Office (to include Director of Physical Education and Athletics) and Building Principals - Upon a vacancy in one of these positions, one of two procedures shall apply:

1) If the Superintendent knows without a search process whom he/she feels should fill the vacancy, he/she shall present that candidate to the Board, along with supporting rationale. If the Board concurs, the candidate will be appointed.

2) If the Superintendent does not have a candidate he/she wishes to recommend without a search process, or if the Board initially opts for a search process, the following shall apply:

a) The Board and Superintendent shall meet to establish the job description, desired qualifications and characteristics, and a time line for recruiting, selection and appointment.

b) The Superintendent shall announce and publicize the vacancy, seek candidates, and conduct interviews. He/she may involve parents and other staff members at his/her discretion.

c) When the field of candidates has been narrowed for formal interview, the Superintendent shall, in writing, submit to the Board a basic set of background information on each.

d) When, after interview, the field has been narrowed to a final set, usually two or three, the Superintendent shall, at an executive session, review with the Board background information on the finalists, their performance during the interviews, and other information which would describe the finalists. The scheduling of this executive session will conform to the time line, so as to facilitate the selection process.

e) After this executive session, the Superintendent shall gather whatever other information he/she feels necessary, and then submit a recommendation to the Board with supporting rationale.

f) All other personnel - The Superintendent shall determine recruitment and selection procedures for all other personnel and shall present recommendations to the Board for appointments.

12.

a. By August 1 each year the Board will review, and revise if necessary, its process for evaluation of the Superintendent.

b. Each year the evaluation process for the Superintendent will be appended to these guidelines, which meets the requirement of Commissioner’s Regulation 100.2 for keeping the process on file in the District Office.

c. The Board will evaluate the Superintendent in accordance with the adopted process.

7-19-84

Revised 8-27-84, 9-11-84, 8-27-86, 10-26-87, 4-11-88, 8-24-89, 5-29-91, 10-21-91, 11-05-91, 11-14-91, 9-1-92, 7-1-93, 9-1-93, 6-13-94, 8-24-95, 6-29-98, 6-28-99, 9-19-00, 9-25-01, 4-1-02