Early Orientation Even Before Elections

Board-Savvy Superintendent

How do newly elected school board members know what their role is? They want to do well in their role as elected officials and representatives of the school district, but they don’t always understand their role.

One frustration among superintendents arises when board members try to act as ambassadors for the school district when they don’t know the inner workings of the district, resulting in misleading information being shared.

An easy solution is to ask school board members to refer all inquiries about the district’s policies and practices to the superintendent. But what does that do to a board member’s public image? Because they were elected to represent their constituency, they may feel the need to answer questions asked of them and to represent the district in the community.

Board member positions typically carry minimal requirements. How can the savvy superintendent guide these newly elected board members? Some states require newly elected board members to attend workshops, which provide a rudimentary but basic understanding of the board member role.

In Illinois, state law requires board members complete professional development training within 90 days of being elected, as well as training on the Open Meetings Act and teacher evaluation. The Illinois Association of School Boards is an approved training provider. The training has a uniform, statewide format, but district-specific training is still needed.

Board retreats, organized by the superintendent and district staff, can be an effective vehicle, but those typically don’t coincide with board elections, leaving newly elected board members in the desert of uncertainty until the board retreat rolls around the following summer. State school board associations run workshops, and their field representatives can help with boardsmanship generally, but the newly elected board members still must learn about the inner workings of their particular district.