From the Field: Making Meetings Matter

By Sandra Kwasa

The term “school board” is virtually synonymous with “meetings.” A board of education exists only when its members are engaged in a lawful meeting. Therefore, a school board needs to be good — very good — at conducting meetings. My colleague Nesa Brauer and I define a very good or successful meeting as one in which the board makes good use of the available time.

Have you ever left a meeting and thought, “what a waste of time!”? There are hundreds of ways to waste time at a meeting; and here are seven popular ones. Which time-wasters resonate with you?

• Straying from the agenda. Discussion of agenda item A can remind someone of a related problem called B. It’s the president’s job to keep the discussion focused on A and leave B for another time.
• Failure to use policy.
• Arguing among board members or between board members and members of the audience. The board should not be exchanging comments with the audience when conducting business at a regular board meeting.
• Focusing on minutiae. Obsession with small matters means the big matters get less attention.
• Attempts at unanimity. Efforts to find common ground don’t always succeed. Sometimes people just disagree. Vote and move on.
• Rehashing the past. The past cannot be changed. Move on or be prepared for a long and acrimonious meeting.
• Failure to delegate. If a decision is not delegated to the staff, then it will end up on the board agenda. Who do you wish to hold accountable? 

Even meetings that manage to avoid these problems may leave some board members with the nagging feeling that they could have done better — made better decisions, made better use of time, made a better impression on observers, avoided some misunderstandings, had a more positive impact on their schools, etc.

It’s not surprising that IASB staff members regularly receive questions about meetings, questions ranging from planning to conducting to evaluating meetings. So, where do we go for the answers? I would estimate that more than 50% of the answers can be found in the IASB publication Coming to Order: A Guide to Successful School Board Meetings. The book, first published in 2006 and updated in 2017, was specifically designed to help school boards have good meetings, which raises the question: What is a good meeting?

Most school boards believe that a meeting is a good one if the board is able to transact essential business; experience courteous, democratic processes and decision-making in a civil fashion; produce policies that reflect the board’s best thinking and community values; and get the meeting over at a reasonable hour. The following topics are among the many covered in Coming to Order:

• Agendas 
• Planning the Meeting 
• Roles and Responsibilities 
• Conducting a Meeting
• Inviting the Public to the Meeting
• Working with the News Media
• Reorganizing the School Board 

The most frequently referenced topics in Coming to Order include meeting time-wasters as mentioned above, constructing an annual agenda calendar, including sample agendas and especially those that focus on policy-making and student performance, duties of the board president, voting order, and a sample board meeting evaluation form. From the agenda to the approved minutes, Coming to Order helps make meetings more productive.

How do you obtain Coming to Order? You may have a copy already. If you have attended one of IASB’s New Board Member training workshops in the last 10 years, you received it there. Otherwise, for a nominal fee you may purchase a copy of the most recent edition from the IASB online bookstore.

Making Meetings Matter In-District Workshop
For those school boards that would like to work together as a team to improve their meetings, IASB offers an in-district, half-day workshop titled “Making Meetings Matter.” This workshop will challenge you, whether you are a new or veteran board member, to evaluate your board meetings and consider the following:

• How effective are your school board meetings?
• Do your board meeting agendas align with your district’s goals/priorities?
• Are your meetings focused on student achievement?

One of the highlights of this workshop is an activity that helps the board identify how it spends its time in meetings. If you dread your school board meetings and are wondering if there has to be a better way, this workshop is for you and your board.  For more information, contact your field services director. Make your meetings matter!
 

Sandra Kwasa is Field Services Director with the Illinois Association of School Boards.