Advice For New Board Members

Serving as a board member is similar to most commitments in life: it becomes what you make of it. Ask yourself, what kind of board member do you want to be?

My answer to that question was that I wanted to be a great board member who listened and brought a unique perspective to the table. I will share with you my approach as a new board member. Please borrow, adapt or make these ideas your own and become the board member you envision yourself to be.

Know the laws under which a governing board operates

Education laws
Familiarize yourself with the state and federal education statutes. It can be overwhelming but arm yourself with the basics and you will be set. Then make observations about what you have learned. My greatest discovery was there were far more restrictions on public education than I had imagined. Whether that is good, bad or a combination of both is for you to decide through your journey as a board member.

Open Meeting Laws
Pay particular attention to the open meeting laws so that you do not violate them. The Arizona School Boards Association trains school board members annually.

Governing board policies.
Use governing board policies as a reference. Familiarize yourself with the table of contents so that you know the types of policies your district has adopted and where to go when you need more information on a topic. This is a great resource for understanding a districts position on an issue such as textbook adoption. After I did this, I asked questions about specific policies which helped me understand the history of the district as well as where the district leaders wanted to go.

Keep your eyes and ears on the ground

There are a variety of ways you can do this. Here are my favorites:

•Spend time on campus. Show up at parent meetings, community forums, volunteer on field trips, run with the students in the cross country club, and read to the students on Dr. Seuss’ birthday.

•Talk to all kinds of people, and kids, too. My favorite people to talk to include janitors, crossing guards, and lunch ladies. They typically live in the district and know a lot but are rarely asked.

•Connect with neighbors and folks who live in the district, even those who do not have children. When running for office, I asked people what they thought of the local schools and of education. No one ever asked them that before. Their answers gave me a lot of insight and helped me be a better board member.

•Build a relationship with the Superintendent. Each of our board members meets with our Superintendent at least once a week. It keeps us on the same page. It also provides us with the opportunity to ask questions, bring in staff for information or insight on specific issues, and discuss the state of district.

•Stay in tune with crime in the district. Read the paper, talk to law enforcement, or spend time with the neighborhood crime watch group. I would have never known that two new gangs were operating in the community without talking to officers my local precinct. Schools are part of the community and are not isolated from what is happening the neighborhood.

Become an expert on the district budget
Your top priority as a school board member is the budget. (No groaning please.) Budgets are fascinating documents. By asking questions and digging deeper, the culture and priorities of a district are revealed. Without this understanding, it is difficult to be effective as a new board member.

District budgets are difficult to comprehend and many board members with years of service are still learning about the budget. Do not be overwhelmed. Just know the basics: know the basic budget process, identify where the most money is spent, and be able to spit out the annual operating budget amount.

Once you have a grasp on this, dig deeper. Ask the tough questions, such as, why is most of the money spent here? How do we compare to other districts? How can we cut costs without sacrificing effectiveness? How can we get more money into the classroom? Are we maximizing the funds we receive?

Prioritize

Remember how you answered the question, what kind of board member do you want to be? Let this vision be your guide and help you choose a few areas to focus on throughout your term of service. My areas included ensuring the libraries served as the literacy center of the school, creating a bridge between events in the community and their impact on our schools, and serving as a teacher and staff advocate.

If at any time you become overwhelmed, just remember to go back to the basics. Listen. Ask questions. Care.