Introduction
An effective School Board Member is one who acts in accordance a specific set of criteria. This article outlines those 13 criteria.
Criteria for Effectiveness
First, that person is accountable. This means he supports the goals
of the School Board; accepts ownership of the conferred responsibilities; and, reports on the discharge of those accepted responsibilities and the results obtained. Second, he is able to see the big picture. Therefore, prior to making any decision, he takes the time to view each issue from the perspective of the key stakeholders, and the relevant partners and/or owners.
Third, this school board member is committed to the role. He sets aside
time to do governance work thoroughly, attends meetings, articulates his ideas in the designated forum, offers his/her expertise to the board, and acts in the best interest those he represents. Fourth, he has excellent communication skills. This involves maintaining a positive stance during all interactions, acknowledging divergent views, identifying areas of agreement and outstanding differences, and saying what he actually means without misrepresentation.
Fifth, he is able to maintain confidentiality. He permits agreed upon governance processes to take their course, honors the role of the School Board’s spokesperson, and leaves information which is not designated distribution to the any public within the boardroom. Sixth, he focuses on the issues not the people involve
d, remains detached from personal comments, and makes the best decisions possible under the current circumstances.
Seventh, an excellent school board member is a leader. This means he leads by example, accepts his governance role, does not try to manage the organization in areas which have been delegated to the CEO, evaluates his own activities, accepts the evaluation of others, and as a Board member agrees to participate in a fair evaluation of the CEO.
Eighth, he is an active listener and pays attention to incoming verbal and non-verbal information, compares this information to what he already knows and interprets what is left unsaid. Ninth, he is as objective as possible, acknowledges his/her biases, consciously decides not to bring prejudices to the governance table, and declares any conflicts of interest before discussions start.
The tenth characteristic requires the board member to be open
and accepts the contributions of the other members, includes all members in discussions, is open to change, builds on the culture and history of the organization and respects the past, while preparing for the challenges of the future. Eleventh, he is willing to take the time to read the information provided, compare it to what is already known, and formulate questions to fill in the gaps. Being selfless is the twelfth. He puts the concerns for the greater good of the organization ahead of his/her personal interests, seeks first to understand the perspectives of others before sharing individual
views, and upholds the decisions of the majority.
Finally, he is a team player and demonstrates a ‘win-win’ philosophy. He willingly participates actively in conflict resolution, judges when to hold firmly to a position and when to compromise, and protects the dignity of opponents.
Final Comment
This list of critieria is based on six years of research with school boards. It is a tall order. however, when a board member meets those criteria, the school district is served well.
When board members fail to meet these standards the board, students, partners, and the district may find that the benefits of having a school board are questionable.
