Reader Panel
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Become a member of American School Board Journal's Reader Panel, a self-selected sample of ASBJ subscribers.
As part of the ASBJ Reader Panel, you'll have a chance to add your voice to ours in print and online. Every month—and occasionally more frequently—we'll send panel members a link to a brief poll on a topic of interest. We'll report the results—including selected comments—in the Your Turn column of American School Board Journal.
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JUNE 2013 READER PANEL SURVEY RESULTS
Results of the June Reader Panel survey about school board unity.
Here are additional comments from those responders who have given us permission to quote them.
To the question, "How can school board members help to create unity on their boards?"
Board members can build unity by being an active participant and studying board issues. Board members must always work as a team & support the majority after any votes. Members must get educated in effective practices.
Donna Myers, School Board Member, Ohio
Board members can build unity by holding frequent information sessions on topics that may come before the board. Unity begins with a sound basis in facts and research provided by a diverse group of professionals as well as input from key stakeholders. Information sessions provide the board with an opportunity to hear a consistent set of information and to ask questions in the presence of each other that allows for a more complete and, hopefully, more unified perspective on issues.
Jim Butt, School Board Member, Pennsylvania
Be focused on representing every child in the system they serve. Become strong advocates for others that are not like themselves. Recognize how public education has historically underserved millions of children and now is the time to stop. Act on behalf of children, not adults.
Dr. Michael R. Watenpaugh, Superintendent, California
Listen and accept others thoughts. Also share your proposals and encourage discussion when they may not agree. Remember to put students first when you are deciding policy and procedures for your district. Always try to present what is best and will benefit all students. Reach out to the other board members and expect and accept different views and thoughts. Always pursue what will be the best direction for all students.
Larry McGinnis, School Board Member, Kansas
Establish a common purpose and understand that standards and accountability begin at the school board level. Unity is achieved when the work of the board is focused and district outcomes are shared by the school board as well as the classroom.
Thom Lockamy, Superintendent, Georgia
By fighting fiercely for their beliefs, then, once the vote is taken, accepting it.
School Board Member, Maine
We have worked with a consultant to help us learn to listen deeply and speak respectfully. However, the good feelings lasted about a week, as old habits are hard to break. We do want this same consultant, a person we all value(see, we can get along sometimes!) to view a tape of a recent budget hearing that ended in a 4-3 vote, to see how we're doing and how we can improve. At least we all agree we need to work on our issues with each other. It is very difficult to achieve unity with one issue trustees, or those with an agenda that does not include all our stakeholders.
Diane DAngelo, School Board Member, New York
I believe we must first define what is intended with "unity." Unity of purpose is, in my opinion, what we as elected officials must actively seek -- that purpose being what is best for all kids within our district, ever mindful of the legitimate roles and responsibilities of board members. This is achieved through board training, board leadership and mutual respect of each other, the administration and entire staff, certified and non-certified. Unity of thoughts or opinions does not always indicate effectiveness -- it is through our diversity that we openly discuss issues from differing points of view, and then arrive at decisions to effectively govern the district. Unity of the board following a vote is critical as this is the very essence of the ability to work effectively together and to represent the community. This is also achieved through board training, a viable board member code of ethics and board leadership.
Richard Mauer, School Board Member, Alaska
I think teamwork is the goal, not unity, and trust is the foundation. We will always have different opinions, and should, but board members and superintendent must work together as equals on a team and respect and value opinions and constituencies of others. They must work to trust one another and be trustworthy even while disagreeing. Developing both within-board and board-superintendent communications and procedures which ensure that all constituencies are included is essential. Have outside facilitators (not district employees) work with the group (board and superintendent) to develop teamwork. Evaluate your board meetings. Have a self evaluation at least annually. Board should evaluate superintendent and superintendent should evaluate board by mutually acceptable standards.
I ... realized I didn't put the source of my best information: the NSBA! hope you will add to my answer the sentences below. Read the journals of both the National School Boards Association and the American Association of School Administrators to learn how other board members and how administrators think about issues. Follow the advice about board building from the NSBA.
Ginny Moe, School Board Member, South Carolina
When it comes to creating unity on school boards, respect is a fundamental key in developing a postive working environment on school boards and within school districts. With competing interests in school districts it may be hard to maintain calm in an ever develping storm. But if all members respect one another's point of view and pratice open communication a postive working environment can be achieved ; even with opposing viewpoints. Remember Students First Attitudes Last!!!
Patricia Welicky, School Board Member, Kansas
Try to find common ground (though this can be difficult).
