State law provides for the election of five board members in this year’s municipal election, not counting individuals appointed to vacancies on the board. That means that you may see many new faces beginning in December as new board members are seated.
We’d like to encourage you, as veteran board members, to do everything that your team can to bring new members into the Team of Ten. It is especially important since new board members may be asked to adopt a preliminary budget just days after being sworn in. Here are some tips that you may remember:
The Team of Ten. Many board members come to their duties without any clear knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of the school board, of the individual board member and of the superintendent. Help your new members understand the board’s responsibility for advocacy, modeling responsible governance and leadership, setting and modifying policy, planning, monitoring the progress of plans, and engaging the community. Help your new members understand the superintendent’s responsibility for daily operations, for administrative regulations, for compliance with state and federal mandates, and reporting to the board. Share with them what you, a veteran board member, learned about the subtle dance of leadership.
Budgeting. New board members may not know of the details of the current year’s budget, and may not be familiar with the many deadlines that govern the board’s adoption of the 2012-13 budget. Provide new board members with a copy of the current year’s budget and as much information as is available about next year’s budget, including the deadlines that the board must meet.
Contracts. Share with your new board members a copy of the collective bargaining agreements between the district and its teachers and support staff, and Act 93 plan that the board has adopted for its administrators. Be available to answer any questions your newest colleagues may have about these important documents.
Policy. School boards adopt policies relating to numerous and varied issues, sometimes over a period of many years. Policies are the “local laws” for the district and should be made available immediately to new board members so that they understand the local laws in the district and board’s operating framework.
Minutes and board procedure. For school boards, minutes serve to show what action was taken by the board, not what everyone said. Familiarize new board members with the purpose minutes serve for your district. Additionally be sure that new board members know how the meeting agenda is created, what the Sunshine Law requires and what the Right-to-Know Law means for them as public officials. Help your new colleagues by providing them with a primer on these important aspects of board service.
Student success. What does NCLB mean? What is AYP? What are PSSAs? These questions are ones that boards have been discussing for years. Make sure that your newest members understand these important issues and how the strategic plan can help ensure the procedures are in place to ensure success for every child. It can also be important for veteran board members to learn from their new colleagues what “student success” means to them, so they can work together to ensure success for all their students.
Regardless of whether your board has one new member or seven, a vital part of integrating new members into the Team of Ten is having your local board orientation that covers many of the aforementioned issues and more. It is also a good time to have a board retreat so that everyone can understand the concerns and desires that motivate members, their hopes and fears for the future, and their visions of the ideal school district. And don’t forget PSBA’s two-day new board orientation program, Ready, Set, Govern!, available in 11 convenient locations across the state.
PSBA welcomes new board members to their service and urges them to ask questions freely and seek out information vigorously during their terms of office. Please remember – PSBA is here to serve you.
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