Fri, 25 April 2008 Governance School Board membership entails more than taking the oath of office and attending meetings. One aspect of the office is understanding and participating in effective school governance. On this stormy day in April with my eye on the budget, I was thinking of the 100 inches of snow our community endured and the spring showers that now follow. I find myself daydreaming of exotic locales with somewhat similar conditions. I found such a place situated on Northwest Coast of British Columbia. It is an area known as Prince Rupert or "The City of Rainbows" and it is Canada's wettest city, with an average annual precipitation of approximately, you guessed it - 100 inches. For an image of Prince Rupert, go here. The town of Prince Rupert “began as a dream when founder Charles Melville Hays, president of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Company, saw the island…� Today it serves as a hub for commerce on British Columbia's north coast. Unfortunately for Hays, the “perfect terminus for marine trade, and rail and sea travel� was not realized in his life as he “met an untimely and tragic death aboard the RMS Titanic.� Today the city, situated on traditional Tsimshian territory, remains at the edge of wilderness in Canada. It consists of a somewhat secure, sheltered inner harbor along the famed Inside Passage. It is both a mix of diversity and rich cosmopolitan culture. The Tsimshian people have lived on this remote location for over 10,000 years. School District 52 There is something appealing in the simplicity of a school district of about a dozen schools, situated far away and serving a diverse multi-cultural student population of whom over half are First Nations Ancestry. Interestingly, they go by the name of School District 52. What got me to thinking about School District 52 (besides their 100 inches of precipitation) is their board policy and approach to board governance. Their policy states, “The Board shall govern in a manner characterized by outward vision, diversity in viewpoints, strategic leadership, distinction of Board and staff roles and proactivity.� Talk about knowing your role and having a handle on policy governance! They continue, “Consequently, the Board shall: Focus chiefly on intended long-term impacts on the world outside the organization [results], not on the administrative or programmatic means of attaining those effects. Inspire, direct and control the organization through the careful establishment and systematic monitoring of policies dealing with values and broad perspectives. Communicate with and be accountable to its ownership for accomplishment of its obligations. Involve students, parents, staff and community in monitoring current performance and setting future direction. Enforce upon itself and its members the discipline needed to govern with excellence. Monitor and regularly discuss the Board's own process and performance. Ensure the continuity of its governance capability by training and developing its members. Continuous development will include orientation of new members in the Board's governance process and discussion of process improvement. Be responsible for its performance and development and for identifying the information and resources it needs to formulate and monitor policies.� Inspiring words on a rainy day in April in a city surrounded by reality; Madison, Wisconsin. Category: Board Life -- posted at: 9:00 PM Comments[0] |
Wed, 3 October 2007 An update for October 3, 2007 of the Madison Metropolitan School Board. This is the first, in a series highlighting some of the duties and "mechanics" of being a school board member. Generally, after an election in April, board members work on the budget for the following school year. Boards then meet occasionally over the summer and gear up for fall. If you have ever had an interest in serving on the school board for your community, take a listen. Highlights include:
Comments[0] |
