The Role of the School Board
The local school board is probably the best example we have of representative democracy. Here, eligible voters (or constituents) elect a group of individuals that are charged with managing and administering the strategic educational policies that directly impact their children, and their community. In the past year, many school board meetings across the country have sadly devolved into something resembling the blood sport one would have witnessed in the Flavian Amphitheater during the reigns of Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian – all three of whom held the position of Caesar during the late 1st century A.D. (Today, most of us know the Flavian Amphitheater as the Roman Colosseum).
The pandemic has pulled the curtain back on the inner workings of the public education students are presented with today. Concerned parents & citizens are vocal and tremendously passionate about what their children are being subjected to in the areas of curriculum development, testing procedures, as well as school districts’ approaches toward COVID policy & public health. Some issues are real; some are misconstrued and blown way out of proportion. Regardless, this has led to the further deterioration of civility in the public square – even to the point where some individuals have made the leap towards threats of violence and physical harm.
On the flip side, many school-board members & local officials have withdrawn inward and become defensive. Actual threats notwithstanding, some have expressed concern for their mental well-being and seem to over react to every micro-aggression (real or perceived). Just a few weeks ago, there was a school board member in Pennsylvania that told a parent speaking at a meeting that they didn’t work for them!
With these problems happening nationwide, we here at DPS Chalkboard want to take this opportunity to remind everyone exactly what the role a school board in the state of Illinois truly is. As the corporate entity charged by law with governing a school district, each school board sits in trust for the entire community.
As such, the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) has outlined six (6) foundational principles of effective governance.
1. The board clarifies the district purpose. As its primary task, the board defines, articulates and re-defines the district ends. A school board rarely creates district ends; rather, it most often detects them through listening and observing.
2. The board connects with the community. A school board engages in an ongoing two-way conversation with the entire community. It must be aggressive in reaching out to the community – the district’s owners – to engage people in conversation about education and the public good. However, people who bring concerns to board members should be appropriately directed to the superintendent and staff.
3. The board employs a superintendent. The school board employs and evaluates one person – the superintendent. It has no direct authority over any other district employee. Although the board is legally required to approve all employment contracts, it delegates authority to select and evaluate all district staff within the established standards outlined in written board policy.
4. The board delegates authority. Delegation of authority is given to the superintendent to manage the district and provide leadership for the staff. Every board member must be focused on the big picture. They must discipline themselves to trust the superintendent and staff. It is imperative that the board does not involve themselves in day-to-day operations. A board that does, or re-does, staff work disempowers the staff!
5. The board monitors performance. It must consistently monitor progress towards district ends and compliance with policies using data as a basis for their assessment. Unless the board is clear about what it wants, there is no valid way to measure progress of compliance. Further, a distinction must be made between monitoring data (used by the board for accountability) and management data (used by staff for operations).
6. The board takes responsibility for itself. Members, collectively and individually, must take full responsibility for board activity and their behavior. They are obligated to express their own opinions and to respect the opinions of the others. However, it is key that board members understand the importance of abiding by the majority decisions of the board as a whole. In the end, board deliberations are limited to board work, not staff work.
DPS Chalkboard is truly hopeful that the extreme circumstances we witness throughout the country never see the light of day here in Decatur. There is absolutely nothing productive or useful that can come from them. In our opinion, the search for a new superintendent came precariously close to this happening. As it became clear that the process affected by the search firm failed to land a new hire, school board members, employees, parents, citizens and the media unleashed the pettifoggery.
School board members complained about being out of the loop because they were out of the country, questioned whether applicants adhered to deadlines, and then failed to get their concerns heard because they didn’t understand Robert’s Rules of Order. Parents and the general public appeared to be upset about wasting money (as if the district touts a stellar track record of using tax dollars effectively), grimaced about “external” versus “internal” candidates and ultimately seemed put out when they were not given the opportunity to interview candidates – something that has never been part of the hiring process for the last six superintendents over the past two decades. Finally, it seems that our local paper – the one printed in Peoria – felt slighted because the editorial board didn’t get to interview the individual who ultimately landed the job.
We get that current educational conditions are less than ideal. It is only natural for frustration to grow and for tension levels to rise. Our goal here is to remind everyone of what is truly expected of them and ask that they make every effort to “stay in their lane”.
As parents, and as voters, sharing our individual concerns at a school board meeting is our right. Many times, it is the only way we can have our voices heard. But we also must remember that the only thing these seven board members can do for us is to turn to the current superintendent and say: “you need to address this.” That’s it. End of story.
The school board’s role is both unique and essential to its district. Because they sit in trust for the entire community, their own level of accountability is tremendous. The seven individuals that make up the current board are directly accountable to the voters in District 61 – all 43,143 of them.