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Anderson, B. RobertBasic Boardsmanship. What Every School Board MemberShould Know Series, No. 3.New Jersey School Boards Association, Trenton.7476p.New Jersey School Boards Association, P.O. Box 909,Trenton, New Jersey 08605 ($3450)

MF-S0.76 MC Not Available from EDRS. PLUS POSTAGEBoard Administrator Relationship; *Board of EducationPolicy; *Board of Education Role; *Boards ofEducation; Conflict Resolution; *Decision Making;Educational Environment; Educational Facilities;Educational Finance; Elementary Secondary Education;Employer Employee Relationship; Personnel Policy;School Community Relationship; Student SchoolRelationship

ABSTRACTThis booklet is intended to provide new school board

members with the background and basic information they need toperform their tasks successfully. It attempts to convey a broadunderstanding of the board member's role, including its scope,limitations, responsibilities, potential pitfalls, and opportunities.Various chapters discuss the organizational and interpersonaldynamics of school boards, crisis management, budgeting andeducational finance, students and the school environment, employeerelations and personnel matters, and educational policy.(Author/JG)

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BASIC

BOARDSMANSHIP

by B. Robert Anderson

New Jersey School Boards AssociationP.O. Box 909, Trenton, New Jersey 08605

3

CdiCopyright New Jersey School Boards Association 1974

All rights reserved ender International and Pan American Copyright

Library of Congress Card No, 7483264

Foreword

WHAT EVERY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERSHOULD KNOW ABOUT BASIC BOARDSMAN-SHIP is the third volume in the New Jersey SchoolBoards Association's series of texts designed to provideschool board members with the basic information theyneed to perform their tasks succssfully.

This volume endeavors to impart a "feel" for and abroad understanding of the role of the school boardmemberits scope, its limitations, its responsibilities,its potential pitfalls, and the opportunity it offers to laycitizens to make an important contribution to' educa-tion in New Jersey. We hope it will bring added knowl-edge to our school trustees as well as an added under-standing of the impact of their efforts on the lives ofour children.

The association extends its grateful appreciation tothe author, 13. Robert Anderson, for helping us toproduce a volume worthy of a place on every boardmember's bookshelf.

Mark W. Hurwitz, Executive DirectorNew Jersey School Boards Association

Trenton, New JerseyJuly, 1974

5

Contents

Chapter 1The Human Side of Boardsmanship

Chapter IIOrganization of the Local Board. 9

Chapter IIIThe Board and Its Advisors 19

Chapter IVThe Board and Crisis 29

Chapter VStudents and the Educational Environment 35

Chapter VISchools Run on Money 43

Chapter VIISchools as a Physical Environment 53

Chapter VIIIThe Board as an Employer 61

Chapter IXThe Flow of Educational Policy 71

Epilogue 77

Chapter I

The Human Side ofBoardsmanship

Congratulations! You are 'a member of a board ofeducation and entitled to all the respect, honor, andprestige which accompany the position. Whether youwere appointed or elected to office you will soon discerna changing relationship with your friends and neighbors.One new board member could not help but notice hisnew-found prominence. "Two of my kids have been inSara Smith's classes. We're sort of friends, even been outtogether socially. Now, all of a sudden I'm a boardmember and she starts calling me Mister."

There is a good reason for people to suddenly treatyou with a certain amount of awe. Although you areessentially the same human being, a magic transforma-tion took place on March 1, when you were sworn intooffice. (Elected boards are sworn in the Monday follow-ing election.) You have accepted the heavy burden ofguiding the education of the young in your community.Your friends and neighbors will allow you a brief spellto get your feet on the ground, but from that point onthey will expect you to have all .the answers to all theproblems which have plagued educators for hundredsof years.

Sometimes board members begin to question them-selves and their role. Do late night meetings add to thequality of education? Am I being effective? What dobuildings have to do with learning? Are there betterways for youngsters to gain knowledge? Why do I needall these headaches?

The answer to these questions is really quite simple.Stand outside the playground of an elementary schoolwhen the children are chasing a volley ball. Watch agroup of young men and women carry out ari experi-ment in a chemistry lab. Listen to the faculty discuss a

7

success story in helping a youngster "break through"to a new plateau. Education is excitement!! And youare involved because you share the thrills and joys ofhelping to provide the most exciting educational op-portunities for the young in your community. You area member of a hoard of education and that entitles youto a feeling of pride.

YOU Are ImportantOne of the first things a board member learns is

that he (or she) may not take an action as an individual.Your authority exists only when you act at an open andpublic meeting of the board. During a stroll down thehalls of one.of the schools you may he accorded a specialkind of treatment, but you have no authority to givedirections or orders.

In addition to this, there are a number of con-straints or! what you may or may not do as a boardmember. For instance, the State Legislature passes lawswhich deal with education. The commissioner of educa-tion rules on many cases and disputes and these trans-late into a !imitation on actions by local hoards. TheState Board of Education oversees the actions of thecommissioner of education and the State Depat ment ofEducation. The county superintendent exercises aliMited amount of authority. And certainly, there aremany restrictions on the board's authority when it comesto administering federal programs.

Beyond this you will hear, with a good deal of-justification, that teachers in the classroom an admin-istrators in their offices exercise a considerable amountof control. In the broadest sense this is interpreted as"academic freedom," that is, the right of the profes-sional and trained teacher to pursue his career with suf-ficient leeway to insure freedom.

Where then does the hoard member fit into thisstrange amalgam of controls and constraints? As a matterof fact, the board member may he the king pin, thechange agent, the facilitator of innovation. Because,inherent in all these ri.Atrictions is the "concept of dele-gated and voluntarily shared legislative authority:* And

2

this is what makes "boardsmanship" such an invigorat-ing challenge. YOU are part of the steering mechanismwhich helps these disparate groups come together forthe purpose of "providing the best possible education."

When all is said and done, the notion of lay controlof education prevails and you are the central focus of theeffort to provide the young in your community withvital education. Boardsmanship is merely the style ofleadership required to best carry this concept forward.

The Board As A Government Agency

As an "on site" trustee for the schools in your com-munity you are a direct representative of the State ofNew Jersey. Within the legislative framework the boarddoes control education. To that extent it is a s.,olificantbody 'in the whole galaxy of concerned agencies rangingfrom the national government, the state government,the county government, and even the government ofyour own specific municipality. Although each leveladds inputs to the educational scheme, ultimately theproblems in and around education fall on your shoul-ders.

It is important at this juncture to take note of one ofthe overpowering problems of boardsmanship. Oftenyou will be subjected to the declaration that: "We oughtto do such and such because it is for the good of educa-tion in our community."

Beware of this expression. It means different thingsto different people. Educators, professionals, experts,and 'mud members have been wrestling with this ques-tion for decades. Every few years a new theory arises toassault educators and board members, or a panacea issuggested which will solve all the problems of education.Obviously if such solutions were as self-evidently effec-tive as their proponents claim, everyone would subscribeto them. The only thing we know for certain is that thepursuit of excellence in education is a long race. Howclose we are to the goal line is uncertain, but the raceitself is stimulating, and you are now in a position tolead the pack.

93

Goals and Continuity

. A noted college president has said: "It is as difficultto move educators as it is to move a cemetery." There isa good deal of truth ill this statement, but there is also agood deal of merit to the idea that education and theeducational system have a continuity all their own. Someschool districts change more rapidly than others. If theclimate of the community is conducive to change,change will occur. How you. respond to your community,how you read the signs which point to the need forchange is aviother and more personal matter. However,whatever it is you are doing, your children will have tolearn to survive in the larger world. How you educatethem to cope with the burgeoning problems of the largersociety may wtall be your most important contribution asan educational leader in your community.

Somewhere between moving too quickly andmoving too slowly is the proper pace for you and yourchildren. Does that mean you should always follow otherschool districts? Not necessarily. Because one of theprime responsibilities of board members is to imple-ment their own idea of the direction the schools shouldtake. Are you on the right track?

In trying to explain this concept to his board onenight, a superintendent posed the question: "Supposeyou were going to London. Suppose, in fact, you wantedto visit 'number 40 Bowling Green Lane. And supposeyou wanted to he there by November 17 at 10 o'clock inthe morning. How would you accomplish this?'

There followed a lengthy discussion of arrange-ments to get to the airport, flight pifiviselransportat ionto Bowling Green Lane, and all of the problems at-tendant to making such a trip. "Okay," smiled the super-intendent. "Now let's talk about where we want to gowith our school system."

"That's easy," said a hoard member. "We want toprovide the best possible education for our children."(There it is.)

Another board member answered, We want ourkids to be able to read arid write and do arithmetic."

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Still another added, "We have to equip them todeal with society."

All noble and significant thoughts, but not the onlykind of goals befitting a hoard of education. Your job isto maintain the continuity of education, to developgoals which arc reasonable enough to be accomplishedand broad enough to present a challenge. Vague gener-alities will not suffice. Boardsmanship implies that youwill bring to your colleagues some sense of the on-goingnessthe continuum of education.

Every hoard has (or should have) a statement ofbroad philosophies. These must be reduced to measur-able goals and objectives. Within the confines of thesephilosophic statements boards can determine immedi-ate, short range, and long range objectives.

Here are three questions to ask about every poten,tial objective:

1 Does it have a time limit?2Is the end result clearly stated?3"Do we have a way to evaluate the results?An example of objectives which are meaningful

might read:"By (date), (percent) of the children will be ex-

posed to a drug training program and exhibit (percent)understanding of the content."

Or, "By the close of the school year, (percent) ofgrades one, two, and three will have participated inthe county-sponsored environmental education pro-gram and demonstrate (percent) comprehension."

One management and educational consultant saysit more succinctly. If you don't know where you aregoing, any road will get you there." The purpose ofgoals and objectives is to maintain the continuity ofeducation and where possible to improve the quality of

- education.

Group Dynamics and Decision Making

Since individual members may not take acticnother than in a public meeting, how does a board ofeducation make decisions? You are about to becomeinvolved in one of the most provocative decision-making

5

systems of our time; you will he part of the group dy-namicSby which a hoard of education functions.

The basis for effective group dynamics is that "thewhole 1s gred.t ,.n. than the sum of its parts." In otherwords, the collective decision of the board should bebetter than any decision arrived at by individual mem-bers of the board. This concept is exciting, but it re-quires an understanding that every individual hassomething. to contribute. Moreover, it is a positiveapproach to decision-making. Group dynamics placesall the participants on the same .side of the fenceitavoids confrontation or adversary positions.

At first you may find this concept uncomfortable.After all we each come from a background which sug-gests that the individual is supreme. However, in agroup dynamics situation the individual joins withothers in a positive sense to seek the best overall result.The individual gains strength by sharing with his boardcolleagues. When you are iri,olved in group dynamicswith your hoard of education you will find yourself pre-occupied and absorbed. It's a delightful feeling.

There are two rules which will help you cope withthe group dynamics process as it operates on your boardof education. The first rule is to he completely honest.If you feel strongly about a subject, express yourselfopenly and honestly. The second rule is to address your-self to school problems objectively, not subjectively.That is, don't let. personalities enter into your thinking.Speak to the matter at hand--not to the person who haspresented the matter.

Whom Do You 'Represent?

Some people run for board positions because theyfeel they represent a particular point of view or a partic-ular group. Others may he appointed to the hoard toprovide "balance" or representation from a cross-sectionof the community.

If you have any idea of running for reelection, orof seeking reappointment on the basis of representingparticular interestsforget it!!! Before your first twomeetings are over you will come to the realization that

you represent the entire community, Decisions madeby the board affect every child. Even a decision to im-plement a progr:Im for the "gifted child- has an impactof the less gifted. Whatever balance your board maywish to apply to these decisions will he up to you andyour colleagues. There will be little chance to identifywith a special interest group. All groups must be servedin the best possible fashion. Many times you will feeltorn between programs which you favor and programswhich serve the larger need. As indicated earlier, yourpersonal decisions and your reactions in a group dy-namics situation should be laced with honesty and ob-jectivity. It's the way most board members respond andin the end it is the most gratifying, You speak for ALLthe children.

The right approach to boardsmanshipthe appro-priate attitudes and methodscan lead to a happy ten-.ure on the board of education. At first, the overwhelm-ing impact, the realization of the importance of whatyou are doing will cause you to sublimate your personalfeelings, but they may emerge later with even greaterstrength. Reactions from your friends, neighbors, andcolleagues will buoy your spirits, and ultimately yourindividual importance and contribution to educationalexcellence will shine through. You will find goal-settingand group dynamics to he a mind-stretching exercise.And the proof of a job well done will manifest itself onthe faces of youngsters who smile while they learn.

Good Luck.

13 7....a.1111111111./.1010111

r

Chapter I I

Organization of theLocal Board

It all gets together on M'rch 1 for appointed boardsor on the Monday following the board election forelected boards. Each year the board of education isreorganized, and yet the forward motion of educationis not deterred. A brief moment is reserved for theofficial act of swearing in new members, and the elec-tion of officers. At a regular board meeting, other actionsmay be taken.