School Board Member, New Hampshire
Mutual respect and support.
School Board Member, Maine
Our Board may be unique in that we always have created and shown unity even though members have changed over the years. We overall have the same goals, but many times have different approaches to achieve them. The key to unity is to let everyone state their views and their reasonings. We are always open to new ideas from new members. But even if we all don't agree, as long as everyone's point is heard, we feel we can move forward in our decisions without animosity.
Mary Bruscato, School Board Member, Illinois
In order to be an effective school board one must strive for unity with all board members. This statement is simple however trying to accomplish it is near impossible. One way to help create unity would be through educating one another on the specific knowledge one has in a particular area. For example on my board there is a person with vast knowledge in construction, another with knowledge in technology, and another with a financial back ground. By them explaining issues in layman terms to the other board members so that we can understand it on their level would help insure that we are making the right choices. My knowledge is rooted in educational best practices and what works best for our students. Like the other board members I believe that we must improve our test results and make our district a district of choice in our community. Where I differ with my board is how to get there. I believe that teaching for one test, zero tolerance policies and forcing teachers into early retirement are poor strategies for any district let alone my district. Adding time to reading and math by taking away recess and interventions defeats the purpose. Unfortunately my school board weighs heavily on the administrators opinions and wants without looking at the outcome of the students. I try to visit the different schools in my district on a weekly basis. I talk to the administrators of the individual buildings, teachers, janitors, and food service employees. These are the people who are in fact educating our children. Their input should not be taken lightly they are in the trenches every day building relationships with families and students trying to make each student successful. So I do understand the importance of a state of the art school building, the importance of technology in this changing world, and a balanced budget. However people make the difference, the students, teachers, and individual building workers, they need to have more say in what’s best for our students and the dictating for one test must end. With this being said you can hopefully see why unity on a school board is unfortunately an impossible dream.
John Johnson, School Board Member, Iowa
The first item on our board agenda needs to ge addressing each other with respect. The second should be to stop making fun of other board members' opinions.
School Board Member, Ohio
Put aside political differences and focus on children.
School Board Member, WI
Spend time together ... know each other well ... learning styles ... special interests ... stay focused on the children you serve. Agree to disagree respectfully and leave it in the board room. Know your roles and responsibilities .. attend all opportunities for board training through your state association. Recruit good board members … don't leave it to chance, then provide quality orientation and mentor newly elected members. TEAMWORK makes the difference and is well worth the effort!!!
Peggy Taylor, School Board Member, Missouri
Board members need to focus on children -- simple. All other agendas need to be put aside and each board member needs to work collectively with their fellow board members to put children first. It is also essential that board member receive as much training and continuing education (both locally and nationally) as possible. The economic crisis has made it necessary for boards to look at things differently than in the past. Therefore board members need extensive training in order to be successful in representing and making decisions about the educational needs of our children. School board members need to be fully aware and trained for the jobs they have been elected to do.
Jackie S. Cole, School Board Member, North Carolina
By keeping focused on the reason we are there. Board trustees have to put personal agendas aside and work for the students, staff and community. Retreats are good to air global concerns and to make strategic plans. There should be an opportunity for board trustees to air concerns before they fester and become a problem.
Michael Weinick, School Board Member, New York
* Be a leader, act like a leader, and demonstrate active listening skills * Develop clear achievable strategic goals for improvement of the entire district * Ensure a planning framework and timeline is in place to achieve goals * Communicate to all stakeholders when goals are completed * Develop a greater understanding of school finances * Improve awareness and understanding of Board Governance * Leave ego and personal agenda outside the Board Room * Do not take the word of school administration as the gospel - ask the hard questions * Visit schools and speak with employees, students, parents, and community leaders to better understand challenges and to celebrate successes * Encourage participation by all stakeholders and expect to be told things you don't want to hear. * Work on active listening among board members * Grow your own leadership abilities * Remember the Superintendent works for you so work together to achieve the goals you have developed.
District level administrator, Kentucky
We have a new chair who is very careful to include all voices in discussion, always models politeness, and asks us to complete a survey at the end of each meeting to determine how satisfied individuals were with what we accomplished and how we worked together as a team. We have also started having more frequent "retreats" to allow us to become more informed on Common Core, evaluating district progress, etc. We set objectives in a fall retreat with 1. students achievement, 2. parent and community involvement as top goals. Our progress toward these is at least mentioned and sometimes discussed more fully at every meeting.
