As the district’s governance leaders, the primary function of the Board of Education is to focus on policy and strategic planning. In that role, the board endorses the following principles of boardsmanship for practice by the members of the Board of Education.
Board members will:
- Always remember that the first and greatest concern must be the educational welfare of all students attending the public schools;
- Understand their responsibility for the future of the district by focusing purposefully on the district’s strategic plan and board goals;
- Process conflict in a productive manner that will not detract from the mission of the district and will be respectful of all individuals;
- Attend all regularly scheduled board meetings insofar as possible and become informed concerning the issues to be considered at those meetings;
- Recognize the importance of making policy decisions only after full discussion at publicly held board meetings;
- Consider all decisions drawing upon the available facts and independent judgments and make all decisions based on the best interests of students and the district;
- Encourage and respect the free expression of opinions by all board members and seek systematic communications between the board and superintendent and the constituents in the community;
- Hire and support the superintendent through community comments, periodic feedback, and annual evaluation;
- Delegate authority for the administration and management of the schools and implementation of board policy to the superintendent;
- Follow the appropriate lines of communication in obtaining information from staff and relating information to staff, understanding that the staff is responsible to and reports to the superintendent;
- Communicate to other board members and the superintendent the expression of public reaction to policies and school programs;
- Be informed about current educational issues by individual study and through participation in programs providing needed information, such as those sponsored by the state and national school board associations;
- Avoid being placed in a position of conflict of interest and disclose when such a situation occurs;
- Take no private action that will compromise the board or administration and respect the confidentiality of information that is privileged under applicable law; and
- Support new members through mentoring, ensuring their participation in meetings and board activities and assisting in developing their knowledge of school board culture.
Adopted: 6/70
Reviewed: 10/11; 4/13; 8/14; 9/16; 10/19; 10/22
Revised: 12/95
Legal Reference (Code of Iowa): §§ 21.6(3)(d); 68B; 69; 277.28; 279.8; 301.28