There is a distinction between the function of aboard of education and its structure. The authoritygiven local boards by the Legislature is detailed in broadstatements. How the board operates is its own businessand this structure can be as complex or simple as theboard members desire. The right to govern itself isspecifically delegated by the Legislature. This is onesegment of lay control of the school board.

Probably the most important piece of business atthe organization meeting is the election of a presidentand a vice president. Healthy boardsmanship suggeststhat older board members ought to explain in detailwhat is about to take place. In fact, courtesy demandsthat a new board member be informed of the naturalprogression of events before he is asked to participate inthe selection of his leaders. There should be little"politicking" for the office of president. However, arealistic view tells us that some board members activelyseek and find the position of president very satisfying.In practice, the ranking board member, the person whohas served five, ten, Or twenty years, or the individualwith the most friends, is elected to the top post. Duesthis make sense? You will have to decide that for your-self. There are no stated rules with regard to the oldestmember being the leader and some boards have even

9 I.4

limited the number of years a person may serve in thatposition.

In many instances committee appointments aremade at the organization meeting. This suggests thatthe president knew beforehand and had weighed theabilities of his peers. If the committee assignments arealready prepared this will give you some immediateinsight into the person you have elected president.

Board Leadership

The authority of the president of a board of educa-tion is no greater than the authority of any individualmember. In practice he (or she) is allowed more author-ity by constituent members because of the need to make''small" decisions. The president is in frequent, if notdaily, contact with the superintendent and may counselor advise him with the fair assurance that the board willback his position. You and your colleagues will be welladvised to define the types of "small" decisions theboard president may make without your approval.

Management, administration, or leadershipcallit what you willcan be separated into three maincategories. An examination of these styles will be usefulin determining which style exists on your board andwhich style you and your fellow hoard members prefer.

Authoritative: Some board members lean back intheir seats and say; "We run the schools. We'll makethe decisions." It's fairly clear from the body of legisla-tion and the other constraints which exist that the boardof education only partially runs the schools. Yet, someleaders (presidents and hoard members alike) take anauthoritarian point of view. When a president operatesin an authoritarian fashion, he creates a specific atmo-sphere. This type of person will usually initiate anydiscussion of a problem by saying, I thinkHaving stated his position the other board members areallowed to add their thoughts, but frequently areafraid to buck the president. Why? No one is quite cer-tain. When you attend conventions or state-wide meet-ings you will surely hear of board presidents who "lead"in this manner.

510

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Human Relations: A little better: than the authori-tarian is the person who welcomes other and diversepoints.of view with a friendly gesture. An aura of well-being is generated, but the inputs of freshmen hoardmembers are generally discounted from the outset. Thissame attitude creates public board meetings where thepublic viewpoint is "abided.- There is little differencebetween the authoritarian and the human relationsstyles. One simply appears more friendly. If you feelpatronized, you are being made to feel good aboutdecisions with which you disagree.

Participative: A truly participative board is onein which everyone feels free to openly discuss everyissue. Actually, the group dynamics of hoardsmanshipworks best in a participative situation. The possibilityof threat is removed because board members are meet-ing together to seek the best possible solutions to prob-lems. This type of discussion will find the presidentsoliciting the opinions of every board member, reserv-ing his own until last. All views will be adequately airedbefore decisions are made. It's a thrilling atmospherebecause each and every board member has the oppor-tunity to make his thoughts known without fear ofrecrimination. As we indicated earlier; "The whole isgreater than the sum of its parts.-

Unfortunately, unless the private and public meet-ings of the board are conducted in a participative style,the more concerned hoard member will soon find him-self in the position of becoming a gadfly or a dissident.It's an unhappy position but certainly one that needsthinking about. Do you want to be heard or will youremain silent and permit things to pass with which youdo not agree? Now you conduct yourself in these tryingsituations is all part of boardsmanship. "Peace at anyprice hardly seems a worthwhile goal.

Interaction among board members can often leadto hot arguments. When attacks are confined to issuesand .not to personalities, board members of differingviewpoints can leave an executive session arm-in-arm,with no one losing face or friendship and admirationfor any other. What better way to characterize thisattitude than to quote Voltaire. "I disapprove of what

you say, but 1 will defend to the death your right to sayit."

Information-gathering for Board Decisions

Before any board can make a decision it must havecomplete and reliable information. An axiom of businessand education is: "The more information, the better thedecision. To gather information, hoards may opt touse a committee system. Since the board is a relativelysmall body (five to nine members) a committee of thewhole by which members are drawn together to investi-gate a particular problem is one acceptable method.One advantage to this method is that every member ofthe hoard is exposed to the information in the samefashion and at the same time. It's amazing how evenunder these conditions board members will not agree onwhat they heard. However, it does give every memberthe same opportunity to hear detailed facts.

A more widely accepted system is the use of specialor ad hoc committees. Two or three members may beassigned the task of investigating a specific situation andthen report hack to the entire board. For instance, thehoard member who is in the insurance business is gen-erally asked to look over the board insurance policies.This sounds reasonable, but actually it may he unfair toplace him in that position. After all, he may he highlyskilled and competent, but he nonetheless has his ownpoint of view. Or take the situation where an advertisingexecutive on the board was asked to draw up a publicrelations program. He responded by saying to the den-tist who was president of the board: "My ideas may notmeet with the approval of my fellow hoard members.After all, would you fix their teeth?"

This flip answer made its point. If the hoard con-tinually draws on only those people who seem to have"expertise" in a particular area, it diminishes the op-portunity to draw on all the resources of the hoard, theprofessional staff, and the community. In addition, itprevents hoard members who are interested in joining acommittee but have little knowledge from expandingtheir knowledge and participation in certain board

12

activities. In brief, if committees are formed and theatmosphere is one of participation, then meth( rs oughtto be allowed a good deal of say in regard to the com-mittees on which they prefer to serve.

The executive or working session of the board is aprivate meeting where problems can Iu freely andopenly discussed. The atmosphere is informal, evendress codes are set aside. Here is where most viewpointsare set and a foundation is laid for later decision-making. Between the private work session and thepublic voting session many thing. may happen. If theboard is divided on an issue at the private meeting thismight be a sign that further investigation and discussionare necessary. However, a public vote in which theboard does not come to a unanimous decision is notsuch a terrible thing. After one open meeting a boardmember who voted "no" was publicly congratulated bythe audience. It was the first dissenting vote in threeyears. However, once a vote is taken all members mustsupport it.

Depending on the size of your school districtwhich may determine the complexity of your problemsa briefing session may be in order. 'Since educationand its problems are constant it may be impossible forthe superintendent to reach every board member torelate the latest information. Your board may decide tomeet for half an hour before the regularly scheduledpublic meeting for a briefing. Data presented at thistime should be factual (and written) and there should beopportunity for asking questions. This is not the timeto enter into cross-discussion and the board presidentshould discourage the statements of opinions if, in fact,this is a briefing session.

The type of informal meetings your board holds isunimportant. What is important is that every boardmember be kept informed about what is going on.CAUTION: Many board presidents favor using a "tele-phone poll L) secure necessary support for a position.Beware! The secretary who calls may or may not con-vey all the information, More iniportant, you will beasked to decide without the benefit and insights of yourfellow board members. Don't forget, you may be swim-

ming in uncharted waters and the directions affordedby your colleagues could prevent future grief. Besides,any decision ,vhich has to be reached that rapidly issuspect.

Tapping Human Resources

One expression which constantly pops up duringworking sessions of the board is, "We've done it this wayfor twenty years." Thrown out as a magic wand, thisstatement is supposed to solve and resolve all problems.All it really does is fill the new board member with fearsand trepidation that he is a dope. While it is true thathistory is a great teacher, it is part of boardsmanship tolearn from history and not repeat the same mistakes.Remember, schools used to be built of wood, audio-visuals were unknown, and television had not yet ap-propriated the minds of our young.

TO get at the facts, your board of education has avariety of resources. First, there is the knowledge andunderstanding of the administrative staff and faculty.They represent the educational inputs which will aidyou in making decisions. As time passes you will un-doubtedly gain great respect for their professionalabilities. Framing educational programs, keepingabreast of emerging ideas, actually teaching children,and maintaining a sense of what is important are partof the challenge faced by professional educators. Theyare on the firing line and usually are very happy andpleased when board members show that their opinionsare valued.

By the way, don't neglect the custodians, main-tenance people, secretaries, and helpers in your schoolsystem. They offer a somewhat different point of view,one frequently loaded with information not attainablefrom any other source. Their recommendations ought tohe sought and as we shall discuss later, they can easilybe formed into a "team."

Out in the community is a veritable gold mine ofinformation. How your parents and other citizens in thecommunity view the schools and the kinds of data theycan provide will astound you. If you conceive of this

14 1.9

public as a segment which you are to serve, then surelyyou have an obligation to listen to what they have tooffer. All complaints are not mere carping. Many are aplea for improved education.

Another external source of information is the NewJersey School Boards Association. A highly skilled andprofessional staff of educators, lawyers, former boardmembers, and public relations experts will respond toyour call for help. Then theft are the county superin-tendents and the state Department of Education whichhas many highly knowledgeable professional staff mem-bers. And the expanding Educational ImprovementCenters (EIC) throughout the state can provide informa-tion on any subject. All you have to do is ASK.

Finally, your colleagues on the board are an excel-lent resource. This small group will usually be as diverseas the community itself, a microcosm of your society.They will come from different walks of life, representvarying religious and ethnic backgrounds, and havetheir individual life styles. Tap these resources to thefullest possible extent.

Open Board Meetings

Under the law the business of the board of educa-tion must take place in public. When called together asa group the board takes on a new aurasuddenly youbecome a rule-making, policy-making body. However,what you do is open to public comment and publicscrutiny.

To maintain order and decorum, most schoolhoards adopt Roberts Rules of Parliamentary Procedure.You may recall helping high school or college friendsput together a constitution. Well, Roberts Rules aregenerally accepted as the basis for conducting meetings.Boardsmanship requires that you acquaint yourself withthese rules.

Roberts Rules provide procedures for properlycarrying out necessary motions, as well as for haltingaction. Motions to "table" are always in order if it is thesense of the board that the time or timing for certainactions appears inappropriate. Depending on the leader-

dr,r&As'LA5

ship style of your president, these rules may be amendedor "slightly bent." Don't confuse a change or alterationin "how" you conduct a meeting with the absolutenecessity to act in a legal fashion. Often the two becomeconfusing. One school hoard met privately and decidedto offer a contract to a new teacher. At the next publicmeeting, two weeks later, the formal motion was made.However, immediately after the first meeting the super-intendent had the contract signed. Parliamentary cor-rect. Legally wrong. Who knows what informationmight have come to the surface before the official actionwas taken?

Every open meetingas well as informal meetingsshould have an agendaa detailed statement of thebusiness to he covered and how it will be handled.Agendas and back-up materials should be sent to boardmembers in advance, and should be available to thepublic. No agenda is complete without supporting in-formation to substantiate action by the board. Eventhough this information was given to the board inprivate, it should also be available to the public.

The public may participate in the meeting at thediscretion of the board. Good sense indicates that unlessthe public is given the facts and allowed its voice, itwill seek other avenues of expression. The public shouldbe invited to ask questions, state opinions, and offerdissent at a time predetermined by the board. Objec-tions from the floor help the public to find out what isgoing on. They are road signs to better understandingand should be so treated. If you accept them as personalattacks not only will you antagonize your public, youwill be missing a wonderful opportunity to have themshare in the decision-making process.

The right, indeed the mission, of the school boardis to make decisions. Allowing the community, theprofessional staff, and outside agencies to offer opinionsand suggestions is not an abdication of authority. It'sgood boardsmanship to involve as many people as pos-sible in the decision-making process. Everyone wants avoice in decisions which affect their lives.

Effective boardsmanship implies a true under-

16

standing of the limits of your authority. Moreover, itsuggests that you understand the different styles ofleadership. If you're not happy with your leadership,seek to change it, because the atmosphere created byyour president will certainly spill over into the publicportions of your deliberations. Along the way you havea responsibility to exhaust the many sources of informa-tion available to you. Getting the facts can he easily asimportant as making decisions. At some time you willbe called upon to back up your position and nothingwill strengthen your position more than facts. One otherway to show strength is to ask and seek divergent opin-ions. if you listen to only one drummer, you'll march toonly one tune. Education is too fascinating to restrictyour visions to a single point of view.

221

Chapter III

The Board and Its Advisors

Probably by now you are somewhat confused bythe swirl of activity taking place. The schools seem tobe doing their job, faculty and administrators aremoving forward, and the new hoard members are tryingto catch their breath. You have a feeling of importance,and yet nobody seems to really need you. What the heckare you supposed to he doing?

Education, despite its high purpose, is still a busi-ness. It requires money, talent, productivity, a methodto judge the quality of what is taking place, a lot ofguidance. The real task of boardsmanship--is to gently.escort and prod the massive effort already under way.Remember, you can't change things overnight and inthe end you may be able to only slightly alter the courseyour school district is taking. To help you make thesedecisions you have a number of advisorsexperts inresidence.

