Start out on the right foot |
On Board Online • May 27, 2013
By Timothy G. Kremer
NYSSBA Executive Director
Each year as voters elect a new crop of school board members and others get re-elected to a new term, I am reminded of just how tough your job is. Oftentimes, the breadth and complexity of issues you face is overwhelming. Teacher evaluations and the tax cap immediately come to mind. Sometimes, deliberations can get ugly (budget cuts, school closures, standardized testing). There are few “perks” in the traditional sense, other than the lasting satisfaction of serving your community.
This year, close to 1,600 school board seats will be filled in New York State. During my 15 years at NYSSBA, I’ve spoken to thousands of school board members. Whenever I ask, “Why do you do it?” I hear, almost without exception, that their greatest satisfaction involves doing their best to improve public education and their communities. I always hear a tremendous sense of stewardship and selflessness. School board members don’t serve for their own personal gain or interests; they serve because they have a compelling desire to contribute to something larger than themselves. They are deeply committed to their communities. They have their eye on the future and want to help all children succeed.
So for those newly elected school board members, and even for the veterans among us, I offer five recommendations to help your board function smoothly and move your district forward:
1. Serve as a conduit to the community. No doubt when you ran for school board you spent a great deal of time out in the community, talking to voters, gathering input, and communicating what you would do if elected. Now that you’re actually serving on a school board, it’s just as important to continue to listen to stakeholders, and keep them informed on what’s happening. Parents and taxpayers can never get enough information about their schools. Stay positive and correct misinformation.
2. Set a strategic education agenda. As a board, set clear goals. Keep an eye on the big picture – that is, what goals you want your district to achieve and what culture you want to instill in employees. Maybe you want to increase high school graduation rates, help students transition to college and career readiness, improve achievement of at-risk and special needs students, expand early childhood education, or achieve equity across school attendance areas. No matter what your mandate at the polls, no one can go it alone on a school board. You must act as a team. If you do not share the same goals as your fellow board members, you are bound to have infighting and dysfunction. Also keep in mind that goals are often long-term – two, three, five or more years down the road, so establish progressive steps and benchmarks along the way.
3. Be accountable for results. Board excellence involves asking the right questions. One of them is “how are we doing?” Track your district’s progress toward goals. And while you’re in evaluation mode, evaluate your own performance. NYSSBA’s Department of Leadership Development has a board self-evaluation instrument that is designed to help boards identify strong points and remedy weak ones.
4. Set the right tone at the top. What you do as a board and as an individual board member matters. If you want a district that is open, positive and focused on achievement, your board should embody those characteristics. Build a sense of shared enterprise with your superintendent and the result will be a healthy district culture.
5. Sharpen the saw. No one went to school to be a school board member, and we are in an environment of changing policies and evolving laws. Board training is as important as the professional development you provide to your staff and administrators. State-required training is just the beginning. Participating in state and local school board training events helps you build a network as well as exposes you to new information.
Serving on a school board is hard work and serious business. But it is well worth the time and effort. You ran for school board in order to make a difference in your local community, where it matters most. That remains the essence of school board leadership, and why school boards represent the best of our grassroots democracy.