Changing Mindsets, Changing Adult Behaviors

Board-Savvy Superintendent

Not long ago, I attended a board of education meeting that lasted until 12:45 a.m. with seven hours of discussion on topics that ranged from recognizing the football team to selecting the vendor for toilet paper.

As most superintendents recognize, it’s not uncommon for meetings to last many hours, deep into the night. The longer they go, the less productive everything and everyone becomes. However, if mindsets can be changed — on both the board side and on the superintendent’s roles and responsibilities to that board — meetings can be made not only shorter and more productive but also have a positive effect on the most important agenda item: student outcomes.

A superintendent who can step into a leadership role and guide his or her board from a management mindset to a governance mindset provides the greatest opportunity for success.

One common challenge we see is as simple as board members not being prepared for meetings. When an agenda is sent to members three days prior, it leaves barely enough time to read materials and raise questions. Meanwhile, district staff must anticipate what questions may be asked, spending hours gathering information that may never be needed in the meeting. Meetings then become matters of gathering information and rushing to vote instead of focusing on those student outcomes.

Owning Goals

Superintendents can help turn a meeting of information into a meeting of action. The easy fix is sending board members the agenda and backup information well ahead of time (we suggest 10 days) and creating a system of communication so members can ask questions before the meeting, allowing the district to focus only on what needs to be addressed. There should be a deadline for members to submit questions. If it’s an item that should be brought to discussion, then it’s marked as such.

Once the agenda is posted, there is an agreement that it won’t be changed. Instead of preparing for what might be asked, the district can prepare for what will be asked. It allows for everyone to make better use of time ahead of and during the meeting.

Another challenge we see is that many board members don’t take ownership of goals because they weren’t involved in creating them. When board members participate in goal setting, they tend to take ownership and more closely monitor the progress being made against those goals.

To facilitate this process, some school districts use an external coach for guidance. Board members are taken through an individual mindset shift, related not to education, but instead to personal integrity, that catapults them into a better understanding of their roles and responsibilities.

A coach also can work with the district’s community groups and committees to identify and prioritize their vision and values for the schools and communicate those back to the board. Then the board can design the student outcome goals that are aligned with the overall community vision and values.

This brings us back to effective time management. Instead of recognizing student achievement as a winning football game, we instead focus on what students know and are able to do as aligned to the board’s student outcome goals. When properly planned and better structured, we find that board meetings last no more than two to three hours with half of that time focused purely on student outcomes.

A Transitioning Force

A superintendent can be a powerful guide for transitioning school board members from a management model to a governance model. Empowering the board to have ownership of their goals, ensuring at least one student outcome goal is monitored at each meeting and creating better communication and organization ahead of meetings not only can save time and money but also help board members, district staff, community members and the superintendent best fulfill respective roles and responsibilities.

MARCIA McMAHON is a co-director for governance solutions for NXTBoard in Austin, Texas.
@McmahonMarcia

Laurie Elliott, also a co-director with NXTBoard, contributed to this column.