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Board Norms and Working Agreements

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Board Norms

Board norms are agreed-upon guidelines that help ensure school board meetings are respectful, productive, and focused on student success. They promote effective communication, collaboration, and decision-making among board members while upholding the district’s values and goals.

How We Approach Board Work

The Board will commit to conducting its work with care and respect. Comments and actions that cause harm based on people’s identities will not be tolerated.
The Board will value the lived experiences of students, families, staff, community, and board members when engaging with the community and during meetings.
The Board will actively listen to those sharing their points of view to facilitate full understanding and the possibility of changing viewpoints when engaging with staff, students, families, and community members.
The Board leadership will consist of a Board Chair and Co-Vice Chairs. A Vice Chair will perform leadership duties when the Chair is not available.

How We Meet

During board meetings, board members will strive to start and end on time. The Board will engage in relevant and topical discussion based on the agenda topics.
During board meetings, board members will have the opportunity to speak to each agenda item before members may speak a second time. The Chair has the authority to move the discussion forward.
During board meetings, board members will actively listen to those sharing their points of view to facilitate full understanding and the possibility of changing viewpoints.
During board meetings, board members will allow all members time to express themselves without feeling rushed. Members will be succinct to maintain opportunity for all to express themselves.
During board meetings, board members will allow moments of silence between commentaries to provide time to consider the discussion.
During board meetings, board members will adhere to public meeting laws, which stipulate that no quorum of a governing body may meet privately (including before and after meetings and during breaks) to decide, deliberate on, or gather information on any matters.

How We Engage with Public Comment

The Board will value public comment as an important way to hear from students, families, staff, and community members and, as such, is essential to the work of the district and board.
The Board will facilitate comments from the public and follow-up questions from board members, adhering to the time allotted for public comment.
The Board will actively listen to those sharing their points of view to facilitate full understanding and the possibility of changing viewpoints.
The Board will defer to the Superintendent to offer a response directly following public comment if a comment relates specifically to district operations and is time-sensitive in nature.
The Board may revisit topics or issues brought up during public comment if they choose to do so at the appropriate time in the agenda. If needed, the Board will utilize work sessions and other forms of engagement to hear from the community.

How We Support Students and Staff

The Board will value every student in a school building as a unique individual with identities, lived experiences, and points of view that enhance our schools and district.
The Board will value every staff member in a school building as an educator of students. The Board will respect and rely on their professional expertise.
The Board will be cognizant of scarcity of resources and time when requesting action from Information requests that demand significant staff effort to fulfill will be aligned with the District Goals and approved by the Board.
The Board may visit schools and participate in school events as informal expressions of interest in school affairs and not as visits for supervisory or administrative purposes.

2024-25 Board Norms

Working Agreements

The Board of Directors is the governing body for the School District. To effectively meet the District’s goals, the School Board and Superintendent must function together as a cohesive leadership team. The following are the group agreements for the Board and Superintendent to support a collaborative relationship.

Board Job Description and Relationship with the Superintendent

The Board will act as trustees of the district, seeking to make decisions in the best interest of all students in the community.
The Board will collaborate with the Superintendent to set the long-term direction of the district through the mission, vision, goals, and priorities.
The Board will govern through policymaking, planning, and oversight, while acting as financial stewards of the district, including setting expectations, aligning resources with priorities, planning for fiscal sustainability, and monitoring progress.
The Board will conduct district business with care and respect, fostering board unity and assisting in gaining acceptance and support in the community by openly sharing district progress and celebrating student success.
The Board will understand that as an individual, a board member has no authority. It is when acting through a majority that the Board has influence.
The Board will supervise the hiring, performance evaluation, and other personnel management processes related to the Superintendent.
The Board may engage and volunteer in learning activities at the board, district, community, state, and national levels.
The Board will, as a cohesive leadership team, work with the Superintendent as a team, recognizing that the Superintendent is the Board’s advisor.
The Board will refer all matters related to day-to-day operations to the Superintendent, respecting the Superintendent’s responsibility to manage district operations and ensuring a timely response from the District.

Role of Board Leadership

Board leadership will manage the Board’s processes, convene meetings, develop the Board agenda with the Superintendent, seek board member input, and execute documents as appropriate.
Board leadership will serve as the authorized spokesperson for the Board with regard to board policy, process, and decisions. The Chair may delegate this responsibility to other board members and/or the Superintendent.
Board leadership, or a designated delegate, will respond to communications addressed to the Board. All board members will be included in responses issued by the Board chair. Following the chair’s response, other Board members may also respond if they choose.
Board leadership will communicate with individual board members as mediator should an issue or problem develop between members of the Board and express expectations under policies, working agreements, and group operating norms.
Board leadership will assist the Superintendent in communicating important information to the full Board and will keep board members apprised of information exchanged with the Superintendent.
Board leadership will set strategic priorities for board professional development annually.
Board leadership will consist of a Board Chair and Co-Vice Chairs. A Vice Chair will perform leadership duties when the Chair is not available.

Role of the Superintendent

The Superintendent serves as the chief executive officer charged by the Board to be the operational and instructional leader of the school district.
The Superintendent invests in the relationship with and the capacity of members of the Board.
The Superintendent works with the Board to establish strategic priorities for the District.
The Superintendent prepares annual goals for the Board’s consideration
The Superintendent serves as the chief advisor of the Board by providing relevant qualitative and quantitative data and other sources of accurate information to board members so that comprehensive, evidence-based decisions can be made.
The Superintendent communicates with board members promptly and effectively by informing the board of all emergent information, including relevant trends, anticipated media coverage, or vital external or internal change.
The Superintendent or designee schedules times for a maximum of three board members to meet with the Superintendent or designee for information-sharing sessions and questions. Answers to questions will be shared with the entire Board, and meeting participants will not deliberate towards a decision.

2024-25 Working Agreements