Jane sharp, School Board Member, South Carolina
Six years ago, when I first came on the school board, unity didn't seem possible. The divide was deep and the feelings were bitter. We now have only three members, myself included, who are holdovers from that era. We now work in harmony. The secret lies in having the right people and the right vision. Our entire top executive team has changed from six years ago. Our current Superintendent is completely focused on student learning. He is candid, straightforward, and he keeps promises. Employee morale and buy-in is at an all-time high despite the severe financial challenges that we face in today's world. The current school board is focused on the task at hand. Ideology and political hot buttons are put aside. Despite its end-to-end political spectrum, we all agree that the welfare of all of the kids and the entire community should drive all of our decisions.
John Acomb, School Board Member, Wisconsin
Using a superintendent evaluation that is entirely goals based. These need to be very specific tasks similar to marching orders. The board begins by debating the goals before the start of a year, voting to cull these goals to a manageable number of thirty-three, and grading the superintendent on only those goals. The intra-board arguments get settled by vote before the year begins. The superintendent has to address the final product, less so each individual's whims. We used this successfully in my former district. A new board came in, changed everything and I am gone. They are interested in running a jobs program for their relatives and friends, I wanted to run a high-performing school district.
Paul Vranish, Retired, Texas
We have a school board that works very well together. We genuinely like each other and respect each other. That is especially important when views are not the same, which is how it should be. There should always be room to hear different views. And the goal of everyone on our board is to do what is best for the children.
School Board Member, New York
Trust and respect of each other is primary. Role model civility and encourage open discussions. Cultivate active listening skills and be open to consider points of views that may or may not be initially the same as yours. Treat a new director as an equal: provide an in-depth induction and a year long mentoring. One of the best things we did was invest in time to create a "living" governance team protocols and procedures that were developed jointly with the entire governance team (board directors and superintendent). We review our board self-evaluation every year to look at our strengths as a board and agree on the areas we will continue to work on. That is what we expect of our staff and students; it is the least of what we can do as directors.
Edri Geiger, School Board Member, Washington
Unity doesn't mean you get 7-0 votes, it means you have an atmosphere where everyones opinion is valued and people are willing to collaborate.
Jim, School Board Member, South Carolina
By being willing to learn how and what a board does. IASB and NSBA offer excellant training at conferences and IASB will come into the district. Reading the articles in the state and local educational magazines as well as the many online opportunities is wonderful and should be utilized by board members. I don't think people realize what an opportunity it is to serve their community and children. Senior members of boards of education are only to willing to help educate new board members and are a source of information.
Bessie, School Board Member, Illinois
Leave petty political agendas out of it. Take personal responsibility for actions. Be accountable to the taxpayers. Ensure that there are no "unfunded mandates" for staff. Focus on kids.
School Board Member, California
Effective two way communication, listening, respect for each other, putting kids first.
Steve Knagg, School Board Member, Texas
By accepting the value of every member's input at meeting and in conversation even though your value system or knowledge may reflect a different perspective on the issues before the board.
Tom Martin, School Board Member, South Dakota
First, we sign a code of civility each year which helps us focus on working respectfully as a team. Second, we are clear about our norms and how we work together ... especially the norm that says we can disagree before the vote is taken, but after the decision everybody sings from the same page in the hymnal. Third, if it gets tense, we put our egos and politics aside and focus on what is right for the kids.
Susan Kearney, School Board Member, Virginia
Elect people who care about that, and then train together to achieve it.
School Board Member, New York
It is imperative to have a good superintendent that will actually work with the board in an honest way in order for the board to be informed of what is transpiring in the district. The board members should ask more questions of what is taking place at the schools and if they really want to know what is going on ask the principals and teachers, without reprisals for the staffs' honesty. Working with the superintendent to solve the problems and improve the areas of strength will create more of a unified school board.
School Board Member, Arizona
One of the best ways to promote unity on your board is to provide background information up front and not "surprise them". This allows a board member to conduct research and fully understand the decisions they are making and more importantly the impact of these decisions.
Cynthia S Smith, Chairman, South Carolina
If unity means unanimous voting on topics, then you should not be looking for unity. The reason there are multiple people on a board is so topics can be vetted based on members experience, education, and opinion. If everyone is in agreement all the time, issues for the board do not get the scrutiny they deserve.
Brian Kammers, School Board Member, Wisconsin
When you have an opinion that is not the same as other members listen to there side and try to understand where they are coming from. I also found that if we are still debating and neither side wants to budge it is helpful to ask "tell me exactly what you don't like or do like about this and what can we do to make it work with you. sometimes just asking the questions makes everyone involved feel like their opinion counts.
