To have an efficiently functioning school district, the roles of the school board and the administration must be clearly delineated, so that the school board formulates school policy while the superintendent implements it. To avoid dissention over their respective spheres of authority, it is best for a superintendent to establish two-way…

Distinguishes three types of "mavericks" (single-issue advocaters, aspiring politicians, and administrative meddlers) who often complicate school board operations and offers six maxims for dealing with them, including understanding board members' personal motivations and conducting board business as openly as possible. (JBM)

The author's suggestions for dealing with single-issue board members include preparing for potential problems before "mavericks" take their seats, being fair to the maverick member's single issue, alerting mavericks to public pressure, and conducting a board self-analysis session. (JBM)

For organizations to succeed and endure, trust, collaboration, and performance cultures must coexist. A culture of trust starts with a school board that is independent and fully accountable and that holds all only its employees accountable. In a culture of collaboration, the board becomes a partner in setting goals but allows the experts to do…

The La Crosse (Wisconsin) School Board turned to the comprehensive school board development program offered by the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) for help in governance policy. The board adopted John Carver's Policy Governance model consisting of ends policies, executive limitations, board and superintendent relationship, and…

Being cooperative and reasonably straightforward in helping the media cover school news will help in getting well-informed, balanced coverage. Specific advice is offered, including suggestions on how to be more effective during news conferences and interviews. (MLF)

This handbook offers observations from the superintendent's viewpoint about the evaluation responsibilities of school board members and school boards. The handbook describes important features of the evaluation role of school boards and offers a detailed description of what the board should evaluate within the context of the districts--who the…

Addresses public criticism aimed at school boards' failure to provide educational leadership, create long-range plans and wise policies, study curricula, and cultivate ties with other government agencies. Instead of abolishing school boards, the public should restore boards' eroding authority to carry out their increasing responsibilities. (MLH)

Most school board members and superintendents want to leave a lasting legacy to their district. To do this, they need to acknowledge that large-scale change is complex and takes time and that the system will outlast them. Board members can give their communities the gifts of vision, process, and competence. (MLF)

Elected school boards' skeptical eyes can guard against bad management practices and ensure that different voices get heard. Problems with board governance are a product of too little democracy. A democratic reform strategy would make board elections partisan, hold them on the same day as elections for more prominent state or national offices,…

Merit pay plans for administrators do not work in school systems in which the governing board is elected from among lay people. In 1979, the Brewster (New York) Central School District developed an administrator merit pay plan. The goal of the plan was to implement changes and programs which would reflect the needs of the community as interpreted…

This document suggests how state boards of education can get a fair share of block grant monies from the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981. States' decisions regarding distribution of block grant monies involve three significant characteristics: (1) almost all states keep 20 percent of the grant (the maximum allowed) at the state…

Reviews major aspects of the school negotiation process and advises superintendents and administrators to select and clarify the superintendent's approach to collective bargaining, study past contracts and bargaining situations, organize a negotiating team, and help all board members understand their role in the negotiation process. (Author/MLF)

The board's and superintendent's task in policy development should be clear: to recognize all members of the education community and to obtain their views before policies are set in concrete. (Author/JM)

Discusses school board policies concerning teachers' employment outside the schools. (IRT)