Category: Values

Community moral and ethical principles that provide guidance to a board in its practice.

Question #22 – External Voice: Does Your Board Reflect Community Vision/Values through Advocacy?

Rick Maloney

(49 Questions to Ask Your Board) [School boards] establish a strong communications structure to inform and engage both internal and external stakeholders in setting and achieving district goals They are masterful in two dimensions of community leadership: advocating for their school districts and developing and maintaining strong strategic partnerships. – NSBA1 Advocacy is the responsibility of a school board to speak on behalf of students. Using its platform as community representative, the board informs the public, including (especially) state and Read More …

Question #21 – Internal Voice: Does Your Board Reflect the Community’s Vision/Values Through Policy?

Rick Maloney

(49 Questions to Ask Your Board) Vision without action is a dream, and action without vision is aimless. Board policy represents the intersection of vision and accountability…Policies can and should reflect local values and principles designed to address local needs and what the board cares about. – Katherine Gemberling et al1 Policy can be strategic when it gives broad guidance to district leadership, including the board itself. It can be operational when more routine district activities receive detailed direction. Scenario: Read More …

Question #20 – Does Your Board Connect with the Community to Learn its Values?

Rick Maloney

(49 Questions to Ask Your Board) This program first provided a solution by bringing the district together under a unified goal, our communities’ health. During regular monthly meetings, members discuss new and innovative ways to provide health education to students, families, and staff…Initially, there was pushback by the community, but with more education provided, the community began to understand the importance of this issue. They also began to understand that they were able to make the transformation…the committee solicited help Read More …

Question #19 – Does Your Board Value Transparency?

Rick Maloney

(49 Questions to Ask Your Board) …reforms that seek greater transparency are increasingly on the rise…information empowers citizens to hold public officials accountable…disclosure of information about government institutions, policies, and programs empowers citizens to hold officials responsible for their spending and performance…leading, eventually, to more accountable, responsive, and effective governance. – Kosack and Fung1 The importance of transparency in the governance of public schools cannot be ignored and must therefore be a non-negotiable value in assuring accountability to the school Read More …

Question #18 – Does Your Board Give Voice to Community Values?

Rick Maloney

(49 Questions to Ask Your Board) Are the means that the administration uses in reaching the desired ends beyond the scope of the school board’s concerns? Of course not. The methods should be fair and ethical. They should be affordable. They should be gauged against the best interests of students, taxpayers and staff. A school board that turns its back on questionable practices that lead to desired results is derelict in its duty. ― Gene Maeroff1 The board continuously connects with its Read More …

Seven (Not So) Simple Rules for Board Success – Part I

Rick Maloney
RuleBook

Board success depends on many elements, including the organization’s leadership and culture, the board’s actions, knowledge, and character, and the situation, but the purpose of board leadership can be simply defined as assuring, on behalf of the community, that the organization succeeds. One way to portray leadership is a three-legged stool – each leg must be present for the three to stand together – consisting of responsibility, authority, and accountability. Leaders at every level, including the board in its leadership role, must accept full responsibility for their level in the organization. They must know those whom they serve. They must assign responsibility for doing the work. They must delegate sufficient authority over the work to get the job done. And they must assure accountability for the work. Before all else, they must take responsibility and be accountable for the board’s own performance.

6 Focus Areas for the School Board

Rick Maloney

School boards should review 6 areas to help focus their efforts: the state, the community, the students, the district, the superintendent, and (most important) the board itself.

Gaining New Members? Renew Your Whole Board (Part 3 of 3)

Rick Maloney

The Board Takes Responsibility for Accountability  “Whenever the board gets a new member, a new board is formed.” Part 1 of this post introduced the idea of making the new members’ first day on the job one of intentional induction, not only for the new member but for the “new board” that is being formed. What if the board, seriously accepting responsibility for its own performance, took the opportunity to induct its newest members, while at the same time guiding Read More …

Gaining New Members? Renew Your Whole Board (Part 2 of 3)

Rick Maloney

The Board Takes Responsibility for Strategic Voice and Operational Guidance  “Whenever the board gets a new member, a new board is formed.” Part 1 of this post introduced the above (a traditional saying about boards) as rationale for making the new members’ first day on the job one of intentional induction, not only for the new member but for the “new board” that is being formed. What if the board, seriously accepting responsibility for its own performance, took the opportunity Read More …