How the Board Governs

All school boards must operate within a governance system. This gives shape and structure to how the board conducts business, including roles and responsibilities across the district, guiding policies, operational standards, and evaluation mechanisms.  

Our board operates under a governance structure referred to as Policy Governance®.  There has been confusion and even some frustration over what this means in terms of what powers our board possesses and what decisions we make. As designed, this model enables our board to:

• have the authority and the responsibility to make decisions on behalf of the general public, the “owners” of the school district
• focus on the larger issues by creating policies to guide organizational work
• make decisions as a unified body and speak with one voice
• define the desired goals and expectations for our students and schools based on the general public’s priorities and values. 
• delegate responsibilities to administration with clear limitations and lines of accountability
• maintain oversight of administration without direct day-to-day involvement in operations and decision making
• evaluate on an on-going basis how well the organization is meeting its goals and remaining in compliance with all laws and mandates

The Governance cycle

How this works in practice is like a cycle. A good way to summarize our governance structure is we govern the school district by “going first and last.” First, we set policy and operational limits. 

The Superintendent and staff then apply their knowledge through day to day implementation and management within the boundaries we’ve set. 

We then “go last” by monitoring compliance with policies, Superintendent performance, and reasonable progress towards student and organizational goals.