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School Board Journal
March / April

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From the president's desk
By JAY TOVIAN

Eleven school board members, including myself, are taking part in Project DACUM, a cooperative effort between our Association and Motorola Corporation, to make sure we know the answers to those questions.

The other members of the team are Lyndell Beckham, Thornton Twp. H.S. District 205; Thomas Hannigan, Mundelein High School District 120; David Harvey, Marseilles Elementary District 150; Saundra Hudson, Edwardsville C.U. District 7; David Kniker, Kewanee C.U. District 229; Douglas Kroeschen, Mt. Vernon District 80; Steve Miller, Pawnee C.U. District 11; Barbara Strand, Pekin District 108; Loren Swartley, Sterling C.U. District 5; and Lourdine Webb, Mattoon C.U. District 2. Field Services Director John Allen is IASB staff representative. As you see, this group represents school districts of all types and sizes, as well as wide geographic distribution.

Project DACUM (Design A CUrriculuM) is a process used by Motorola to analyze positions and develop plans to improve them. The plans are based on descriptions of the positions "as is" and descriptions of how they "should be." The school board team has just completed the first stage of the project, producing a detailed description of the school board "as is." To define the school board role, we developed a list of duties and associated tasks. A sample of school board members will be offered an opportunity to respond to the resulting document via a survey to be conducted this spring. The survey will ensure that our perceptions reflect those of our colleagues around the state. This is an important step, because our intent is to produce a practical curriculum that is based on the real needs of Illinois school boards.

The group has identified the following broad duties, with several specific tasks for each: oversee district operations, manage fiscal resources, establish district direction, provide leadership with superintendents, set policies, establish board climate, advocate for public education, and hire the superintendent.

The next step will be to produce a description of our job as it "should be." The final step will be the design and delivery of a curriculum that will take us from where we are to where we want to be.

Motorola has a history of commitment to education, recognizing the need for continuing education for its own employees as well as its stake in a generally well-educated citizenry. The company has worked with the Illinois Principals Association and the Illinois Association of School Administrators, resulting in curricula for principals and superintendents, offered at Motorola's campus.

Public school governance has served our nation well, producing the best-educated citizenry and the strongest nation in the world.

But as we know all too well, students are changing, society is changing, and the needs of the workplace are changing. We as school board members must keep pace if the tradition of local school governance is to thrive.

In 1992, the National School Boards Association responded to growing criticism that school boards have outlived their usefulness by developing a four-pronged action plan to revitalize school board leadership. The plan called for school boards to determine a vision for their districts, provide the infrastructure to support the vision, ensure accountability, and serve as advocates for children and schools.

NSBA's statement concluded that "In a larger sense, the ultimate role of the local school board is to help preserve our nation's liberty, prepare our economy for prosperity and enrich the lives of our people all through continually striving to foster excellence and equity in public elementary and secondary education for our children."

Most of us probably had something like that in mind when we ran for our local boards of education. As we struggle with the daily realities of governing our schools, we have learned that such outcomes are not created by good will or good intentions. Rather, they are built one step at a time by school boards armed with the tools, knowledge, and skills they need to turn vision into reality.

With Project DACUM, our association is building upon decades of successful experience in educating school board members, refining its educational offerings to meet changing needs. As the project progresses, we will keep you informed, seeking your feedback and making sure our product is designed to deliver what we school board members need to create schools for the twenty-first century.

IASB President Jay Tovian is a member of Villa Park S.D. 45 Board of Education.