School board members – school directors – are the “governors” of the school district who work in partnership with their administrative team to set the district’s direction. The school board’s governance responsibilities fall in four major areas:
Vision
The board focuses the work of the district and community on student achievement through a comprehensive strategic planning process.
Structure
The board governs the district through prudent financial planning and oversight, and diligent and innovative policy making.
Accountability
The board infuses all programs and crucial policies with specific goals and a process for evaluation, reporting and recommendations for improvements.
Advocacy
The board champions public education in the local community and before state and federal policy makers.
There is a definite line between governing the district and administering its daily activities.
While boards are ultimately responsible, they employ a professional staff of administrators (led by a superintendent) to manage the day-to-day functions in the school district.
As the governors of the district, school boards work with their administrators to make decisions and set policy regarding a number of matters, including bond and levy elections, budget adoption, facilities, curriculum adoption, fiscal planning and oversight, employee relations, and transportation.
Cooperation is the key to successful school board governance. Each board member works with the other members of the board and in partnership with the superintendent, who carries out the board’s vision and direction. Decision-making authority is vested in the school board as a whole – individual proposals are adopted only when a majority of the board approves them.