The ability of a charter school to carry out its mission successfully depends upon the strength of its governing board. An effective board provides strategic direction for the school, chooses and nurtures strong school leaders, and ensures the school’s financial and legal health. For a charter school to succeed, it must form a board that is committed to the school’s mission, possesses substantial leadership skills and expertise, sets policy that guides the school’s work, and evaluates both the school and itself with an eye toward continuous improvement.
Specifically charter schools need boards for the following reasons:
Boards fulfill a legal responsibility. A board of directors is a legal requirement for a charter school under many state statutes. More broadly, this structure makes the school's management accountable to a diverse group of people who have the general interest of the charter school at heart, are not directly involved in the operations of the school, and, as volunteers with no financial stake, can effectively provide financial oversight.
Boards promote the charter school's mission. In addition to fulfilling legal requirements, a charter school needs a board of directors composed of individuals who support the school's mission and seek to promote it. Board members advocate for their school by promoting its mission and goals within the community and in the wider education reform arena.
Boards hire and supervise the charter school administrator. One of the most important roles of the board is recruiting and supporting a dynamic administrator who can provide vision and leadership to the charter school. The administrator acts as the bridge between the board and the staff of the organization and is designated to act on behalf of the board to implement its decisions. When looking for an administrator, the board must assess the charter school's specific needs, then seek a qualified individual who has the skills and experience to guide the charter school in meeting those needs. The board should also periodically evaluate the performance of the administrator in carrying out the decisions of the board and other assigned responsibilities.
Boards set important policies. As stewards of the charter school, the board takes leadership in the overall policy development and implementation process. The board makes major financial and operation decisions for the school, such as setting policies which impact whether or not the school makes progress toward meeting the student achievement and other objectives agreed to in the charter contract.
Boards help to raise funds. The ability to raise funds is an important measure of a board's effectiveness in serving a charter school. Building a group of regular financial donors will make it easier for the charter school to fulfill its mission and achieve its goals.
II. Identifying, Recruiting, and Training Board Members
Having an effective board recruitment and nominations process in place is the first, and by far the most important, board development practice. While it is time-consuming, instituting a thoughtful process from the start, rather than approaching the task as an ad hoc activity, will result in a more accurate assessment of the charter school board’s leadership needs, ensure the involvement of the best qualified individuals, and create a solid orientation process for new board members.
The development of an effective recruitment and nominations process could take the following course:
Establish a board development committee
Prepare for active board recruitment.
Develop a profile of the current charter school board.
Determine strategies to build board diversity.
Develop an initial list of prospective board members.
Contact top recruiting prospects.
Schedule and conduct orientation sessions with prospective board members.
Select new members to the board.
Providing new board directors with the information they need to perform effectively is the next critical step in developing a strong board of directors for the charter school. Because charter school board members are likely to come to their positions with very different perspectives on their roles and responsibilities, as well as the mission, vision, major goals, and strategies of the charter school, it is important to develop a timely and thorough orientation strategy that supports the board members from the recruitment stage, through the first three months, and beyond.
Here's how a board orientation program for new board members might work:
Pre-election orientation which details the organization, strategic plan, the workings of the board, expectations of board members, etc.
New member orientation which provides additional information and training.
Written board director manual which is a critical reference in new board director orientation as well as ongoing board training and education.
On-going training, such as providing mini-seminars on special interest topics and easy access to publications and conferences.
Providing board members with training throughout their board membership experience will increase productivity and the sense of personal satisfaction. For more detailed information about these initial board development steps, see the General Governing Board Resources.
III. Making Effective Decisions
As the board of an independent public school, the charter school board is the source of all authority – much of it delegated to others – and has ultimate responsibility for the school. Charter school success, therefore, is contingent upon effective board decisions. A board that meets monthly for two hours has only 24 hours a year in which to make a number of major decisions and address unforeseen issues and challenges. To ensure effective board decision-making within such constraints, there are numerous strategies that you can employ.
An executive committee facilitates effective decision-making by all board members. Comprised of a subset of board members (usually its officers), the executive committee plays three critical roles: planning the agenda of board meetings, making decisions on behalf of the full board, and serving as a communication link with other members of the board.
Whenever possible, the board will effectively delegate to committees and the administrator -- with clear instructions and/or suggestions -- the implementation responsibility of their actions, so that the board as a whole can continue to maintain a focus on areas of major policy and decision-making.
A decision-making flowchart and a decision matrix help to provide clarity about who is responsible for what. They offer visual details about where issues may originate, to whom the board may delegate issues, and how the board will take action on issues.
An annual calendar of major board decisions helps boards to maintain their focus on governance policy and critical emerging issues.
A consent agenda can be used to expedite decisions about items that are routine in nature by allowing the board vote on several of them as a single resolution.
IV. Forging Healthy Relationships with the Administrator and Staff
An effective working relationship between the board and staff is also critical to charter school success. Conflicts over responsibilities and micro-managing are common problems in the area of board-staff relations. There are a number of strategies that can be used to maintain a productive working relationship between the administrator and school staff.
Create written job descriptions for board members, the administrator, and staff, detailing position requirements and responsibilities.
Implement an effective hiring and selection process for the charter school administrator.
Create a chart detailing by major areas of organizational decision-making the specific responsibilities of the administrator and the board.
Negotiate a communication plan between the board and administration and staff about how much information is desired, the best ways to share information, and how to maintain effective communication with each other throughout the school year.
Develop conflict resolution policies that include details about mediation processes and when conflict situations should be delegated to committees.
Develop an administrator performance review process that evaluates the administrator on negotiated performance objectives specific to the needs of the school.
V. Encouraging Board Member Motivation and Accountability
Board members receive an opportunity to serve an organization they believe in, a chance to learn new skills, an opportunity to be with people that share the same values, and the opportunity to forge strong personal and professional connections. In return, they offer the charter school their time, skills, knowledge, and commitment. Burnout and lack of direction, however, can lead to a lack of productivity, a misalignment of board actions and board member values, and general dissatisfaction on the board. For the health of the charter school, it is critical to create an environment that fosters and maintains a high level of board member motivation and accountability. There are several strategies that can be used to maintain and even increase commitment and performance.
When building your board, align the interests and expectations of board members with the organization. Understand their interest and motivation in serving, and be sure that they understand the challenges and requirements of board service.
Show appreciation often, in both formal and informal ways. Recognition of board members encourages commitment and high-performance.
Involve board members in areas where they feel they can use their skills and knowledge and add real value. Make training opportunities available to increase their skills and knowledge.
Institute an annual board self-evaluation program that allows members to step back and reflect on their own performance as well as that of the group. This can provide feedback on performance and help develop corrective actions.
Develop individual accountability contracts. Use these contracts to determine strategies for holding board members accountable for attendance, contribution of expertise, willingness to make constructive comments during meetings, etc.
The following links contain lists of useful online resources.
General Governing Board Resources (includes building the board foundation, identifying, recruiting, orienting, and training board members, and board member motivation, accountability, and assessment)
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