These experts, the superintendent of schools, hoardattorney, board secretary, and business manager (ifyour district is large enough to have all these) are thereto help you make good decisions. Let's examine how youcan become involved in decisions and what the resultsmight be.

At a- work meeting a superintendent said to thehoard, We have a request from the ABC Drum andBugle Corps to use our gym for practices. What do youthink we ought to do?"

This seems like an honorable request. However, ifthe board acts upon the request at an open meeting, itmust do so by motion. At this point you have to questionyourself: "Are we acting in accordance with existingpolicy? Do we have a policy to deal with this request? Ifnot, why not?" Assuming the board does act on themotion, you must ask yourself: "Have we created anew policy?"

23 i9

There is another way to handle this question. Ilavethe superintendent make' an administrative' decisionthat is, push the decision-making process down theladder. Boards should not make day-to-day decisions.Rather, if the problem is not covered by your existingpolicy manual. appoint a committee to study buildingusage and establish a broad policy under which thesuperintendent will have the authority to make thenecessary decision. If you occupy your time makingthese kinds of decisions you'll soon find the board, notthe administrative staff, is running the schools.

Another way of visualizing the job of boardsman-ship is to picture yourself as in the top echelon of a majorcorporation. You conic together monthly to reaffirm thetrust you have placed in your administrative team. Fromtime to time you will give the team further instructions,based on information they and others have presented toyou. The difficulty in assuming this attitude is that youmust live in the district, probably have children in theschools, meet parents at the supermar":et, and are con-stantly beseiged by citizens who think you ought to hedoing something or other. You can avoid most of theseproblems by listening carefully to your constituents andreplying: "The superintendent has the responsibility todo that,- Which brings us to-the most important singlejob of boardsmanship.

Selecting a SuperintendentFor a number of years school administrators, once

they achieved tenure, remained till the end of theirdays. The rapid growth of education over the last twodecades has seen a movement, usually upward, bycompetent principals and superintendents. Society hasbeen investigating new and different methods of learn-ing and this has increased the demand for experiencededucators. Even though you have inherited a superin-tendent of schools there is a pretty good chance you willhave the opportunity to search for a replacement.

We repeat, of all the things a school hoard does,nothing is as significant as selecting the right superin-tendent of schools.

20 24

The functions and responsibilities of the superin-tendent are clearly stated in the statutes. His (or her)ability and knowledge of these stated laws should not beassumed. You might draw a superintendent from out ofstate where laws vary. However, learning the laws andwhat they mean is only a matter of time and thereforeunfamiliarity should not deter you in making a choice.

The position of superintendent is one that is ex-tremely sensitive. This person is the chief operatingofficer of the school district and the prime source ofinformation to the board of education. Thus, you mightdraw up a list of attributes you desire in a leader of thissort. In addition you will want to create a job descrip-tion. If you thumb through your policy manual you'llprobably find an old job description. This is the appro-priate time for revision and updating. One way tohandle this problem is to state in broad terms what youwant the superintendent to do, and then ask the variousapplicants to describe how they visualize the job of thesuperintendent.

A step-by-step procedure should be established foradvertising, screening, interviewing, investigating, andmaking a final decision on this position. All check formsand information requests should be couched in objectivelanguage. Physical appearance should be way down onthe list of attributes. What is important is that the super-intendent "fit" your district and your hoard. The super-intendent can and should set the operating tone for theschools just as the board creates the atmosphere for theentire district.

The hoard of education can save itself a good dealof grief if a screening committee composed of teachers,principals, students, PTA, and members of the com-munity is involved in the selection. Conceivably thiscommittee would then submit a list of three or fivenames for final consideration by the board. This wouldtend to push the decision making to a lower level yet theboard would in no way abdicate its final authority tomake the choice.

Don't he afraid to spend some money to sendpeople to where the prospective superintendent served

#1"-"Jk2 1

in the past. In attention to Ghjective data, ask boardmembers for a subjective repo! t on how they think theperson's former community feels about the individual.There is no. end to the questions to be raised. Seekanswers from teachers, colleagues, bartenders, barber-shop owners, children, parents, etc. Remember, themore information you have, the stronger will be thebasis for your decision.

Perhaps some members of the board have hadexperience in hiring top personnel. If not, here are afew general rules. Take your time. Outside agencies andcolleges can provide you with a temporary superinten-dent. Prepare for a good deal of homework. Brief appli-cants on the philosophy of your school district and askhow they would carry these ideas forward. And last; asany good personnel officer will tell you, "Where a per-son has been is a pretty fair indication of where he isgoing.7

Selecting Other Administratorsand Advisors

It should be fairly obvious that having expendeda good deal of time and effort in the selection of asuperintendent you have established a pattern for theselection of other members of the administrative team.The search for principals need not be as rigorous if youhave picked the best person as superintend t. Thisholds true for other advisors such as curriculum coor-dinator. psychologist, hoard secretary, or businessmanager. You may have a little problem picking alawyer. The intricacies of school law suggest that itwould be advantageous to choose someone conversantwith this phase of law. The same is true with regard toa business manager. In our state this is an emergingposition and requires a good deal of experience in draw-ing up budgets and in defining the law, both state andfederal, with regard to funding programs.

Many responsibilities fall on the shoulders of schoolboard members, such as approval of hooks, curriculum,teacher tenure, guidance counsellors, and implementa-tion of innovative programs. Unless your staff people

22 26

have undergone meticulous scrutiny you will find your-selves doing a good deal of investigative work. In thelong run this is counter-productive. You should spendmost of your time studying reports from people in whomyou have confidence. This is the underlying principleof boardsmanship. Therefore, selecting the right team,the right mix of professionals, is the first step in makingboardsmanship a more enjoyable experience.

The Role of the Staff

Each member of the staff has stipulated responsibil-ities. The way in which these responsibilities are relatedto those of the board indicates effective or ineffectiveboardsmanship. An example can be seen in the report ofthe child study team. The superintendent submits amonthly or bi-monthly report of the team's activitieshow many cases are being handled, progress situations,new activities, etc.; then the board reacts to these re-ports. If these reports are not forthcoming with regu-larity then it behooves board members to request theinformation. An immediate response from the super-intendent will indicate that he is trying to supply youwith the necessary data. Repeated requests for informa-tion mean the superintendent has to be "jacked up."

The superintendent should he a prime transmitterof data and information. Reports of school incidentsshould be conveyed to the board even if no action iscontemplated. Since it is the superintendent's responsi-bility to know what is going on in the schools, he oughtto be able to keep the board well informed. Don't let thispipeline become clogged, as it too often does. Don'tbe dismayed If the superintendent says, "I don't know."Do be dismayed if he doesn't return with a full report.After all, he can't be everywhere all the time. When youraise a question he should investigate for you. He mustbe your eyes and ears. Once you lose confidence in himlook out.

Matters pertain'.ng to the budget and school ex-penditures fall to the board secretary. The secretary isalso charged with a number of other duties including theproper running of elections. It is interesting to note that

K'o 23

a board member usually approves bills for payment be-fore they come to the full board for approval. Thisprocedure leaves a lot to be desired. Delivery slips arepresented to the board, member and, based on receiptedcopies, the member approves the bills. That is, themember certifies that the material has been delivered.Who actually saw the material being delivered? Whocounted the items? Is that person reliable? A recentsituation where an oil delivery man was falsifyingdeliveries indicates why such questions should heraised. How did this happen? School districts are subjectto all the flim-flam tactics of dishoneq business people.Fortunately, this was a rare incident. However, thisdoes not relieve the board of the heavy responsibilityof being extra cautious with public: funds.

The duties and obligations of the business manageror business administrator are clearly enunciated in thestatute's. However, additional duties may be assigned tothe business manager. High on the list of is thepreparation and submission of the-litidget. Een thoughthe superintendent has great input into the budget,there are a number of areas in which the businessmanager has more knowledge. The relationship whichexists between the business manager and the hoardmembers should be cooperative but the superintendent,who is the board's own man, should have the final word.The board should never abdicate its authority.

The custodian of school moneys is the person whoactually handles the cash receipts of the school district.Usually the custodian of the moneys of the municipalityperforms the same duties for the school district. How-ever, in a regional or consolidated district, the boardcan appoint a suitable person, who may be a member ofthe board. A monthly report, proper accounting pro-cedure's, payroll, public notice or disposition of funds,and an annual report are all part of his responsibilities.Generally the board members have little interactionwith this person. His reports speak for themselves.

The school board attorney has a plush jobuntiltrouble arises. .School law has become so complex thatthis, too, is an emerging specialty. Within the past ten

24 pn

years the number and variety of school problems such asstudent treatment, tenure dismissal, violence, con-tracts, negotiations, and legal structure have requiredschool attorneys with great skill. The school attorneymay be called upon with relative infrequency for data orfacts. When your attorney is needed it will usually bein an emergency situation and he should be ready andable to serve your needs.

Job Descriptions and Evaluations

Although the state has stipulated most of the dutiesof the members of the administrative team, each in-dividual's activities may be as diverse as the boardindicates. As suggested earlier, the job descriptionshould be broad in its terms and the individual shouldalso be asked to define how he sees the position. Ifsomeone is assigned a responsibility for a job, he shouldbe given the authority to carry out that job. This iswhere many job descriptions fall apart. Since the boardis responsible for making decisions (particularly withrespect to money which requires a roll call vote) itultimately has complete control over everything hap-pening in the school. For example, if the school psychol-ogist is given the responsibility for testing, and theboard does not approve the tests he feels are needed tocarry out the job, then it cannot expect proper perfor-mance.

If the superintendent is instructed to prepare forIndividualized instruction and not given funds to studyand detail' the methods of implementation, he is power-less to perform his task. Be prepared, as part of hoards -manship, to give up some of your authority so thatimportant responsibilities can be fulfilled. Responsibilityand authority go hand in hand.

To judge whether or not your directives are beingcarried out you need a system of evaluation. The super-intendent of a fairly small district introduced his boardto 26 methods for evaluating programs. Among thesewere subjective essays, graphics, charts, critical in-cidents, check lists, field reviews, ranking, work stan-dards, and management by objectives. Certainly a

'925

major part of hoardsmanship is to establish the tech-niques by which to evaluate what is going on in yourschool system. No system is perfect, but some system isneeded. Each time you are asked to vote on an issue youshould know what has happened. What were the goals?Did you meet them? How successful were they? If youdon't know where you are going, any road will get youthere.

There are even those who feel that hoards them-selves should be evaluated. Who should do the evaluat.ingteachers, administrators, children, PTA, citizens,county officials, state officials, federal officialsor thehoard itself? The main purpose of evaluation is to im-prove school operations. If you think everything youare doing is perfect, then evaluation can either confirmor deny your judgment. If you feel you are not doing aswell as you should, evaluation can tell you where youneed improvement.

The Management Team

Can you imagine a football team not following thedirections of the quarterback? Or the quarterback notfollowing the game plan of the coach? In education theanalogy is similar. The board of education creates policylevel plans for the conduct of the school. Administratorscall the shots on the field. That's one of the reasons whylines of communication between them must be open andfriendly.

As school districts grow in size it is evident that asingle quarterback (the superintendent) may not be ableto zero in on all the miscues of the individual players(teachers, etc. ). So the field control is taken over by a"team." How this management team should operate hasbeen the subject of considerable discussion from whichhas emerged a consensus on how the management teamshould function. The process is similar to the groupdynamics which occur at the board level.

It is appropriate to consider the management teamat this point because they are also the advisors to theboard. One of the principles of the management team isthat all personnel must engage in a system of open

26 30

communications. This means that each and every ad-ministrator is completely conversant with school prob-lems and with how the team wants to deal with theseproblems.

Other benefits accrue because the entire team isinvolved in making the operating decisions which affecttheir daily lives. This in no way detracts from theauthority of the superintendent or the board becausethe team gains direction from the board through thesuperintendent. Moreover, since the team sets plansand objectives and designs evaluative systems the boardis always in complete control.

If your dist..ict opts for the management teamconcept you will find that all the suggestions advancedhere for boardsmanship also apply to the administrativefunction. When a member of the team comes before thehoard he will he acting in concert with the other mem-bers of the team. And all energies will be directedtoward solving educational problems, not personalityproblems.

The board of education usually has a number oftalented administrators and staff people available foradvice and counsel. These people are there to developand present cogent position statements so that boardmembers can make better decisions. If they can operatein a friendly, cooperative manner the quality of theinformation presented to the board will rise appreciably.

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Chapter IV

The Board and Crisis

A story about Clemenceau, the French PrimeMinister during World War I, relates his answer to thequestion, How do you cope with the many pressuresof government." His response, For a change of pace Idevote my energy to a different crisis."

School board members may from time to time feelthey too can find relief only by dealing with differentcrises. The titles of some leading books on educationcontain the word "crisis". "Crisis in Black and White,"and "Crisis in the Classroom," are examples. Other titlessuch as "Why Children Fail," and "Black Protest"imply crisis.

