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I.
Discussion Item: Board Governance Matters
Audio: 1 11 2016 Work Session
This Work Session provides an opportunity for the Board to discuss two important methods of how the work of the Board and district is organized and managed: policies and practices relating to Board meetings and requests for information; and the committee structure, including those established under the authority of the Board, as well as other committees.
Policies and Practices regarding Board Meetings and Board Information Requests
The Board held a Special Work Session on November 11, 2015, with Dr. Thomas L. Albury to review key observations and recommendations from his report, “Fall 2015 Formative School Board Quality Standards Report.” In the report, Dr. Alsbury compared the Board’s current practice during board meetings against benchmarks for high performing boards.
His recommendations included three areas where action toward improvement was considered a very high priority:
- Revise and enforce governing protocols for presentation content.
- Revise governing policy to reduce consent agenda discussion regarding management and operational issues during the board meeting.
- Revise governing policy to reduce or avoid report requests during the board meeting.
The Board will receive and discuss information from national sources on school board best practice and presentation effectiveness, comparative information from benchmark districts, and draft language for potential changes to Board policies to improve Board effectiveness.
Committees
The Board and staff of Jefferson County Public Schools use a variety of committees to organize work, bring colleagues and stakeholders together to discuss common issues, and to develop implementation strategies around strategic priorities and other aspects of the district’s work that require attention and oversight. Some are required by federal or state statute while others are not.
One of the goals of the recently approved strategic plan is to “develop a culture of high-performing teams throughout the district that fosters collaboration, innovation, creativity, and continuous improvement. Such teams include Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), as well as teams across all sectors district and school operations.” One aspect of creating and maintaining high-performing teams is the effective use of committees to allow for good communication, collaboration, and cross-functional alignment.
The Board will receive an overview of the various committees that are currently in place, as part of the baseline for the work regarding the development of a culture of high-performing teams.
Submitted by: Jonathan Lowe
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