School Board Meeting

School Board Meeting

I chose to attend a School Board meeting electronically. This larger WI district video records all school board meetings which allowed me to privilege of watching and rewatching portions of the meeting to ensure I had the greatest understanding. The agenda both short and long forms were also available for preview and to further develop an understanding of the board governance model.

Upon watching this meeting it was quickly apparent the board enjoyed a light atmosphere and appreciated an upbeat, celebratory atmosphere. There were several celebrations highlighted early in the meeting. When one group presented, the school board president invited the group up to speak and provided his seat for the teaching staff and student speakers to sit in. He was very complimentary to the staff and students. This is not meant to indicate the meeting was any less professional as that was not the case. Whenever anyone spoke at this meeting they either had a mic before them or went to the podium to respond to the board's requests.


The meeting followed the agenda precisely until it became apparent the exiting Superintendent and Curriculum Director were attempting to allocate funds for a special project they favored. This created discomfort with the board president and the tone of the meeting changed instantly. The joviality seen early on turned to discomfort and the decision to move on the proposed funding changes was tabled to the next meeting when the new Superintendent and Curriculum Directors would be seated. Both the board president and another board member expressed their concerns about additional funds being set aside as a line item for the Fine Arts as proposed since the district was in the process of making large budgetary cuts. The governance model in place allowed for the board to act in accordance with their policies and to place a hold on this until further evidence of need and available funding could be provided. This agenda item ended with the exiting Superintendent stating "Our voices will no longer be present after this meeting." and the Board President informing them he was not comfortable with this since this was not how budget items are typically presented,

With only one meeting it is difficult to plan how one would improve the boards focus on governance, however, I would begin by creating some shared learning around board governance as this will lead to common understandings and a design for functioning at all meetings. Through shared learning discussions common understandings and common expectations of each member of the board will be developed. When everyone knows their role and the expectations, holding one another accountable to this is possible. Second, I would have and would always continue to develop a trusting, transparent relationship with the board. Everything needs to be open and honest if a working relationship that is beneficial to the system will be possible. The final change I would make would be to review the policies to ensure these are interpreted in the same way. If we are not holding the same expectations, we cannot expect common results.