Board members will face crisis situations. However,the fact that board members may act only as a group ata public meeting affects how you deal with crisis. Theseemingly unwieldy structure of boards can turn out tobe an advantage because it deters rapid decision-makingand forces board members to delay immediate action.

Perhaps a definition of crisis is needed here.According to the Random House Dictionary, a crisis isa stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of allfuture events, especially for better or worse, is deter-mined; a turning print." Examination of this definitionshould help every board member to gain perspective, todetermine where the current Imisis lies in the "sequenceof events."

Many businesses and educational systems adopt a"management by crisis" methodology. They makedecisions and take positions only when a crisis arires.Waiting for a groundswell of opinion to force you toact is not necessarily wrong. However, from a historicalpoint of view better decisions are made when the policy-making agency, be it business or education, recognizesthat crisis is building and prepares to cope with it beforethe last moment.

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Key Elements of a Crisis

If we recognize crisis as a sequence of events, thenthe hoard must examine all the events and determinewhich are the symptoms and which are the causes. AsWilliam E. Woodward wrote about George Washington,"The turning point of lives are not the great moments.The real crises are often concealed in occurrences sotrivial in appearance they pass unobserved.**

Let's take a practical example. A board memberreceived an urgent phone call telling him of an attack on

a teacher by a high school student. Crisis! Is immedi-

ate action in order? Well, maybe it is and maybe itisn't. Before trading in your boardman's cloak for theblack robe of a judge you'd better find out more aboutwhat took place and the events leading up to the finalattackif in fact there was an attack.

If your superintendent has been given authority,he may already have taken appropriate steps in regardto the matter. As we have seen, he can have that author-ity only if the board has backed him with adequatepolicy or given him the administrative muscle to make

the decision. If he has no guidelines he may or may notact on his own. Is that what you want? You decide.

A crisis may call for an administrative decision,such as suspending a student from school. Presumablyboard policy will determine whether the superintendenthas the power to act or whether the hoard has lockedhim into a position in which he is unable to act.

It is important that the hoard consider whether ornot the situatiqn is covered by school policy. If it is notif the hoard has not considered the possibility of astudent attacking a teacherthen policy action is re-quired. There is no way that a board can anticipate allthe possible crises. But, it stands to reason that themore crises it has considered beforehand, the fewer willhe the types of confrontations which result. in fearsomepublicity and a rush to action.

High on the list of considerations by hoard mem-bers is whether they should enter the fray. In earlierportions of this book we have suggested that decisionsought to he pushed down the ladder to lower operating

333()

levels. When the board moves into a situation it has theeffect of bringing up the big guns. Decisions reached atthe hoard level must he taken gingerly because of theirfar-reaching effect. This is not to say that hoard deci-sions cannot be challenged. They can be brought beforethe commissioner of education, the State Board ofEducation, or finally to the courts. The point is that theboard is the highest decision-making body at the locallevel, and policies or administrative positions must becarefully studied to anticipate their possible effect.

All of which raises the question, at what pointdoes the hoard make a decision? Do the hoard memberswait until they have a "feel" for the situation and areready to act? Timing is very important. Many stormsvanish in the night or drift into minor disturbances. Inthe old west, an immediate response was known as"shooting from the hip."

As one legal expert has pointed out, "A crisis is likea play, and perhaps we should wait for the denouement,that moment of revelation which clarifies the situation,If our timing is right we will see the outcome of theplot."

Effective Crisis Management

A new board member, in trying to describe herposition, said: Boardsmanship is managing change."

As you mull over this definition perhaps you toowill share this opinion. The function and structure ofeducation is a series of never-ending changes and as aboard member you are part of the process. Crisis, whenit comes, is just another form of change.

If crisis foretells change, then the way to effectivelymanage that change is within an established framework.The first step is fact-finding, What do we know aboutthe situation? Where can we get data to help guideus in making a decision?

The board has the authority to conduct hearingsand investigations. The board even has the legal rightto call witnesses to give testimony under oath. In addi-tion, the board may decide to hire a private investigatoror call upon the resources and knowledge of local col-

34 31

leges or other educational organizations. Certainly, ifthe situation is one that directly concerns students theyshould be called to offer opinions and testimony. Thepublic should be equally involved. In brief, the boardshould avail itself of as much help and information as it

can reasonably gather.What are the limits of fact-finding? Realistically

there are none. Time and the existing situation will help

you determine how much effort to expend. During this

entire period the individual board member should re-frain from drawing a conclusion and further refrain fromissuing statements to the press. Remember, as an indi-

vidual you have no authority, Only when you join withyour fellow hoard members can you act in an official

capacity. As to the notion of secrecy, this representsanother part of the framework for dealing with crisis.

If there is ever a time when good public relationsare needed, it is during a crisis. Suffice it to say thatsecrecy is abhorrent in our society, particularly whendealing with so all-encompassing a subject as educationand the local schools. There are undoubtedly timeswhen the board will consider personnel files and subjectswhich are best kept under wraps, but except in casesinvolving these matters your actions as a hoard membershould he completely open.

Let's digress for a moment. Of course, as a boardmember you will counsel with your colleagues on manysubjects in private before reaching decisions and con-clusions. As you leave these gatherings certain membersmay say: "Let's keep this among ourselves. No need to

get the public involved at :tis point." Although, thismay seem a logical stance to take, don't succumb tosuch a temptation. It is a short-sighted position becauseultimately you will have to confront the public. Youlive in the glaring light of public opinion.

For these reasons you should consider holdingpublic hearings. If this is not possible, then the publicshould be kept completely informed of the testimonyand the depth of the board investigation. The more youtry to conceal what is going on, the more the publicwill become incensed and demand to know, Legallythey are on firm ground. 1".

32

At the same time it is important to reaffirm yourfaith in the faculty and administration. Special effortsshould be made to keep the management team abreastof data so that they may transmit this informationthroughout the entire system. Even the students, par-ticularly in high schools, should be told of the progressof the investigation. if this idea seems untoward, con-sider the results if, after two months study and investi-gation, you suddenly make an announcement. You willfind yourself in the position of having to answer thepublic anyway; why not involve them all along the way?

The third facet of effective crisis management ismaking a decision. Having gathered a significantamount of data, and created an open atmosphere ofinvestigation, the board has reached the point of takinga position. This, too, should be circulated to the public.There are a number of formulas for decision making.Check lists, subjective analysis, priority rating of data,long range analysis, etc., might all be employed. Theimportant thing is for all the board members to agreeon what method or methods to use. That way you will beable to assign emphasis where you agreed it is needed.Making decisions during or after a crisis can be a verytrying procedure. Nonetheless, they have to be made.

To insure that you have made a good decision,there must be a follow-up. Build into your decisionsmethods whereby the results can be monitored andevaluated. The very fact that you intend to measure thebenefits or results of your decisions will force you tomake better decisions.

Crisis as Part of Boardsmanship

Like marbles, crises come in different size, andwith varying degress of clarity. Some you can roll aroundin your fingers four or five at a time. Others must beheld up to the light with both hands to be truly appreci-ated.

Experience suggests th3 all crises must first beplaced in the total perspective of what your schoolsystem is seeking to accomplish. The first step is tomove back from the exploding situation and view it from

36 33

afar. Then gather the facts, as many as possible. As aboard of education you should deal with the largeraspect of crises. the policy types of decisions. Avoidmaking administrative decisions, but hack and supportyour administrator. If he errs, chalk it up to the fact thatnobody is perfect. If he defies you, treat that accord-ingly. Look upon a crisis as an opportunity to makedecisions which can bring about needed change in yourschools. Every challenge is an opportunity.

Decide when to decide. Avoid making spot deci-sions before all the facts are in. Again, during the entireprocess keep your public informed to the fullest extentpossible. When yt, have made your decision, initiatemethods to verify if the decision was a good one. Don'tthink you won't make mistakes; we all do. But create themachinery to check your own actions. This will build atremendous feeling of confidence within your .com-munity.

Also, since crises are like marbles they can rolltowards you or away from you. If you see them in othercommunities you might suspect they are on the way toyour school district. Thus, you might be able to spot acrisis forming and turn it into an opportunity for positiveaction by the school board and the administration. Youmight try asking your superintendent what clouds hesees on the horizon.

After you have played the game of boardsmanshipfor a while you will take crisis in your strideif you haveestablished a framework into which all problems can beslipped. A labyrinth is a labyrinth only if you don't havea map.

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Chapter V

Students and theEducational Environment

The authority of a school board member can beexhibited either positively or negatively. Nowhere isthis more evident than with regard to curriculum. Thismay be the single most important area of boardsman-ship, yet quite possibly the most neglected. The lawis very clear: "No course of study may be adopted oraltered except by a recorded roll call majority vote ofthe full school board. Textbooks are selected by a re-corded roll call majority vote of the full membership ofthe board and are loaned to pupils free of charge." Whosays boards of education don't have power?

One board member categorizes the curriculum asthe content of education, and buildings as the context.It is the responsibility of the board of education to dealwith, agree to, alter, diminish, and change, when itsees fit, the content of the education it offers to children.Despite the fact there are many limitations imposed bystate law, there are innumerable ways by which boardscan vary curriculum.

Many new board members are bent out of shapebefore they realize that determination of the course ofstudy is their peroptive. True, the state mandates acertain amount of American history, physical and healtheducation programs, observance of many holidays,and the sturdy of civics. But, the balance of the curricu-lum is in the hands of the board.

Every school year the board must vote on the cur-riculum and the books which go with it. Becal!se wehave confidence and trust in our professional ejucators,this entire gesture tends to become an oversized rubberstamp. When that happens it is because we fail to graspthe significance of our jobs as board members. Beforeyou approve anything, you had better be in a positionto know and understand what is happening.

:3535

Perhaps an examination of certain extremes willpermit you to focus on the problem. Every once in awhile a school hoard member will start to scream about,-r..adin'. rain'. and 'rithmetic,- as if he had suddenlydiscovered that a return to the basics of education is theanswer to the worlds' problems. Usually he will evenwant to go hack to McGuffy's Reader and throw out allthe -new fangled audio-visual junk.''

At the other end of the spectrum are those peoplewho think that electronic devices and new style class-rooms will insure proper education. Hopefully, goodboardsmanship will allow for both of these, and stillfind a happy middle ground. For your own peace ofmind and skillful hoardsmanship, you should adhereto two rules. First, examine the programs proposed byyour school administration. Second, gather as muchinformation as you feel you need to make a competent

In a recent -book burning- situation in the mid-west, hoard members ordered certain books destroyedafter having originally passed on their use. The greatesttragedy was that the removal of the hooks was orderedalthough the board still had not read the hooks. That'sright, you must pass on the use of all books and if youdon't know what's in themlook out.

The task of reviewing books is not nearly as hor-rendous as it sounds. If your hoard has a hook commit-tee, the number of proposed new texts will he relativelysmall. After all, your schools have been using certainbooks for a long time. It is a fair assumption that thesebooks have been in the system for a while and requireonly a casual review from time to time. It is when acurriculum change is proposed, or a new series of texthooks suggested that you, as a board member, assumeresponsibility. If the management team seems loatheto give you a full report on the book contents, then yourvote is wasted.

Take the case of a request for new hooks for thefifth grade. The principal asked for ninety hooks ata total cost of $300. Sounds reasonable. Realistically, therequest should have specified the name, publisher,

36 39

purpose, unit price, and been accompanied by a copyof the hook for the perusal of the board. You, the boardmember, are responsible for the approval of texts andany changes in curriculum. If you don't examine thebooks arid the curriculum, don't complain later whenthe public calls you to task for not fulfilling your job.

Program Controversy and Assessment

Up jumped a parent at a board meeting one nightand yelled, "The foreign language program is a disaster.Now could you permit this to happen?"

"What do you mean?" asked the school board presi-ident. I thought we were doing a great job.-

What followed was a mini-version of the type ofcontroversy school hoards all over the state must dealwith. Programs are started, the curriculum is changed,and out there the public is either completely lacking incomprehension or else possesses some information whichthe school hoard does not have at its disposal. In thisinstance, the irate parent had a child in the foreignlanguage class and the youngster had reported thatchaos reignedthat little learning was taking place.

Before reacting, the school board ought to add ameasure of leavening; there is no need to accept anaccusation just because it is offered. But, where newprograms have been instituted, there ought to he a wayto judge the degree of success. Over and over boardmembers will hear the same'refrain: Now do we assesswhat is going on?" The parent mentioned is entitled tosome sort of explanation and the explanation should hebased on factual data, not impressions from a classroom.

One of the most significant curriculum changes ofrecent years has been individualized instruction. Al-though subject matter remains essentially the same,there is change in the way it is presented, the waystudents learn, and the tntal concept of the classroom.Before a school system can adopt individualized instruc-tion, the board has to give its approval. If you, as ahoard member, are convinced that this technique willyield better educational results, your management teamshould be prepared to establish the methods cnd sys-

4,07

tems for determining the desired results. It's calledassessment.

