Role of the
School Board

It is important to recognize the role of the School Board both legally and functionally.

On behalf of the community, set appropriate tax levels for both debt and operations to provide the level of education supported by the community . . .

The Board must always remember they are representatives of our community, and this is perhaps most important when tax levels are set. It is the responsibility of the Board to ensure that their decisions are reflective of the community and properly reflect the desire for a top quality education for our children balanced with appropriate tax levels.

Ensure appropriate allocation of resources . . .

Every year the Board reviews the administration request for the operating budget. The Board must ensure that resources are appropriately allocated, and through evaluation of forecasted revenues and proposed expenses, decide whether the administration's request is appropriate.

Act in a supervisory role and set job performance expectations for the Superintendent . . .

The Board is responsible for ensuring the superintendent is appropriately leading the district and delivering a safe and successful educational experience for the students of our district. The Board should clearly define and articulate metrics upon which the superintendent is evaluated, and ensure compensation is appropriate based on that evaluation.


Set appropriate policies . . .

The Board is responsible for reviewing and approving district policies. I believe we should extend this even further to set appropriate guardrails around Board processes in order to ensure that the Board and administration have clearly communicated when Board involvement in decision-making is required and necessary.

Support the administration on core educational decisions . . .

While the Board is made up of various backgrounds and professional experience, we should not override requests or decisions of the professionals we employ to make those decisions. I do believe it is the responsibility of the Board to question and challenge the administration, but once we ensure all perspectives and options have been considered we should support the direction the administration wants to take. Once we start varying from what the administration requests, we quickly lose the ability to hold the administration accountable for overall success.

Provide transparency to the community regarding district successes and challenges . . .

The Board should find new ways to engage the community so everyone understands the massive successes we have experienced, as well as constantly striving for improvement and be transparent in plans for how we must continue to grow as a district.

Limit the involvement in personnel or contractual decisions . . .

The Board is involved in the approval of professional contracts, and is also part of the appeals process for contractual issues. However, personnel and contractual decisions (i.e. the hiring and termination of employees) are the responsibility of the administration. The Board should ensure there are appropriate policies in place for both employees and contracts, and it is the role of the administration to execute within those policies.

For more information, email:
andrew@markners.com