Dennis Smith is superintendent of Harrisburg CUSD 3. This article is adapted from one that originally appeared in the June 2010 issue of The School Administrator, published by the American Association of School Administrators, and is reprinted with permission.
Dear New Board Member, Congratulations on being selected as an education leader in our community. It may take months or even years to truly grasp the complex task you have chosen. To get started, take a look at a few essential things you need to know before jumping into the water.
Welcome to the board table. You are now one of the decision makers who will guide the school district through your role as a visionary and policy maker for the district. You will be exposed to highly confidential information about employees, students and sensitive situations. The expectation of confidentiality is staggering. What you cannot tell your friends and foes will be fodder for those who will criticize and denounce you. It will be one of the most frustrating things you will ever encounter.
Administrators make decisions daily that affect the direction of our schools. We do this by following such things as school policies adopted by the board, collective bargaining agreements, state law, past practice, specialized training and what you ask or direct us to do. When none of that is available we use our best judgment according to your voting patterns or conversation. The philosophy can change after an election, and there is sometimes an awkward period as we get to know each other. If we’re getting it wrong — or reading improper signals — please tell us.
You are entitled to information in the district that will help you make decisions, but there are exceptions. While you can request any type of information, you are not entitled to receive confidential information that is not related to your position. Any information you may seek that would create long or complicated research time for an individual employee should have full board approval.
If you meet as a group of three or more to discuss school business without proper notice, you are violating the Open Meetings Act. This is especially so if you are determining voting patterns or developing a joint position. If you find yourself gathered with other board members, you should voluntarily refrain from discussing business of the district where your views on an issue should be public record. The same law applies to e-mail. If you send or copy an e-mail to more than two members, it is considered to be communication by a majority of a quorum of board members for the purpose of discussing public business.
There is a list of legal reasons why the board will enter into closed session to discuss certain issues. Revealing positions of fellow board members or revealing comments or reports from the administration offered in closed session is not appropriate. The administrators will be hesitant to report issues in closed session if they know their comments will be channeled to the community or the staff.
If you have a planned question for a meeting, keep in mind the administrators probably don’t have every detail of school operations in hand at the meeting. If you can reasonably predict administrators won’t know an answer without some research, please alert us that a particular question is coming. For example, it would be helpful to get a heads up to advise us that you will have a question about “the bill to Johnson Plumbing” or why 30 failing grades were given on a fifth-grade math test.
The superintendent typically consults the board president when preparing the board meeting agenda or to give a heads up when schools will be closed for inclement weather. It is not an attempt to provide the president with more or different information than what other board members receive. Legally, the board president has no more decision-making power than any of the other six members. However, someone must be the focal point since consultation with seven individuals would be time-consuming and impractical. If a dispute takes place among board members, please do not ask the administrators to take sides. The president is the person to mediate such matters.
That’s enough for starters. Best of luck.