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Illinois School Board Journal
September/October 2001

Decision 2001: Electing a board president

by Thomas M.P. Hannigan

Seven months after the April election, school boards will reorganize and elect officers in November. The most recent campaign for the American presidency lasted two years, six days, went into overtime and cost many millions of dollars. Election night, three winners were declared: Gore, Bush and none of the above. The final winner was not known for much longer.

School boards do it differently. Most board presidents are elected without an active campaign. I know of no instances of soft money or PACs playing a role. Losing candidates do not demand a recount or legal injunction based on a dimpled chad. One vote on one night and the school board election is decided.

The election process does not vary. The board nominates and votes in open session; however, the criteria vary greatly. Some boards elect the member with the longest service. Others opt for the last one to arrive at the meeting.

At the end of this term, I will have been a school board member for 25 years. During my tenure, six different board members have served

as president, myself included. The work of board president is demanding and critical to effective governance. As a result the school board must select a president who is up to the task.

Given the demands of school boards today, there should be a litmus test to qualify one to serve the board and the district as president. She or he should have the following characteristics:

• firm grasp of the needs, concerns and issues facing the district;

• willingness to listen and learn with an open mind;

• courtesy, deference, empathy and tact in the treatment of board members, administrators and members of the community; and

• ability to act as a facilitator.

To be effective, the president should seek to understand the issues facing the district by being an active listener. Community-raised questions will grow into issues and find their way to the board meeting. Before they get to the meeting, questions bounce about in the community.

The board president must be open to the community and aware of the rumor mills. Knowing how the issue is raised assists in addressing it. To respond effectively to an issue presented, you must first understand that issue. Without a working knowledge of the context and dimensions of the area for debate or discussion, the board president will be an ineffective leader.

You can acquire knowledge by asking questions and listening to answers. With that knowledge, the president can provide a framework for the discussion.

The president should restate and refine the issues, clearly defining the question. On our board, we faced the issue of an administrative decision not to discipline a child in whose car drug paraphernalia was found. The police had arrested an occupant of the car for a minor infraction and during a search of the car, the paraphernalia was found. The car owner was not in the car.

The arrest made the papers. At the next board meeting, a member wanted executive session. The incident was discussed. The discussion revealed that the true issue was board notification of potential arrests. Once the issue was defined, it was resolved.

We have all spent long nights talking around issues. Only when the real issues are defined can they be resolved. The president can focus the dialogue, which will lead to a reasoned decision. The board's leader must allow that he or she may not know it all. The president cannot be closed-minded on any issue.

The statutory role of president is unique. The president is a board member who, by Illinois School Code, "presides" over the meeting. Unlike a municipal president or mayor,

the school board president votes on all matters. The municipal leader votes only to break a tie. The school board president is merely one of seven peers in the decision-making process.

The presidential role, however, requires the president to lead the discussion. If the president emulates Frank Sinatra's "My Way," there will be trouble. A wise president seeks the counsel of all board members. An open exchange allows for examination of diverse positions, refinement of those positions and ultimately consensus and solution. Consensus brings unified, effective action.

A good board president must value other opinions and acknowledge the intrinsic worth of every individual. A respectful leader knows that quality decisions are facilitated

by the combination of ideas and reflection.

Participants in a discussion must be confident they are truly being heard. Respectful treatment creates a comfort zone that allows risk taking. If the president projects arrogance, creativity and cooperation stop cold. The discussion becomes an interpersonal battle for "my way." Treating people with courtesy and civility creates an atmosphere for deliberative thought.

I acknowledge the existence of the "unreasonable" board member. In talking to school board members from many different districts, most say they have experienced a board member who is constantly and annoyingly on the other side of issues from the rest of the board. There is a tendency on behalf of the "reasonable" to treat that member as a pariah. That is the road to ruin.

Remember, the "jerk" (your definition) is an "elected jerk"(the community's definition). You and your fellow board members are required to listen. That member, when kept from the discussion, will find other ways to be heard.

I know of a board member, shut out of deliberation, who wrote a scathing letter to the local paper condemning the school board.

To prevent similar scenarios the president should allow full board participation. I have found that when given a full voice, the "unreasonable" may remain contrary, but his or her perspective can be valuable and the annoyance does diminish. The contrary board member finds it difficult to attack when the other board members truly listen to his or her comments.

Of all the traits needed by an effective board president, empathy is the most important.

Empathy is an art. It seeks to understand the speaker's position and passion on an emotional level. It is not judgmental. It says, "Tell me what is troubling you." The president must be empathetic to board members and visitors, looking for clues that reveal the speaker's need to say what is said through body language or the tenor of the speaker's comments.

Sometimes the speaker just needs to vent. Once the pressure is released, then both the speaker and the discussion can move forward productively. Empathy from the president allows the speaker to get past an emotional issue. There are moments when the president needs to lead by stepping back, allowing the speaker to "speak his piece."

The president must make sure the speaker has the attention of the board. Nothing is more disrespectful than a conversation going on while another has the floor. It conveys to the speaker that what is being said is not that important. All the president needs do is softly state the converser's names. They will stop and return their attention to the speaker.

Board members must look closely at the prospective candidate. Effective governance requires effective leadership. You will have only one vote on one night. Choose well.