Michelle Zettel, School Board Member, Idaho
Mutual respect and allowing each other to voice an opinion, but once a decision is made the whole board supports it as a board.
Harry Martin, Superintendent, Arizona
We need to convince all members that we should have a common focus. At this point, that is not the case with our board.
Ron Pierce, School Board Member, Delaware
Additional comments:
Board presidents who wish to "rule the roost" often believe that knowledge is power and that avoiding these discussions allows them to hold greater sway in influencing board action.This practice is ultimately ineffective and counterproductive as it both alienates the board and places the board in a position of having the public point out weaknesses in the development of policy or actions. Districts are rightly chastised for a lack of transparency on matters that involve the public's right to know, but boards,too, need a transparency within themselves on available research, diverse ideas, and background information so that quality policies can be developed.
Jim Butt, School Board Member, Pennsylvania
The Savannah-Chatham School Board was a board on SACS probation in 2005; however, after a change of the administration as well as a couple of school board members the goal of unity among and between board members as well as the new administration begin working together to achieve the goal of "unity." Within the next two years the Savannah-Chatham board was recognized as a board of distinction. The one unifying element was the work the board and superintendent to develop a system of accountability. Accountability was realized for the first time from the "school room to the school board." All truly meant All in defining accountability. The success of the superintendent and the outcome of the district depended upon the achievement of the goals the school board established for the board. For the first time, the monthly board agenda was clearly aligned to the goals identified in the district accountability system. Unity was achieved.
Thom Lockamy, Superintenden,t Georgia
Unity is not such a good thing. Divergent views and differing perspectives are very healthy in such a governing body. With that said, disunity concerning the trust the BOD places in the Superintendent can quickly throw a wrench into the gears of progress and the well being of the district.
School Board Member, Maine
I do think lack of education, on what it really means to be a school board member, is a major problem. Also, the need for strong experienced leadership from your Superintendent and Board President is essential. Mentoring new members should be required and formalized.
Diane DAngelo, School Board Member, New York
I have only been a school board member for two years, but I noticed the disconnect between lawn makers and educators. Those outside the education world declare the system is broke and go about fixing education without talking to their local school boards or educators. Instead outside forces bend the ear of our legistlatures. If it was not for the association of School Boards local school boards would have little voice against lobbyist without a clue.
Patricia Welicky, School Board Member, Kansas
We have one newly elected member who has decided that it is "his way or the highway." He loves the media, hates at least two of the other members (there are 5 of us in total), and loves "gotcha" moments at board meetings. Unity is one thing, but he is so toxic that this has become a nightmare.
School Board Member, New Hampshire
I had expected more mature and civil behavior. This board shows no respect for facts or for people, whether adults or children.
School Board Member, Ohio
I have been very fortunate to work with many cohesive boards. we had our issues, but always able to work them through.
Michael Weinick, School Board Member, New York
When a board is unified, goals are accomplished and progress is continuous. Strong board members are welcomed and encouraged to find ways to improve upon the current process and procedures to benefit all stakeholders. Educated boards understand the critical need to partner with their community to develop an exemplary work ready community. To be successful, leadership is shared among all board members, supported by the superintendent and all community leaders to work towards planned goals. All of the above I have witnessed and experienced under great boards and visionary district leadership. Conversely, I am now experiencing a complete 180, a true nightmare, due to an inept district leader and dysfunctional board goaded into drama rather than to serve the purpose for which they were elected.
District level administrator, Kentucky
I have tons of material on this topic to share; far more than this "Comments" box will hold.
Paul Vranish, Retired, Texas
For the first time in thirty four years of service to my district, our board has political influence, it is grossly disgusting. I have seen many boards over the years but this is the first time I see political influence and I am very sad. Many past boards in my district have had diverse opinions and this is good, but through good boardsmanship, we overcame problems. This is how boards are supposed to function. Once politics interferes with your board progress, it is time to clean house. The problem I see with our present board is that four members were far to intelligent to attend any board training classes, they ask politicians what their direction should be. Three years have gone by with them not seeking direction on how a board operates and are entirely closed minded to learning whether from seasoned board members, IASB or NSBA. It is difficult to work with three or four board members who are so intelligent that they need no training and have the 'I want it so let's buy it' mentality and turn to local political parties for advice on everything but education, what is positive for the children and the district. The Feds and State need to stop mandating unfunded mandates. The Feds and State need to let the educators educate and meet the needs in their own school districts. We need to maintain local control of our schools.
Bessie, School Board Member, Illinois
Diversity in ideas and values make a board stronger.
Tom Martin, School Board Member, South Dakota