Pushing Policy as Board Committee Driver

Board-Savvy Superintendent

In all my work with boards of education, I have found that board subcommittees are one of the least consistent parts of governance operations.

Board subcommittees can be one of two things: an important tool to accomplish the board’s work more effectively or a major energy drain on staff and a diversion from the mission of the school district. Worse, it can give too much power to an individual board member if that member happens to be the committee chair with an ax to grind.

In one school district I worked with, the board had nine individual standing committees. They had nine committees because every board member got to be chair of a committee. They were allowed to choose what they wanted the committee to focus on. Staff spent considerable time ensuring each committee had the information it requested. It was chaotic, and they all acknowledged it had become unwieldy.

One way to ensure this work benefits both the board and administration is to align the committee work with board policy and goals.