When a parent qUestions Individualized instruction,the board can then respond by reciting the goals of theprogram, the stage it is in, and how successful theschool has been in implementing the program. Thewhole idea of evaluation or assessment is so simple it ishard to understand why boards do not insist that theirprofessional staff establish such procedures early in thegame.

Determining what your children should learn andthe best way to have them acquire knowledge is a seriousresponsibility. The framework for this effort consists ofingestion of data and facts, agreement to be open tochange, and a method to evaluate the effort. The boardof education sets the curriculum. Do not relinquishyoui control.

Student Attendance

Children romping in the school yard, or their oldersiblings sprawled across the campus of the high school,are very visible in our schools. However, there areother students who fall under the purview of the boardof educationthose who are handicapped because ofeither illness or some form of physical or mental dis-ability. The law clearly states that all children are en-titled to an education; in fact that from between theages of six to sixteen they must attend school. Specialprovision for free public education may be provided'cieginning at age five an.' through age 20.

Until a board member begins to consider specialcases, the law seems to be evenly applicable to all chil-dren. It soon becomes more even in its interpretationwhen you are called upon to pay for home instructionbecause a youngster cannot leave his bed. Or, you mayhave to send a youngster to a school outside your dis-trict to get an education which is not available to him inthe immediate vicinity. The board of education mustprovide an education to ALL children.

In addition, you are mandated to supply trans-portation. If the high school is more than two and a half

4138

miles from the home of the student, the school districtmust either provide buses, or pay for transportation bypublic accommo 4ation. If the elementary school is twomiles away from the home of the students, the schoolboard must provide some form of transportation.

This problem is multiplied now that the law hasbeen interpreted to include transportation to non-publicschools as well. In other words, even though .nne stu-dents attend a parochial or private school, your hoardis responsible for transportation. If there are no estab-lished transportation lines you have the option of reim-bursing the family up to $150 a year in costs. Obviously,boards elect the method which is least expensive.

The transportation formula is complex because aschool district which has the problem of transporting astudent to a special education center may find it con-venient to join with another district in an attempt toreduce the cost. These "jointures" join districts in aloose partnership with other school districts all over thecounty, and sometimes out of the county. The statereimburses the individual school districts for up to 75percent of the cost of transportation.

Some districts buy atid operate their own buses,while others rent buses on a contract basis. Buses holdabout 50 children and it is not uncommon for a districtwith 2,000 students to bus half that number. Thatmeans twenty buses, insurance, drivers, garages, andall the attendant problems.

It is easy to visualize the problems inherent intrying to establish some kind of racial balance in schooldistricts where dc facto segregation exists. The basiccost of busing is enough to drive any school board wild.The best intentioned board members balk when theyhave to come up with sizeable sums to cover the trans-portation costs involved in integrating schools.

Student Discipline

Now that you have a course of study, and you getthe kids to school on time, you are responsible for ensur-ing that they behave in a "proper" fashion. What's"proper?" Well, as times change, behavior modes

(12 39

change also. Remember, you used to do homework inthe calm and silence of your bedroom. Today's young-sters seem to study better with the stereo blaringloudly.

There are so many new rulings about what isacceptable behavior and students rights, that anythingsaid in this book is open to interpretation. Like the timean eighth grader came to school without socks. Theprincipal of the school took exception and after quite aspat, sent the kid homesuspended. Next day theyoung man was back in schoolstill without socks.

However, school boards can and do make rules.Recent months have found boards consulting with andlistening to students. Dress codes and acceptable be-haviors are worked out. This does not mean the schoolboard is without power. On the contrary, your manage-ment team has the authority to suspend a youngster for ashort period of time, but only the school board mayexpel a student. However, this is an appealable actionso, when in doubt, consult your school attorney.

Health and SafetyThere are many things the board must do to pro-

tect the children under their care. Fire drills, for in-stance, must be conducted twice a month. Accuratereports on how rapidly the schools are evacuated arerequired by law. Health examinations are also pre-scribed by law.

You will find such things taking place almost byrotethat is, they are carried out with little thoughtbecause the professional staff knows what must be done.However, checking the fire extinguishers, examining aschool building for safety precautions, and arranging formedical examinations are all part of boardsmanship. Asa safety measure, many high schools have allocatedspecial smoking areas for students. This raises both ahealth issue (smoking) and a safety issue (avoiding thepossibility of fire).

The Special Student

Education is an exciting enterprise, as we have

40/13

indicated earlier. One of the newer fields of investiga-tion has been the special child, the one with a slightphysical handicap. It is easy to recognize a learningdisability when a child has a severe physical handicap.What about the child who has a slight impairment insight or hearing? What do you do about that child?

Here's a fairly common complaint. Little Susie is inthe fifth grade but reads at the second grade level. Isthe teacher at fault? Is the system at fault? Lately wehave discovered that little Susie has an almost imper-ceptible eye disorder. Because she is unable to seeproperly, she is unable to learn to read properly. Whatdo you .do about it?

Fortunately, New Jersey is in the forefront in deal-ing with such problems. Legislation requiring childstudy teams and psychologists in school systems hasbeen well lived up to by local school hoards. Childstudy teams seek to identify those youngsters withspecial physical problems and to prescribe programs thatenable them to learn at a somewhat different pace.Special classes have been established for the neurologi-cally impaired, perceptually impaired, emotionallydisturbed, etc. Districts which cannot provide their ownspecial class, transport students to other nearby districts.Special educationeducation for the handicapped childis one of the male- problems confronting educationtoday.

In middle-class communities probably ten percentof the youngsters will he found to have learning dis-abilities. Buthold on to your hat in "disadvantaged"communities this figure may go as high as thirty percent.In other words, a fairly large number of youngsterscannot succeed in the usual educational atmosphere.They need some kind of special educational prescrip-tion and a different mode of learning.

As a school board member you are responsible forALL the children. Meeting the needs of all is part ofhoardsmanship. You are responsible for their education,transportation, behavior, safety, and health as well usfor additional needs requiring even more funds andmore attention. And don't forget those children withhigh intellects; you have to care for the gifted child also.

4 4 41

Student Activism

The last decade has seen a rise in the activity ofhigh school students in shaping their own careers androles in society. The authoritarian parent and schoolboard member views this increased activity with alarm.The more participative type of personality sees 1 as agreat learning process both for the young and for thehoard.

Who is to say whether boards of education shouldrule with an iron hand, or with receptiveness to change?That is up to you and your colleagues. Perhaps we canlearn from history. We proudly proclaim that our schoolsteach the idea of democracy. Can you teach democracyin the morning and practice dictatorship in the evening?If we are trying to impact the idea of freedom to thestudents, then shouldn't we demonstrate freedom in ourdealings with young people? Do we know what's best forthem simply because we are older? Don't forget, the lawnow says that an 18-year-old may he elected to a schoolhoard.

Student activism does not always manifest itself ina crisis situation. It may emerge in the form of demandsand requests for more say on how schools are run. Howfar your board goes with these requests is a matter oflocal option.

One way to think about your role as a board mem-ber is to visualize yourself as a parent responsible for anoversize family. All the problems of directing that familyexisthealth, safety, learning, and life itself. Thac'swhy it is important for board members to relate to oneanotherso they may cope with all the problems of thefamily called a "school."

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Chapter VI

Schools Run on Money

Money fuels the forward thrust of education.Progress and innovation can take place without money,but the major purposes of education are served withmoney. And it is through its use of availahle money thatboards exercise control over their school districts.

Funds for school operations come from four mainsources. The first is from state allocations. About sixteenpercent of total school budgets come from the state. Theformula is complex and there is little you can do aboutyour specific allotment. Data supplied by your districtdetermines the amount of revenue you will receive.

Federal funding comes in the form of "titles," Thisis part of school board jargon, and refers to educationalprograms supported by those large federal appropria-tions you read about in the newspapers. The Office ofEducation (OE) offers aid to local school districts whichinitiate special programs. These may take the form ofreading projects, summer programming, communityinvolvement, and all manner of educational innovation.So Intricate and elaborate are these funding programsthat even small school districts appoint someone on themanagement team to oversee and write programs.However, New Jersey schools receive less than five per-cent of their total operating funds from this source.

School districts which operate high schools andserve as "receiving schools" for smaller districts are paidtuition for those children. Regional high schools servingas receiving schools for a group of smaller districts aresupported by tuition charges assessed against each ofthose districts. Also, your district might have a percep-tually impaired class, or a neurologically impaired classwhich accepts students from other districts. Districtsare entitled to a tuition fee for those children. Thesecharges must be approved by the count'. superintendent

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and districts are not allowed to make a profit on theoperation.

The main source of school funding is the "localcontribution,- which accounts for close to eighty percentof operating funds. This is the amount of money yourconstituents, the taxpayers, produce to run the schools.After all the income has been examined, and necessaryoutgo has been determined, the remaining fiscal needsare expressed in the.form of the local property tax.

The whole notion of property taxes is currentlyunder scrutiny by the courts and decisions and counter-decisions are flowing forth. There is little question thatthe situation is fluid. Therefore, we suggest onlythat you keep your eyes and ears open to the changesforming on the horizon.

Where Does The Money Go?

The New Jersey School Boards Association hasaccumulated much information on how school moneysare spent. The following figUres are intended only as anoverviewa rough guide to where the money goes.Each school board must decide on how to spend themoneys available to its district. The data is for infor-mational purposes only.

Administration 2,9%Instruction 55.0%Attendance and Health 1.5%Transportation 2.8%Operations 6.7%Maintenance 2.6%Fixed charges 3.8%Capital outlay 1.2%

Debt service 5.6%improvement authorization 9.0%

The BudgetPPBSCost EffectivenessA budget is a statement of educational goals ex-

pressed in terms of dollars. Now that you and yourcolleagues have decided on the goals and objectives of

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your school system, you have to provide the wherewithalto carry out the programs. Although the state has fur-nished a pattern for how the budget should he stated,this need not limit your investigation. Basically, thebudget will he prepared on a "line" basis. This meanssimply that every item appears as a different line inthe total budget and the amount of money allocatedfor that line is stated. Obviously, by controlling theline items you effectively control school activity.

Budgeting and accounting experts have suggestedtwo additional methods whereby business and educationcan examine their budgets. The most popular is thePlanned Program Budgeting System (PPBS). Briefly, theentire cost of a specific programinstructional, re-source, secretarial, material, etc.is budgeted. Thepurpose is to enable hoard members to understand theactual, entire cost of a program, and to realize thatinstituting a change in the curriculum involves muchmore than merely allocating money for a teacher.

As an examplea superintendent recommendedthat French be introduced in grades seven and eight."The only cost," he said, "will he the expense of hiringone new teacher for about $9,000."

This seems reasonable, but actually it is completelyfallacious. The board was astute enough to realize that

. there would be expense for hooks, paper, supervision,the allocation of a room, rescheduling, etc. In otherwords, this simple program required a fairly substantialcommitment 'of resources. Using PPBS the superinten-dent could have given the hoard a realistic picture ofwhat the total program would cost.

A note of caution: PPBS is not a managementsystem, it is a management tool. It presents data andfacts in a fresh fashion and a new viewpoint. PPBS solvesno problems. It simply adds to the hoardman's perspec-tive.

Another accounting technique is termed "costeffectiveness." This is an extension of the PPBS ideawhich throws in a measure of "accountability." Assum-ing your school opts for a particular program and de-votes resources to that program, what are you going toget for your money? Suppose, for example, using a cost

,1.9 45

effective type of budgeting, you are able to determinethat your English classes in the high school cost $80 perpupil, shop classes cost $103 per pupil, and the newclass in career education costs $137 per pupil. Now youare in a better position to determine how to allocate your

resources.You might even carry this analysis a step further

and add in the results of the instructional programhow much an average student achieved during theschool year. Some board members feel this kind ofexamination is too difficult and that the whole thingought to be "left in the hands of the professionals.- Youhave to decide how deeply you want to get involved inyour school budget.

The Budget Meeting

Even though a school board may take action only inpublic, a number of budget workshop meetings willgenerally precede the open meeting presentation of thebudget. There are several ways to approach thismoment. The hoard should, very early in the game,give some direction to the superintendent. This couldtake the form of a philosophic discussion of the nature ofbudgeting, and what your district is trying to accom-plish. Lest you think this is a futile effort, considerwhether you are going to run the budget or the budget isgoing to run you.

The easy way, and a real cop-nut, is for the super-intendent to review last year's budget, add the increasedcosts, and say; Here it is, ladies and gentlemen." Manybudgets are presented just this way. As opposed to this,the board may roll out its objectives and goals andcreate a budget 'designed to meet these objectives andgoals. Every item in the budget, or as many items aspossible. should he designed to meet your goals andobjectives. ( If you don't have goals and objectives gohack to the beginnings of hoardsmanship and decidewhat it is you are trying to do.)

Every board has at least one member who opens abudget meeting by saying: "We have to hold the budgetdown. No need to force the tax rate up." If that's your

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philosophy, okay. However, if you review the literaturepertinent to boardsmanship you will have a tough timefinding this kind of statement. This may sound likeheresy, but the tax rate is not your prime consideration.Good education, for all the kids in your district, is.First, design the educational program which you andyour citizens desire. You will be amazed at the publicsupport for dynamic educational concepts.

