The CEO's Part in School Board Recruitment

Board-Savvy Superintendent

The support enjoyed by an incumbent superintendent can be fragile. It takes only one seat on the board of education to change a 4-3 majority into a 3-4 minority. While superintendents cannot expect unanimous decisions on every issue, they should expect their school board to support the administration, regardless of how the board votes. But what about those school districts where every decision is contested, where the motives or rationale for recommendations are questioned or where the board frequently yields to special interests or political rhetoric?

Superintendents face similar uncertainty in school communities with chronic board turnover rates, vacancies or contested election outcomes.

Quality, Not Quantity

Fortunately, most superintendents do not operate on such thin margins. Even in districts with highly contested board races, it’s not the number of candidates but the leadership potential of those running that will determine whether the succession will be reasoned or reckless.

An important aspect of a school board’s collective responsibility is to maintain leadership, even as it experiences turnover in its membership. To create a culture of planning for succession, your school board may want to consider how it can — and should — foster a path for qualified candidates to consider district leadership. As such, how much can — or should — a superintendent do to promote that process?

As the district’s chief executive, you have the opportunity to work with the existing board and its written board policies and practices to develop a culture of leadership that’s supported by thorough orientation, ongoing training and an appreciation for the separate but collaborative roles of the CEO and elected board. Even new members quickly will become part of the governance team once they understand the opportunities and expectations of what a board member does and does not do.

A district working with a highly effective board has a far better chance of attracting highly effective candidates. Such prospective public servants want to work on boards that are well run and that focus on the primary work of clarifying the district’s purpose, connecting with the community, employing and delegating authority to the superintendent, monitoring district performance and taking responsibility for itself. In Illinois, these fundamental duties are described as the six “Foundational Principles of Effective Governance.”

Working from this firm foundation, you can encourage the board to be proactive in the recruiting process, as it identifies, approaches and recruits prospective candidates for public office. Even in districts with little turnover, the board should assess its own attributes and skills and where the gaps are; determine whether the board reflects the diversity of the community; and look broadly to find the district’s next board member(s).

That does not mean the superintendent refers or recommends candidates to the board. In fact, any indication that you favor one candidate over another would be extremely detrimental to you, the board and the community’s trust in the electoral process. Nonetheless, you can remind the board of the election timetable and deadlines so that it has time to approach potential candidates who have not yet thought about school board service.

Observation Moments

Effective recruiting should be ongoing, taking place throughout the school year and with consideration of the entire community. Taking advantage of the occasions that bring together qualified prospective candidates and incumbent board members requires steady observation of such moments. Does your district currently have such events or opportunities? If not, what can you do to help bring those about?

Whether your district has frequent turnover or relies on long-serving, veteran board members, your support for school board service can help make the difference in moti-vating or convincing someone to take the bold step toward community service as an elected representative.

Governance of our local school districts, by elected men and women, remains at the heart of our democracy and public education system.

JAMES RUSSELL is an associate executive director of the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) in Springfield, Ill.
@ILschoolboards

This column is drawn from an IASB publication “Recruiting School Board Candidates.”