ICYMI: Dealing with conflict on your board

By Cynthia Tolbert
Cynthia Tolbert of is principal of Alhambra Primary School in Highland CUSD 5 and a participant in the Educational Administration Intern program from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Panelists: Amy Armstrong, Board Vice President; and Christopher Kloeppel, Board President, Champaign CUSD 4; Larry Lilly, Superintendent; and Michelle Skinlo, Board President, Mattoon CUSD 2; Moderator: Patrick Rice, Director/Equity Director, Field Services, IASB.

Conflict on a school board is inevitable. How a board deals with it makes all the difference. A panel of school board members and one superintendent discussed this in the “Dealing with conflict on your board” panel at the 2018 Joint Annual Conference.

All school boards should follow the IASB Principles of Effective Governance. At times, school boards deviate from these principles. The panelists suggest to the group that these be reviewed often with current board members.

Common causes of conflict among board members can come from personal conflict, when board members can’t separate personal conflict from conflict that stems from the work of the board. Politics also play a role in school board conflict. It was noted from the panel that this oftentimes creates a lot of tension on their boards. Sometimes, new board members are elected (or appointed) and come to the board with a personal agenda. This too can cause conflict for the group. The members of the panel agreed that dealing with conflict made them feel uncomfortable, but it needs to be addressed when it occurs.

Another way of differentiating types of conflict includes defining it as internal or external. Sometimes school board members do not get along or have the same views or opinions with others who serve on their board. But a school board needs to come together, and work together, as a team. The panel emphasized that board members need to come to the table each meeting keeping an open mind. It is also important to understand and to keep in the forefront of one’s mind the roles of the school board members, which, as the panelists noted, are to hire the superintendent and make policy.

Conflict is normal and how you handle it when it arises can influence how successful the conflict is dealt with and resolved from the standpoint of the board. The panelists strongly advised that superintendents should be careful when it comes to getting involved in board conflict and getting conflicts resolved. As a superintendent, being involved in the board’s conflicts could potentially cause ongoing or more serious issues with and amongst the members of the board. The panel suggested that the board members work out their own conflicts with minimal, if any, help from the superintendent.

Communication is vital when conflict arises. The members of the panel agreed that the lines of communication need to be open to all seven board members. The panelists also agreed that the open communication with each other and the people they serve gives them a sense of respect to each other and in the community. They also suggested continuing to work through open conversations when conflicts arise. Ignoring the elephant in the room will not make it go away. In fact, ignoring the elephant in the room often makes things worse. Tensions can rise the longer a conflict is not dealt with and conflict will not just go away. Unresolved conflict, in the long run, is destructive and will cause long-term issues.

And yet, conflict can be constructive. Disagreements properly addressed, with emotions and egos set aside, with an exchange of ideas and opinions taken into account as the board team forms its resolutions, are constructive.

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) is a new feature in the Journal, sharing panel reports from the 2018 Joint Annual Conference. Reporters are participants in the Educational Administration Intern Program. Links to the resources in this story can be accessed at blog.iasb.com/p/journal-resources.html.