A rapid review of the budget will tell you where thecosts of education have grown out of proportion. Thisis where you must study the proposals made by yourprofessional staff. Every line item should he substanti-ated with documentation and facts. You need specificinformation as to the cost of every new table, every filmstrip, every repair job, every new series of textbooks.You should account for every nickel and dime you planto spend.

Here's a practical example. A superintendentpresented his hoard with a budget item for $5,600 for"remedial reading programs."

How's the money going to be spent?" asked ahoard member.

"We're going to set up a special section of the highschool library and have the better students tutor thosewho have fallen behind."

"Good idea. But, where are you going to spend themoney ?"

"Well, were going to get some additional mate-rials, and possibly a few teaching carrels. We plan touse a lot of workbooks...

Have you detailed the costs of these items andhow many youngsters you will be helping?"

No, we haven't worked that out yet. This will be anew program and we want to go slowly."

It's hard for a board member to he against this kindof thinking. Still, you can't agree to a lot of gobbledy-gook. If the program is a serious effort, the superin-tendent should be able to tell you how many studentswill be invoked, how many pieces of equipment areneeded, how much everything will cost and even how hewill report back to you 'during the year on the progress

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of the program. If you settle for less you're Jot doingyour job.

You will undoubtedly find there are more things

you would like to see accomplished than the budget canaccommodate. Don't be frustrated. There are a varietyof ways to order your vior4ties. Start by making a listof worthwhile projects. Then incorporate them intothe budget as money allows. You do have to considermoney, but only after you have decided what youreducational goals are, and how they can be met.

Public Budget Meetings

Under the law, Type II elected boards must pre-pare the budget for public vote by February 1. You dohave recourse if the public votes against your budget,but the steps are lengthy and arduous. It's better to gainpublic support before election time. Your power,strength, and ability to persuade the public will betested in the weeks before the vote. If you have beenopen and honest, you have used the best possibleapproach to the public. The big problem with a votedbudget is that if you run out of money at the end of theschool year you have very little recourse to additionalfunds.

Type 1 districts submit their budgets no later thanFebruary 15 to a hoard of school estimate which iscomposed of three members of the governing body ofthe municipality and two members of the board ofeducation. However, if the district runs out of moneybefore the end of the year it may request additionalfunds from the board of school estimate. In practicethis means that Type I districts can budget on the lowside because they can always ask for more money, whileType 11 districts have to budget more accurately, andmake provision for unforeseen eventualities.

In either case, if your school district winds up theyear with a surplus you nay keep a small amount ofthat money against a rainy day. However what usuallyhappens is that the money is thrown hack into the potand used to reduce the local contribution the followingbudget year.

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Public Relations and Money

School budgets are defeated because board mem-bers think they know better than the public how to runthe schools. They do, but under our system of runningthe schools the voting public has the privilege of addingits input to a school budget. Competent boardsman-ship suggests that you inform the public to the bestof your ability of the many problems, of how you planto attack them, and of how much money you need tocarry out the educational endeavors of your school dis-trict. Try to carry your programs forward without abroad base of public support, and you're in trouble.

During a discussion on how to present the budgetto the public, one board president asked: just howmuch of the budget do we have to show the public?Is there any sense in telling them all the little details?"That's had thinking and bad boardsmanship. Yourstrength derives from your ability to project your think-ing and concerns to an interested public.

If you, as a board member, have considered allthe expenses, examined all the ways to implement yourphilosophy and achieve your objectives, and burned themidnight oil to arrive at the tightest possible budget,then you will not be afraid to meet the public in openand discuss these deliberations. Only when board mem-bers become secretive and try to evade answers to realquestions does the public become wary and anxious tocut a budget.

The best way to deal with a public already over-taxed, is to openly and honestly present all the facetsof the budget. This means of course, that you trulyunderstand the financial commitments you have made.The board member who can't deal with questions fromthe public is remembered by concerned parents andtaxpayers. If you are providing the type of educationwhich reflects the thinking of your community, and ifyou can explain how this is reflected in the budget, yourcommunity will back you on election day.

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School Business Affairs

Many people take pride when making a purchasein "shopping around" for the best value. When dealingwith public funds you have to do better than that. Anyexpenditure of more than $2,500 has to be submitted foropen bidding in a formalized fashion. Specificationsmust be drawn and advertised so that any "responsible"bidder may seek to get the contract. Sealed bids areopened at a board meeting and action may be taken ordeferred to the superintendent or the business manager.However, at a subsequent open board meeting theawarding of the contract must be officially voted. Ifyour board decides to give a contract to other than thelowest bidder, it had better be in a position to defendits choice.

Sometimes boards evade the law. For instance, ahigh school was refurbishing the chemistry lab at a costthey estimated at about $15,000. The specificationswere lengthy and complex and the superintendent askedone of the largest companies in the business to help himwrite them. When the bids finally came in, that com-pany was awarded the contract, because no one elsecould meet the specifications. On the surface the lawhad been met, bids had been advertised and awarded inthe proper fashion. However, the school suffered be-cause the bidders were restricted to those who couldbid on the particular brands specified in the descriptionof the materials needed.

Another way used to circumvent bidding require-ments is to break jobs down into smaller units which canbe awarded without the benefit of bidding. The boardthen maintains, "there is only one (select the correctword, painter, electrician, contractor, book company,printer, etc.) who can do the job. We'll have to give himthe bid." Let your conscience be your guide and beprepared to deal with irate citizens who are not equallyconvinced that only one person is capable of fulfilling aneed of your school system.

Many school districts have organized joint buyingefforts to obtain lower prices on products or serviceswhich are commonly bought, such as oil, paper supplies,

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transportation contracts, books, repair services, foodservice, food, etc. You may find it worthwhile to sacri-fice a little of your authority to achieve a monetarysaving for your district.

Insurance

Insurance is necessary protection. How much yourdistrict needs and what kind is a very difficult problem.There are a number of areas which require coverage,ranging from employee health and retirement, to fire,storm, lightning, vandalism, and even protection forboard members against civil suits.

The best way to make sure you have proper cover-age to cover all exigencies is to have an active insurancecommittee exploring all possibilities. Insurance protec-tion can be put out for bid the same way you bid fortables and chairs.

The N.J. School Boards Association has a compre-hensive set of sample specifications covering almost allareas of insurance protectionincluding board memberliabilitywhich is available to all boards for the asking.

Budget time is boardsmanship time. It is thatperiod when you must call on all your patience, under-standing, and acumen to put together the total moneypackage for the ensuing year. The responsibility forassembling a budget for two, five, or ten million dollarsis a heavy charge. It is the appropriate moment to drawon all your boardsmanship capabilities to bring to yourpublic a viable and an acceptable request for funds.Your first duty is to provide educational excellence asenunciated by your goals and objectives. Then you mustsearch for ways to match your goals with your resources.It's a jigsaw puzzle, but don't despE5.by the time youhave completed one budget, you have the opportunityto begin work on the next one.

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Chapter V I

Schools as a Physical Environment

A recurring and nagging question posed by manyschool board members runs something like this. "Whatkind of environment produces the best atmosphere forlearning?"

This question has to do with the physical surround-ings in which the children spend a good portion of theirday. "Do people learn better when the walls are paintedpale blue or pale green?" "What kind of landscapingwill please the eye and therefore make the first impactin the morning more pleasant?" "What size gym will atonce accommodate the students and still give them afeeling of substance?" Then, of course, there is today'sfa% orite question. "Do we need walls separating class-rooms?"

In the strictest sense, buildings do not contribute toeducation. However, in a pragmatic sense we know thatpleasing surroundings do make the learning processmop n forward with greater ease. There have been suf-ficient and significant studies to indicate this. Remem-ber the board member who thought of the buildings asthe "context" of education.

The run-down, beat-up, three-story, red brickschool building in the heart of a residential area is notnow considered conducive to educational excellence.Yet, many of us can think back to happy times in justsuch a school. If this is the type nt structure you haveinherited, you might consider ways to spruce up theappearance and make it more appetizing to students.Adequate maintenance is a must.

With regard to maintenance, styles and thinkingchange. A good example is the use of carpeting in aclassroom. As a hoard member, you will have the oppor-tunity to determine if the installation of carpeting willeffectively reduce the costs of painting and repair. Even

55

door locks, a rather prosaic subject, will require a gooddeal of attention. As an aside, discovering who has keysto the Wilding can also be an interesting question. Inone system virtually every member of the faculty, ad-ministrative team, and maintenance department hadeasy access to school buildings. Duplicate keys werefloating all over the place.

To insure a degree of safety you will have to entrustyour building committee with the task of closely exam-ining the buildings. Broken concrete steps, torn up.school yards, overgrown hushes, dangerous hangingwires, and improper lighting are but a few of the haz-zards you must be aware of, In one school district abuilding had been expanded three times in ten years.The original structure had a lighting system 'which;threw off twenty lumines of light in the classrooms.The second section had thirty lumines, and the last.section had fifty lumines of light. As each new sectionwas developed, the laws rep:ding the amount of lighthad changed. The problem was, do you change thelighting in the older portions of the building? Theexpense of this type of renovation had to be weighedagainst the changing codes established by a higherauthority.

The best way to cope with the many maintenanceproblems is to schedule regular repairs on a long-termbasis. For instance, every building should be paintedperiodically. Stagger the years so that the budget willaccommodate to the necessary job. A systematic pro-gram of replacement of windows to a more durableproduct and of worn-out toilet facilities and equipmentwill be easier to accomplish than a rush to fixed crippledfacilities.

Some school districts, using a very bus.::esslikeapproach, even list their buildings ,as 'assets, and de-preciate them in the same way that industry depreciatesproperty. When it comes time to talk about new build-ings you will find you have a more viable argument topresent to your constituents.

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Assessing Future Needs

One clearly stated permissive power of boards ofeducation is to "cause' an exact census to be made an-nually of all the school age children in the district and toemploy appropriate personnel for this purpose.- Gener-ally this type of community survey is carried out by thesuperintendent. In practice this gives the hoard somefair idea of the size of the incoming enrollment in kin-dergarten. However, this is not nearly sufficient if theboard is to consider long range building needs.

How do you determine what your school popula-tion will be in five years? or ten years? You have a% ail-able a number of resources to help you reach a sensibleconclusion. Here are some information sources: Thecensus bureau, chamber of commerce, city WI, localplanning hoard, real estate offices, projected newbuilding complexes, census of housing, census ofbusiness, and most important of all, your librarian.Yes, your librarian can offer some interesting sourcesof information which will help you ascertain just howyour school district will grow.

In short, one of your prime jobs will be to lookahead and plan for the possible burgeoning growth ofyour community. On the other hand, you might dis-cover that your community is not going to grow at a fastrate, and may even decline in population. This informa-tion and data are musts if you are to plan the best use ofyour present facilities. You can minimize the guessworkby accumulating facts.

New buildings are not the only means of accommo-dating a growing population. A space utilization studywill probably reveal unused areas in your present facil-ities. Bear in mind that there is no magic about schoolstarting at 9 a.m. and ending at .3 p.m. Oae.high schoolha'g eliminated study halls and staggered the arrival timeof different grades of students. For instance', seniors andjuniors start class at 9 a.m. and leave school mund 2p.m. Sophomores and freshman arrive at 10 a.m.' tthdleave about 3 p.m. The curriculum does not have toinclude study halls. In this particular instance the stu-

dents were spending ten periods each week out of a 'pos-sible thirty-five periods, in study halls. The saving intime and space was considerable.

Then there is the idea of year-round schools. Thinkabout the potential saving in buildings. The statedecrees that students attend 180 days of school a year.What happens to your buildings the rest of the time?Why not operate your schools on a four-quarter plan,with students required to attend any three quarterseach year? The saving in facilities would clearly be aboutone-third. Think of ityou could accommodate one-third more students without having to invest in anymore buildings! Careful, you might have to air-conditionthe schools. It's just one idea, but one worthy of yourearnest consideration.

Once you know what the growth patterns are goingto be, you have several options ranging from newbuildings to better use of your present facilities. Aregional high school even split itself into two, with themornings devoted to one set of students and the after-noons to a second set of students. They got twice the useof their facilities and did no appreciable harm to thestudents. In fact, they even adopted different names forthe morning and afternoon schools. One buildingtwonames.

Construction

There has been a tremendous rush to construct newbuildings in the past twenty years. Part of this wasbrought about because of the rising birth rates in the1950's. Well, bietii rates have tapered off, shifting popu-lation patterns now seem to be reversing themselves.Who knows what tomorrow has Jn store? Even if you doproject school population figures for five years, whatthen? It takes almost five years to anticipate, plan,finance, and construct new buildings. Many schooldistricts have found themselves in the position of open-ing a new building which was already too small to filltheir needs. This suggests an on-going study of growthto determine what will happen in ten years. Obviouslythis is hazardous. Therefore, once you have a five-year

56 r8

plan, revise it each year. That way you will have a fairidea of the immediate future, and you will always befive years ahead of the game,

Boards of education have broad authority to buy,sell, lease, and build properties to fulfill their mission.When construction seems indicated the money is usually"forthcoming in the form of bond issues. Having pre-sented, the case for a new school to the public, or to theboard of school estimate in the case of a Type I district,the board engages an architect and describes the type offacility needed. The rather lengthy procedure includesgaining the inputs of everybody involved from theteachers to the public to the students to the adminis-trative team. That's right, everybody is going to want tohave his say and, although the decision rests ultimatelywith the board of education, it is wise boardsmanship toallow for all these expressions of opinion.

