The employment contract is the key item in superintendent firing, and thus, it should include provisions for termination. Terminations can misfire if the board does not carry out contractual obligations. Eight points of advice are included for boards that are contemplating firing a superintendent. (MD)

This report by the National Association of State Boards of Education Capitol Study Group on School Leadership proposes changes in the principalship. States need to define the qualities effective principals according to a set of standards and require evaluation of knowledge, skills, and dispositions defined in the standards. Policymakers must make…

Reviews the pros and cons of hiring an external consultant to conduct a superintendent search. School board members are advised to exercise caution in choosing a consultant and to vigilantly oversee the consultant's work. (LMI)

Identifies the elements of a successful districtwide reading-improvement program: (1) a strong central-office advocate; (2) an emphasis on phonemic awareness; (3) an early intervention program; (4) a concentration on language arts in the primary grades; (5) a basal-language-arts program; (6) a variety of assessment strategies; (7) a strong…

Written policies and administrative procedures in the school business office are necessary so transition and change will go smoothly. Provides a sample from the policy department of the Illinois Association of School Boards. (MLF)

Board and school system contacts with the public can be improved by providing first-rate service, businesslike meetings, efficient and courteous personnel, and attractive facilities. (MLF)

School boards' concerns about user injury and property loss can be reconciled with an open school policy by adopting clear, unambiguous, understandable, and enforceable rules concerning use of school facilities. Lists rules and elements of certificate of insurance to be considered. (MLF)

Summarizes issues relating to removal of school board members in the areas of grounds, methods, and parties seeking removal. The fewer than 20 successful removal actions since World War II indicate that the vulnerability of board members to litigation does not necessarily mean they are equally vulnerable to removal actions. (MLF)

The only valid reason for supervising and evaluating teachers is to improve instruction. Boards of education can improve teaching and learning in schools by setting up a teacher evaluation system, letting administrators do their jobs, and giving backup with funding. (MLF)

Only by accepting responsibility for ferreting out all the accurate relevant information on an issue can board members trust their decisions. Describes the categories of fundamental, unsolicited, and on-demand information and how best to deal with them. (MLF)

Attitudes about teacher sabbaticals are sharply divided and, as funding grows scarcer, get more controversial. Teachers should plan sabbaticals that will improve their teaching, and school boards should be assured of good, long-term returns on their investments of sabbaticals. (MLF)

Offers guidelines for school board members in building a school budget. Includes a sample budget timetable, basic financial facts about the school district that boards should have at hand, and how to monitor the budget after it is approved. (MLF)

Numerous business issues arise when organizing a school recycling program. Important questions include the appropriate program organization, deciding what materials to recycle, the selection of appropriate business partners, and various financial issues. Offers suggestions for achieving a successful recycling program. (MLF)

An online service uses a desktop computer, equipped with a modem, to obtain a variety of services in electronic form such as electronic mail, electronic bulletin boards, special interest forums, and databases. Describes the features and costs of six commercial online services and how some school board members are using them. (MLF)

It is critical to analyze every detail of the proposals made by the negotiating teams of both the union and school board. What labor and management decide to include can affect the school districts' financial and decision-making processes for years. (MLF)