The District 113 Board of Education Member:
Becoming Part Of A Leadership Team
The District 113 Board of Education Member:
Becoming Part Of A Leadership Team
BOARD SERVICE
Other than the statutory requirements related to age and residency, the only
prerequisites necessary to run for election to, and if elected, become an
effective member of the 113 Board of Education are:
·
The willingness to work for the interests of all our children and our schools;
·
An open mind;
·
The ability to be a team player;
·
The willingness to devote the time required to serve on the Board and
·
The willingness and ability to listen to others.
PRIMARY CONCERNS
Members of the Board are guided by the question, “What is in the best interest
of all our students?” Effective
board members are motivated to stand for election and serve on the Board because
of their concern for our children, our schools and our communities.
To serve on the District 113 Board of Education is to hold a position of
trust in the community, which has entrusted to our care not only its financial
resources, but its most precious resource, its children.
During the school year the 113 Board meets an average of twice a month.
During the summer months the Board normally meets monthly.
Board members receive weekly packets containing information regarding
activities in the schools, school finance, including bills and payroll;
disciplinary matters, personnel matters including new hires, retirements, and
promotions; copies of all newspaper articles relating to our schools, and any
additional information that might be of interest to Board members.
A member of the Board must be willing to dedicate at least 10 to 15 hours
per month to school board activities.
This includes attendance at the Board meetings, review of the weekly
packet and participation at various activities that arise from time to time.
If an individual desires to attend various activities in the schools or
become active in various state or local organizations that are concerned with
public school issues, the time so spent would be over and above the 10 to 15
hour estimate.
GOALS
We realize that multitudes of choices are available to graduating seniors,
including attendance at a college or university, military service and
employment. Our primary goals are
to instill in our students a love of learning, to prepare them for life after
high school, and to ensure that each student leaves District 113 with the skill
sets necessary to excel. These
goals are the backbone of the Board; each decision that is made stems from a
desire to work towards them.
WORKING AS PART OF A GROUP
Individual Board of Education members have the same powers and privileges as
other members of our community, no more and no less.
It is only when acting as a member of a team, the school board, that
Board members can effectuate change for our community, our school and our
children. Effective Board members
must be able to work successfully with and learn from others.
They must be able to communicate their thoughts and ideas clearly.
Serving on a school board is, of necessity, being part of a group.
The success of the group’s endeavors is more related to the functioning
of the group than to any one individual’s actions or capacity to act.
MAKE-UP OF GROUP
We honor diversity. Not only
diversity of gender, race and religion but diversity of opinion.
Each of us views issues from a different perspective.
While Board members should be advocates for their position on issues,
they must approach all discussions with a willingness to consider different
opinions. It is expected that not
every Board member will agree with every decision made by the Board.
It is also expected that once the Board makes a decision, the dissenting
members will not subvert the Board’s decision.
We realize that as Board members we influence the climate in our schools.
We should be models of civility at all times.
A Board member should model the behavior expected from our
administration, staff, teachers, students and community members.
We cannot ask for civility from our students if we do not behave in a
civil manner. As a result we seek
to resolve conflict in a respectful manner and to trust the integrity of other
Board members even when we disagree with their views.
We must conduct Board business in an honest, open and fair manner and
always deal accordingly with fellow Board members, staff, students, parents, and
the public, thereby setting an example of civility for all.
When Board members question members of administration and staff, their questions
should be geared to obtaining meaningful information and not intended to
embarrass others or prove one’s skill as an inquisitor.
Asking questions that cannot be answered without reviewing various
documents or research and asking questions whose sole purpose is to embarrass
and humiliate others is not in keeping with the philosophy or behavior of an
efficient board. Therefore, simple
courtesy dictates that if Board members have questions, they so advise the
superintendent prior to the meeting so that relevant documents can be reviewed
and obtained, thus permitting cogent answers to questions.
This simple courtesy will ideally make conversations with the Board an
educational enjoyable dialogue. As
we seek to include, in the decision making process, those who are directly
involved and will be affected by our choices, staff, students and community
members must feel comfortable speaking with the Board.
Not only must Board members avoid conflicts of interest, if they have children
in the school, Board members must be able to balance the role of parent versus
Board member. They should not use
their positions as school board members to receive special treatment or
consideration for their children.
At times one may receive inquiries or complaints from acquaintances in the
school district. It is important
for a Board member to be cognizant of the chain of command in the schools.
If an individual has an inquiry or complaints regarding the schools the
first step in attempting to obtain an answer to a question or to resolve issues
with the schools is to contact the appropriate personnel in the schools, be it
the teacher, department chair, or principal.
If the matter cannot be resolved or answered within the school, then the
matter should be brought to the attention of the appropriate personnel in the
central administration office. Only
if the discussions with the school personnel and administration fail to resolve
an issue should the matter be brought to the Board.
Board service mandates the need to keep certain matters confidential.
Both employees and students have certain privacy rights that must be
honored by the Board members. The
Illinois Statutes set forth the types of issues that can be discussed in closed
session. Among other matters heard
in closed session are the disciplinary actions relative to both students and
employees. While the urge to gossip
might be great at times, a Board member must refrain from announcing to spouse,
friends, or others, information obtained at the closed Board meetings.
To do otherwise, would not only violate the trust placed in the
individual Board member, but could be a violation of the
LIMITS OF BOARD POWERS
The Board does not run the day-to-day operations of the schools.
Board members must keep in mind that the Board employs and annually
evaluates one person, the superintendent.
The Board delegates to the superintendent the authority to employ and
evaluate the district staff. The superintendent is held accountable for the
performance of the school district and its employees.
The Board sets the direction of the district and enunciates the goals that it
wishes to achieve. It is for the
superintendent and the school staff to determine what resources are needed and
to devise and implement the means of reaching our stated goals.
FREEDOM OF STAFF TO INNOVATE
We realize the importance of the existing knowledge base and the theories that
exist relative to learning and the educational process.
As a Board and a district, we encourage creativity and innovation.
It is only by looking for more effective ways to teach our children and
the willingness to try new ideas that we can progress.
Without a willingness to change we would still be using the McGuffy
Readers and Euclid’s text on geometry.
Delegating authority entails empowering the staff to consider and explore
creative methods of reaching the district’s desired goals without fear of
recriminations should their innovations fall short of the goal.
CONCLUSION
We believe one can safely say that if past or present members of the 113 Board
were to be questioned they would state that serving on the Board is an exciting,
rewarding and educational experience.
They would report that they find the staff to be dedicated and
enthusiastic about their professions.
The students are outstanding and seeing their work and dedication to both
academic and non-academic activities should calm any fears one might have about
the future leaders of our nation.
There are challenges to serving on any school board.
It is not always a joyous experience and at times it can be stressful.
No one relishes having to decide if a student should be expelled or an
employee fired. However, without
exception Board members value the time they have served on the Board and feel
enriched by the experience.
This
document was written by District 113 Board of Education member Harvey Cohen in
collaboration with other District 113 Board of Education members.
This document was formally adopted by
the District 113 Board of Education on February 12, 2007.
last posted 02/15/2007