Plans have to be examined, reexamined, and thenexamined again. Finally, they must be approved by theState Board of Education. Regardless of the ability ofyour architect, the state will undoubtedly recommendchanges. The restrictions on buildings are never-endingbecause new methods and new concepts are constantlycoming to the fore and these requirements have to beaccommodated in your new structure. All of theserevisions must be incorporated into the plans.

The entire process may stretch out over a couple ofyears. It takes that long to conceive, discuss, commit toplans, discuss, revise, discuss, submit tc the state,discuss, resubmit to the state for final approval and thenoffer to the public for approval, Then there is morediscussion. The basic problem is that from start to finishthe building may grow in size, and the upward thrustof building costs will spiral your expenses, Be prepared.

There are also other things to consider. The moneyfor the new building, in the form of capital funds may beassigned to your board even though the plans have notbeen finally approved. You may not spend this moneyexcept for capital improvements or building. However,since you have the cash in hand the sensible thing to dois to invest in certificates of deposit or short-term trea-

59 "

sury notes. These short-range methods of gaining inter-est on your funds are acceptable and are better vehiclesfor making maximum use of your money than a savingsaccount. Once again your authority as a board m.-mberis brought into play. Bids from banks should be acceptedand the decision as to which bank should have the useof your capital must be approved by a majority roll callvote of the full board. The possibility that you will con-trol these funds for a year or more is great. Interestearned can be used for other capital needs of the newbuilding, including equipment and materials.

Articulating a New Building

As the need and the decision for a new building goforward you must "articulate" these needs. This is aword used in educational jargon. It means you mustexpress through a number of channels why and how youplan to provide the new facility. To say that you mustsurround the project with a fair amount of public rela-tions and publicity is too easy. Every step of the waymust be paved with public involvement. Over the pastdecade many school bond issues have been defeated atthe polls. Too many, in fact. Probably the major reasonfor these defeats has been poor boardsmanship, or lackof boardsmanship.

The position of school hoard member carries astrong aura of dignity. However, the authority investedin you is limited by the wants and desires of your con-stituents. Your activity on the board is similar to life ina fish bowl. People are very concerned about their chil-dren and the education you are supplying for them.They also have personal concerns, including the size ofthe yearly tax bill. When new schools are suggested theyget more involved than at any other time. Senior citizenswho no longer have youngsters in school exhibit a tre-mendous concern with the effect a new building willhave on the tax rate. Boardsmanship suggests that eachand every member of the community must be aware ofwhat is going on.

Articulation of a new building is more than simplyemploying good public relations. It is a technique for

58 6 0

conveying the total problem to the community at largeand insuring the successful bond issue. Planning foradequate articulation is almost as complex as planningfor the building itself, and usually starts about a yearbefore the notion of a new building is actually presentedto the public. You have the facts representing the needlong before anybody else. To reveal and relate thesefacts to your community is one of the most interesting,challenging, and time-consuming tasks of boardsman-ship.

There are few things as exciting for a member of aboard of education as a stroll around a new building anda close examination of a plaque which bears his name.To be part of a group which instigated, planned, andsucceeded in the construction of a new school is a rewardreserved for few people. However, that thrill has to bematched against the realistic need for new facilities.

It is important to take note of the community schoolconcept. This idea, essentially, implies full use of schoolbuildings by making them available for communityneeds. Originated in Flint, Mich., community schoolsdo a number of things for the community in an attemptto utilize the physical buildings. One set of figures showsthat the average public school is used 1900 hours ayear. By incorporating community-based programs,a community school might be used as much as 3800hours a year. With no additional financial commitment,Our system can get twice as much use out of presentfacilities. It behooves every board to send a representa-tive to investigate 2 Flint Schools and bring back someof their conrr Lhe board to examine.

Whatever ,dr decision in terms of new buildings,this is surely one of the most fascinating endeavors ofthe board. New buildings do make for happier children;they do build pride in the school community.

A warningdon't be deluded into thinking that aspanking new building will reduce vandalism. Thewindows of a new building break just as easily, unlessyou install break-proof glass.

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Chapter VIII

The Board as an Employer

How does it feel to be the "boss" of a large staff ofpeopleadministrators, teachers, cooks, maintenancestaff, clarsoom aides, and specialists? Few boardmembers are accustomed to the presumed authority ofdirecting th, efforts of such a conglomeration of profes-sional and service people. The authority has limitations.If you walk through a school, see something that dis-pleases you, and think that you can tell a teacher or amaintenance person to do something, you're wrong onat least two counts. First, you don't have any authorityunless you are sitting with your colleagues at an openboard meeting. Second, you have defied a tenet ofboadsmanship by subverting the authority of yoursuperintendent.

There are pitfalls, too. You might draw the atten-tion of the superintendent to a particular situation whichyou feel is wrong. Strictly speaking he does not have toreact to your suggestion. In reality he will try to satisfyyou because you are a member of his board. That's whyany recommendations or requests you make must bedone gingerly. A casual remark, "I hear Mary Jones hasapplied for a job," may be misconstrued to mean thatyou are really interested in her finding employment inyour system.

The mantle of authority, which is definitely yours,must be worn as though it does not exist. Even thoughyou don your invisible cloak at least once a month, youcan't do a thing by yourself. All the-tioard members or amajority of them have to agree to an action. Then thereis the situation pointed out by one particular boardmember. "I was elected for three years and then foranother term. But, in the long run my tenure is subjectto the whims of the public. The teachers and the ad-ministrators, by and large, have lifetime tenure. They'llbe here long after I'm gone."

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Does this mean that board members have to walkon cracked eggs? Of course not, but it does mean thatthe relationship between board and employees requiresa realistic view of each party's role. Standing as a bufferbetween the two is the superintendent.

He is the transmitter of policy from the board tothe staff, and the funnel of news and complaints fromthe staff to the board. Once this line of communicationis clogged or destroyed, the entire school system may bedivided. The relationship between board and superin-tendent is very delicate.

Here's an example of how trouble starts. An over-zealous board member wanted to tour the schools. Heasked the permission of the superintendent. (You don'thave to do this, but it's a good idea to show your admin-istrator the courtesy.) During the walk he smiled atteachers, said, "Good morning," and walked aroundtrying to gain some understanding of what takes place ina school. At the close of the day he went to see the super-intendent to "talk things over.

They chatted quietly until the superintendent said,"I understand you wanted to know why the new matsweren't being used in the high school gym."

"Gee, I forgot all about that," replied the boardmember. "It was just a point of interest at the moment."

The undergroundand every institution, business,and industry has onehad already sent word along thatthis nosey board member was asking questions. Thepoint is that every time you move through the schoolsor ask questions, it will be reported to the superinten-dent. Harmless as your inquiries may be, they will beseen as meaningful and perhaps extraordinary.

Should you stay out of the schools? Absolutely not!The. schools are your responsibility and you should visitthem as often as possible. Ask all the questions you want,but don't come roaring into the superintendents' officeand tell him how to run the schools. Use your informa-tion as background. You can do this successfully if youradministrative team has ensured that an atmosphere ofcooperation and mutual assistance permeates yourschool system.

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Probably at this point you can begin to see thesignificance of selecting an appropriate superintendent.His (or her) importance will evidence itself in a numberof ways. The superintendent conducts the day-to-dayoperations of the schools and you, as an individualschool board' member, should never .go over his head toeffect a change in opera"cons. He is truly the man in themiddle and deserves all your backing and support be-cause he serves the total school communityboard,staff and students.

Negotiations

Nowhere is the tenuousness of the superintendent'sposition demonstrated more clearly than during ne,tiations with the teachers. He actually conducts themeeting and must reconcile the educational and fiscalresponsibilities of the board on the one hand, with theaspirations and professional careers of the faculty on theother. His background undoubtedly includes teachingexperience, but now he is an administrator bound tocarry out the edicts of the board. The only hope forsuccess, and it does exist, is to somehow remove the"adversary" nature of negotiations. To effect thischange requires the skill of a judge, the devotion of anurse, and the dedication of a scientist.

While you are waiting for someone with thesecharacteristics to :..nne along there are certain measureswhich every board member can adopt. One strategycommonly used by school boards is to declare certainissues raised by teachers to be "non- negotiable." Thismeans, quite simply, that the subject is closed and canonly be decided by the board. It's a great idea, but it'sone which the teacher's union 3s bound to reject. Takingrefuge in this expression is tantamoimt to burying yourhead in the sand, a position assumed by some boards,and unfortunately one which leaves a considerableportion of the anatomy exposed. If boards are to beeffective they must stand up straight and fight.

The actual battle itself used to be fought by thosemembers of the board who seemed the "toughest bar-

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gainers." Thus, during negotiations the teachers wouldbe represented by their chosen "professional negoti-ator," against two board members, and the superin-tendent would conduct the meeting. Needless to say,boards have since realized they, too, need professionalhelp with negotiations. The costs, ranging up to fifty orsixty dollars an hour, are relatively small. An edge here,a concession there, and a slightly different wordingelsewhere will more than compensate for the expense ofa negotiator. One of the biggest advantages of usingprofessional negotiators is that any fights, disagree-ments, or disruptions center on the negotiators and noton the hoard or the teachers. Both parties can return tothe business of education without "loss of face."

During the past five years the unions have placedreams of contractual material in the hands of their localaffiliates. Many boards, caught by surprise, and deter-mined to go it alone, tried to cope with the overwhelm-ing problem of comprehensive negotiations. The tide isturning as more and more boards seek professionalguidance and counter with demands of their own. Bar-gaining or negotiating has now taken on a more profes-sional air as both sides jockey for position. Bear in mind,your negotiator will do only what you tell him to do. Hehas little authority, only the power of persuasion overyou, his client, and you can dictate the attitude or posehe wishes to strike during the negotiating period.

If you can step outside of your role as a boardmember you will recognize that the board and theteachers are unnatural enemies." It seems ridiculous thattwo parties devoted to the same goals and aims shouldstruggle year after year over the negotiating table.Anything you can do to mitigate animosities and other-wise make this time run more smoothly will be .a featherin your boardsmanship cap.

Contract AdministrationIt seems almost superfluous to remind board mem-

bers that, once a contract has been signed, it must beenforced. You may rest assured that employees willscrupulously guard their gains and adhere to the letter

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of the contract with regard to grievable items. Don'tbe upset that they are determined to solidify theirposition, and don't take these attempts to set the stagefor further gains as a personal attack.

To ensure that the board, and consequently thepublic, benefits from gains you have achieved in nego-tiations, the board should appoint someone to oversee allthe points in the contract which are important to you. Insmaller school districts the superintendent will be ex-pected to carry out this function. A board workshop, orseveral sessions of board workshops during the year,might be devoted to a review of the existing contract,and a forward look to the next negotiating time.

A note of caution: If contractual items are notenforced, if the board in its magnaminity sees fit to beless than arduous in the enforcement of the contract, itwill establish a precedent. Non-enforcement may be-come grounds for deleting items from the contract andtherefore cause the board to lose valuable ground.

Evaluation and Training

Few areas in education are as delicate as evaluation.Take teachers. As you review how your teachers areevaluated you will probably find a check list referring tohow well the teacher plans each day, the appearance Ofthe room, general attitude in the class and a whole listof non-essential information. In industry these attri-butes are called "inputs." What we have to know tohonestly evaluate a teachers' performance is "outputs."

In evaluating a teacher forget about trivialitieshow well the teacher dresses, or whether the room isclean, or the shades drawn to a proper level. Examinethe educational growth of the students, the results ofthe teachers' efforts. lithe ,level of student performancein a given subject. shows a month of growth for a monthof classroom work, then the teacher is doing the job heis paid to do. If the youngsters do not achieve thoseperformance levels, then something is wrong.

The battle over how to draw up proper evaluativeinstruments has been raging for years. On the one handthe teachers unions claim they want better evaluative

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tools. On the other, boards have been confused by themagnitude of educational jargon and fail to grasp thesimple fact that what must be measured are results, notattributes.

Here is a pragmatic example of what we are talkingabout. Second grade students enter the class reading atlevel 2.0. One objective of that class teacher should bethat by the end of the school year the youngsters will bereading at level 3.0. If they are reading at 2,8, some-thing is wrong. If they are reading at 3.4, maybe theteacher deserves a bonus (merit pay). In fact, maybe allsalaries should be geared to the performance of the chil-dren in the classroom. (That thought will raise a lot ofhackles. )

The point is that all evaluation should be tied toperformance. And evaluation should include everyonethe administrative team, special teachers, child studyteam, maintenance people, and even the board itself.Do you think your performance should be evaluated?Why not? You start each year with goals and objectives(go back to the beginnings of boardsmanship) and yourefforts to attain them must be evaluated so that you willknow how well you have performed.

