From the Field: Focus on Governance with New Year’s Resolutions

By Reatha Owen
Journal | January/February 2022
 
A New Year’s resolution is a decision to do, or not do, something to accomplish a personal goal or break a habit. It comes at a time when people look back at the past year and try to improve themselves. Does your board need to make a resolution? Let’s use IASB’s Foundational Principles of Effective Governance to focus and reflect on how the board can improve in its governance role.
 
How are you doing as a governance team?
Foundational Principle 6 states that the board takes responsibility for itself, collectively and individually taking responsibility for board activity and behavior. Now is the time to pause and reflect on the governance team. Consider the following areas you may want to address in your New Year’s resolution.

• Are your meetings as effective and efficient as you would like?

• Have you established board protocols that communicate expectations for the team?

• Do you need to build a team culture that encourages collaboration, fairness, and opportunities so that each member can participate and contribute?

• Are there member behaviors that have a negative impact on the team?

 
Improving School Board Effectiveness: A Balanced Governance Approach, edited by Thomas L. Alsbury and Phil Gore, has a great chapter on this topic. In chapter 7, Alsbury discusses the importance of self-assessment for improved board performance. He states, “researchers and practitioners in school board governance are turning their attention to discovering and applying ways to improve the effectiveness of … school boards through a variety of approaches.” This chapter covers multiple areas that impact board effectiveness.
If you have not had a board self-evaluation within the last two years, now is the time to reach out to your IASB Field Services Director to schedule a closed session self-evaluation workshop to reflect and build your team.
 
How is the board/superintendent relationship?
Relationships matter. Your superintendent is the eighth member of the governance team. Foundational Principles 3, the board employs a superintendent, and 4, the board delegates authority, focuses on the board and superintendent relationship. One of the most important relationships your board has is with its superintendent. Research shows that with few exceptions, the longer a superintendent stays in the district, the better students perform. The strength of the board/superintendent relationship is frequently the key factor in how long a superintendent stays in the district. A good relationship with the board keeps a good superintendent around. But a strong relationship doesn’t just happen; it requires full commitment by the board and the superintendent to be successful. Consider the following questions to identify improvement.

• Is the relationship with the superintendent built on trust and respect?

• Does your board understand the separate but complementary roles of the board and the superintendent?

• Does your superintendent feel empowered to lead staff and pursue district goals?

• Do you communicate expectations through an effective superintendent evaluation process?

 
The book Building Great School Board-Superintendent Teams by Bradley V. Balch and Michael T. Adamson provides a systemic approach to balancing roles and responsibilities of the governance team. This book does a great job covering all aspects of a productive relationship.
 
Where are you going as a district?
Does your board have district goals that articulate the purpose of the district? Foundational Principle 1 states as its primary task, the board directs the district through established “ends” that include core values/beliefs, mission, vision, and goals. This is related to having a “living” strategic plan. The strategic plan identifies priorities that focus the board and the entire district on student learning and organizational effectiveness.

• How are you communicating goals and expectations? Now is the time to consider this important work.

• Do you have current goals that actively guide the work of the board, administration, and staff?

• What is the process for reviewing and updating district goals?

• How does the board actively involve diverse citizens in dialogue, deliberation, and collaborative thinking around common interests for their public schools?

 
How are we doing related to student learning and organizational effectiveness?
School boards are responsible for how well the district and schools work at the operational level. Foundational Principle 5, the board monitors performance, is essential in moving the district forward. Ensuring student achievement for all requires a systems approach — all parts of the organization working together and steered by the governance team. Unless the board is clear about what it wants, there is no valid way to measure progress. This year can be the year to develop district goals that will guide the work of the board and staff.

• Do you have a working strategic plan?

• Do you use data and policy to monitor progress or performance? If yes, are you monitoring throughout the year at your board meetings?

• How does your board use data to review and/or revise current goals?

• Are district goals included in your superintendent evaluation instrument?

 
One last resource you can incorporate into your new year resolution is The Governance Core by Davis Campbell and Michael Fullan. This book covers five major themes of good governance:

• Making a commitment to good governance

• A shared moral imperative that drives the work of the school board, superintendent, and the strategic direction of the district

• Highly effective trustees and superintendents who have a governance mindset

• Effective school boards who govern with a unity of purpose

• Leadership for the middle: System responsibilities

 
As you start the new year, consider the IASB’s Foundational Principles of Effective Governance to answer the questions — How are we doing? Where do we want to go and how will we get there as a governing body? Your Association and Field Services Director are ready to assist you in making this year a year of progress and improvement.
 
Reatha Owen is Senior Field Services Director for IASB, covering the Blackhawk, Central Illinois Valley, Corn Belt, and Western Divisions.