There is a tremendous benefit to this type of think-ing if the measurement of success is the main focus. Youdon't win or lose, you achieve degrees of success. If thisyear a teacher reaches only ninety percent of his (or her)goals, then next year he may do better. If the boardaccomplishes only eighty percent of its stated objectives,next year may be the time to zip ahead and improve.There are no degrees of failure, only measures of suc-cess.

Which brings us quite naturally to the next phase,training. When you can determine degrees of successyou can also determine where help or training is needed.The teacher who did not reach the results agreed to interms of math skills can be "invited" to participate intraining sessions which will improve his skills in teachingmath. And the board members can be "invited" to par-ticipate in those training sessions which will improveboardsmanship skills. We live in a world which revolves

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around education; as board members we are absorbedin education; why not use education to improve our ownperformance and that of our employees?

In-service training is an important and growingaspect of education and industry. Full-day seminars,weekend retreats, scheduled speakers, college creditclasses, and non-credit courses are part and parcel ofkeeping up with the changing nature of education. Theboard should sponsor training programs for teachers,administrators, maintenance people, foodservice staff,and not least of allfor itself. Continued education is acontinuing need.

Personnel Matters

School boards are constantly dealing with personnelmatters. Should a teacher be given tenure? Shall werehire a teachers aide? Is the board secretary doing thejob for which he was engaged? These deliberations haveto do with the career and future careers of a number ofpeople.

By and large, personnel problems are dealt with inprivate sessions of the board. Action must still be takenat a public meeting but, generally speaking, the detailsof the board's deliberations will not be revealed to thepublic, only its decisions. To a large extent this is doneto protect the individual. It also permits the board adegree of flexibility in dealing with personnel matters.

Goal Setting

Throughout this book we have stressed and re-stressed the idea of goal setting. There is no fear ofbeing redundant, because the urgency of determiningwhere you want your school district to go deservesconstant emphasis.

To help you with the establishment of goals, theNew Jersey School Boards Association sponsors confer-ences, meetings, and seminars on the subject. In addi-tion the NJSBA conducts gat4erings, training sessions,county-wide workshops and an annual state-wideworkshop on the new horizons in education. No one

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tries to tell you what to do, they only point out the manywonderful things which can be done and remind youthat you have the power to do them in your district.

Boards ought to visit other, distant schoul districtsfor discussions and comparisons. Sitting around a tablein an informal manner can yield great insight into whatsomeone else is doing Avhich might be applicable toyour own schools. Reading the many magazines (Newjersey School Leader, American School Board Journal,School Management, and Nation's Schools to mention aa few) devoted to education will keep you Informed andestablish a base for your own thinking.

Then, of course, there is the business of "selling"your goals and objectives to your staff and to your com-munity. Perhaps the notion of selling is crass. If youcan think of a better way to describe the process ofconvincing your peers and your community that newboard programs Should be implementedfine. Theessential point is that if you want to meet with a modi-cum of success you need as many people on your sideas possible. A single story in the newspaper is hardlygoin to do the job. You need a planned campaigr to

(,?rsuade, convince and sell," your various publics.There is a fasciniting new concept abroad in the

land called "Management by Objectives." Some schoolsand many industries have adopted this managementmethod. You may recall our earlier description of theprocess. Set goals, establish methods to reach thesegoals, implement the methods, and then evaluate theprogress. It's as simple as determining where you wantto go, figuring out how you want to get there, going,and finally measuring the success of your journey,

Remember, "If you don't know where you aregoing, any road will get you there,"

Good borrd members are trained. Few of us areborn with the skills for competent boardsmanship. Welearn, through a variety of ways, how to perform ourjobs in the best possible manner. However, we begin ourtenure at the top of the educational hierarchy and wecontrol the lives and activities of a great number ofprofessional and service personnel. Therefore, it Is

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expedient that we rapidly acquire the skills of boards-manship. The effect of authority suddenly thrust uponthem can be deleterious to some people. Don't think ofyourself as a boss. Adopt an attitude of mutual coop-eration with your employees and keep in mind that youall are supposedly headed in the same direction.

To ascertain that everyone is working toward com-mon goals it :s necessary to have a number of reviewtechniques and evaluative tools. Don't be afraid to usethese, You might even show the way by establishingsimilar techniques to measure your own perrormance.Modern management systems seek in a variety of waysto keep management and employees "on the same sideof the fence." If everyone is committed to the same setof objectives, then they ought not be pulling againstone another.

One last thought, boards are supposed to be lead-ers. Your style of leadership may be to take a front posi-tion, or you may prefer to be the kind of leader whopushes from behind,' or you may feel that the liadershould be in the middle of the pack it's not terri'alyimportant where you position your 'Vhat is :1)por-tant is that you recognize where y .,>.! to go, andhow you want to get there.

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Chapter IX

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The Flow of Educational Policy

The origins of education policy stem from the U.S.Conititution. By not dealing with education, the Con-stitution delegated to the states the power to determinetheir own educational policies under the doctrine of"implied powers." This is significant because the sameconcept is applied to education at the local level. Thosepolicies not determined at the state level are "implied"to exist at the local level,

What does all this mean to you as a board member?a positions you in the educational continuum. Thestate makes policies, these are implemented by stateofficials, and the balance of policy-making is left toindividual local boards. The authority of the local schoolboards is derived from the state legislature, it does notflow from your community, You are, in a sense, a staterepresentative serving at the discretion of the local com-munity, but your power comes from the Legislature.

Every year the State Legislature is confronted witha number of bills directly related to education whichcan affect the operation of your school district. To carryout laws passed, the state has established a Departmentof Education.

Interestingly enough, the state Department ofEducation is headed by a State Board of Education,which is quite similar to the local boards of education.Its twelve members are drawn from counties through-out the state. You may well qualify for appointment bythe governor to the State Board of EducationBeforebecoming official, your appointment must have the"advice and consent" of the New Jersey Senate.

To carry out the functions of the State Board of:ducation, the state has created the position of com-

missioner of education. (Note the similarity to your localboard, which has a superintendent of schools to carry

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out your functions.) The commissioner is appointed forfive years and his appointment, too, is subject to theadvice and consent of the New Jersey Senate. He is thechief executive officer of the State Board of Education.

As we have seen at the local level, many decisionsare made of an operational or interpretive nature. Thesedecisions have the effect of law, or rather the extensionof the law as enunciated by the New Jersey State Legis-lature. Decisions made by the commissioner take prece-dence over decisions made by local school boards. He isthe second highest authority on the way to the top.

The decisions of the commissioner may be re-viewed by the State Board of Education. And even theState Board is subject to challenge in the courts. Thus,an on-going system of major policy - making,- inter-pretation and implementation flows from the state tothe local levels.

There is a prevailing philosophy that problems arebest solved at the local level. When these problems growand get involved in the legal process, they come underthe scrutiny of higher authority. Here's an example:

A teacher has a grievance. The problem goes to theprincipal of the school building. If it cannot be resolvedthe question next goes to the superintendent. If thatdoesn't answer -the question then the local board ofeducation will review the decision. The next step is thecommissioner of education. After that, the teacher maygo to the State Board of Education and then on to thecourts.

An example of the flow of legislative authority isthe passage of a law. The commissioner sends wordalong as to how the law must be enforced at the locallevel. You and your board act accordingly. If someonewants to challenge the law, that is his right and thereare legal procedures available to do this.

YOU and Educational Policy

One trouble with policies established at a high levelis that they may not be operational, or they may not

'serve the purpose for which they were intended. You

and your colleagues are probably the best judges of thevalidity of policy. You are in the pOsition of 'seeingpolicies implemented on a day-to-day basis; at. the sametime you can appreciate the directions and intentions ofthe higher legislative authority. Because of this doubleview, you should make known your feelings on educa-tional issues often and persuasively.

Before you start a crusade, you should be informedabout the legislative process. Must reading for everyschool hoard member is a pamphlet produced by theNew Jersey School Boards Association, "School Boardsand the Legislative Process." This booklet contains aconcise, step-by-step procedure by which an idea istranslated into law. What this monograph says aboutschool law is equally applicable to all laws passed inthe state of New Jersey.

To keep you informed on a monthly basis, yourassociation also produces a Legislative Bulletin and aLegislative Newsletter. These two publications will keepyou abreast of pending legislation and the position ofyour association as transmitted by the Delegate Assem-blywhich consists of school board members represent-ing all districts in the state.

Perhaps a word about the New Jersey SchoolBoards Association will add to your perspective, Underthe law, all school boards are represented at the statelevel by the NJSBA. Each hoard, through a system ofrepresentation,' is afforded the oppoitunity to relay itswishes and attitudes to the association. As with anyassociation, financial support comes from the member-ship, and the direction of the activities is invested in agroup of highly skilled professionals. This group ispresided over by the Board of Directors, a group drawnfrom local school boards, headed by the officersapresident, three vice presidents, the immediate pastpresident, and the executive director.

The NJSBA has a number of arms or divisions. Ithas a Legislative Committee which examines and takespositions on pending legislation. Guidance for thiscommittee is provided by the association's attorneys whoare steeped in New Jersey school law. In addition, each

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School board may present proposed legislation to theDelegate Assembly for initiation and support by theNJSBA. The proposals submitted by local school boardsare detailed in the meetings of the Delegate Assembliesand published in the New Jersey School Leader so thatevery school board member in the state may know whatis being supported and what positions are being as-sumed.

If all this sounds like a "lobby" group in Trenton,that is exactly right. Teachers have their representativesin the state capital, why should not the school boards berepresented there? It is part of the democratic processand h&c; actually been recognized and sanctioned by thelegislature. When the professional staff of the NJSBAexpress their concerns to elected assemblymen andstate senators, they carry the weight of the entire schoolboards association.

For the individual school board member, YOU,there are other ways to project your feelings about pend-ing and proposed legislation. You should be active inyour county school boards association. Obviously, anassemblage of twenty or thirty school districts carriesmore impact than one school district. Thus, you multiplythe importance of the school board position. Moreover,at least one member of your school board should reporton pending legislation at your monthly workshop ormeeting. Since school board activities are so far-reach-ing, this task should be covered, and adequately, by aboard member who is knowledgeable in this area andwho finds it stimulating.

As an individual you can also have an effect bywriting, calling, or otherwise contacting your electedstate representatives and making ybur desires known.Bear in mind that this is a healthy, wholesome, andtruly democratic process. You have every right, in factyou have an obligation, to express yourself to your

'elected representatives.An essential part of your job as a board member is

being involved in those, laws which affect your work.Just as every person wants to be part of a decision-making process, so the active board member wants to

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participate in effecting changes in the laws by whichschools are run. If you abdicate this opportunity to makeyour wishes and feelings known, then don't complainlater when laws are passed which make your job moredifficult. The time to get involved is immediately.

There is little magic in how a law is proposed,travels through committee, comes to the floor, ispassed, and then reaches the governor's desk. All alongthe way you have an opportunity to tell your stateofficials how you feel either as an individual, a boardmember, a member of a county-wide organization, oras a member of the New Jersey School Boards Associa-tion.

While this segment of boardsmanship has beenreserved to the final chapter, this by no means is in-tended to diminish the importance of legislation withregard to school law. There is an element of securityin knowing that a professional staff is active at the statelevel and pours information and advice to the localschool boards. But, as your tenure on the board willsoon reveal, every board member has what he feels is aspecial interest or expertise, something unique to offer.When tasks and committee assignments are assigned,someone should surface who wants to be involved inlegislation. A single individual, overseeing and guidinga school board along legislative paths can make a majorcontribution and have long-time effects on public edu-cation.

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Epilogue

If you have come this far, you are entitled to asummation, a putting together in a few words of theessence of boardmanship.

What is boardsmanship? It is the human side ofbeing a school board member, the way you conductyourself, how you carry out the important work ofguiding education in your community.

When do you engage in boardsmanship? Probablyyour entire life style will be affected as you make use ofthe limitless possibilities of group dynamics,

How do you carry out boardsmanship? Threesimple rules will guide you. Gather the facts, listen tothe various points of view, and then express yourself.Honesty and openness are complimentary factors.

Where do you use boardsmanship? At workshops,public meetings, walking through the schools, at home,and in your daily life.

Why do you, use boardsmanship? Because it is themost effective way to succeed in the work before you.It is an all-pervasive technique for acommplishingeducational goals.

Who uses boardsmanship? Everyone, to somedegree. But the more adept you are and the betterprepared, the stronger you will be as a member of yourschool board.

As a final word, if you question the value of yourcontribution to your board, keep in mind that eachindividual has soniething valuable to offer. Every child,every parent, every member of the community, andcertainly every board member is an asset to education.Though the road may at times seem unclear, the oppor-tunities to add to educational excellence abound, Weknow you will do your share,.

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