Transcript No Slide Title

Leadership
Service
Advocacy
PSBA Code of Conduct for Members
of Pennsylvania School Boards
and
PSBA Standards for
Effective School Governance
The Education Policy and Leadership Center
Capital Breakfast Series
January 18, 2006
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Strategic Plan
• The association’s strategic planning work
set the stage for the Effective School
Governance initiative
• Surveys and focus groups solicited input
from the membership to develop PSBA’s
strategic plan
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Strategic Plan
• Ethical leadership emerged as a key issue
of interest among Pennsylvania school
directors
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA’s New Mission Statement
“The mission of the Pennsylvania School
Boards Association is to promote excellence
in school board governance through
leadership, service, and advocacy for
public education.”
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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Goal #3 of the Strategic Plan
“Support the role of school board members
as effective, ethical leaders.”
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Specific objectives and action
plans under this goal include:
• Promote ethical school governance and
leadership
• Revise PSBA’s Code of Ethics for school
boards
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Specific objectives and action
plans under this goal include:
• Provide information, resources and
services to support members in
enhancing their effectiveness and
promoting their leadership role
• Educate the community about the roles
and responsibilities of school boards
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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Specific objectives and action
plans under this goal include:
• Adopt and promote standards for
effective school governance
• Promote the value of school board
training
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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The Effective School Governance
Commission was formed to address these
goals and actions by developing
standards and a code of ethics for local
school leaders that embody best practices
and high expectations.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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Commission Members:
Lou Ann Evans, Chairperson
School Director, State College Area School District
PSBA President-Elect
Dr. Jeffrey Miller
Superintendent, Methacton School District
2005 PASA President
Amy Swartz
Business Administrator, Pequea Valley School District
2005 PASBO President
Roberta Marcus
School Director, Parkland School District
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Commission Members:
William H. Isler
Board President, Pittsburgh Public Schools
Dr. Wayne Doyle
Superintendent, Hempfield Area School District
Dr. James A. Ryland
Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy
Shippensburg University
Dr. William L. Boyd
Distinguished Professor of Education
Pennsylvania State University
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Commission Members:
Constance Lazur
Board Secretary, Greater Latrobe School District
Maureen Harrigan
School Director, Kennett Consolidated School District
Carol Ritter
President, Pennsylvania PTA
Craig W. Bremer
Vice President/General Counsel
Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff Company
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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Commission Members:
Ex-Officio:
Stinson Stroup, Executive Director of PASA
Jay Himes, Executive Director of PASBO
Michael McCarthy, Executive Director of the PA Business
Roundtable
Staff Support:
Thomas J. Gentzel, PSBA Executive Director
J. Curtis Rose, PSBA Assistant Executive Director for
School Board & Management Services
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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Research Process
• PSBA staff group began its work in
October 2004
• Staff conducted an extensive review of
literature on the topic of school
governance and leadership
• Compiled and sent research material to
Commission members
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Activities of the Commission
• Received resource materials to review
• Attended meetings at the PSBA
headquarters
• Networked via e-mail
• Participated in region meeting focus
groups
• Reviewed input solicited from PSBA
membership
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Activities of the Commission
• Reached consensus and finalized the
language of the Standards for Effective
School Governance
• Reached consensus and finalized wording
for the PSBA Code of Conduct for
Members of Pennsylvania School Boards
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Adoption
• Report from the Commission presented
to the Executive Board for discussion and
revision at the July Executive Board
Meeting
• Discussed extensively at the August
Executive Board Retreat
• Adopted at the September Executive
Board Meeting
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Code of Conduct for
Members of Pennsylvania
School Boards
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Code of Conduct for Members
of Pennsylvania School Boards
Preamble
We, as members of our local board of education,
representing all the residents of our school district
believe that:
• Striving toward ideal conditions for effective school
board service to our community, in a spirit of
teamwork and devotion to public education, is the
greatest instrument for preserving and perpetuating
our representative democracy.
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PSBA Code of Conduct for Members
of Pennsylvania School Boards
• The future welfare of this community,
commonwealth and nation depends upon the
quality of education we provide in public schools.
• In order to maintain a free and strong country, our
civic obligation to the community, commonwealth
and nation is to maintain free and strong public
schools in the United States of America, without
surrendering our responsibilities to any other
person, group or organization.
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PSBA Code of Conduct for Members
of Pennsylvania School Boards
• Boards of school directors share responsibility for
ensuring a “thorough and efficient system of public
education” as required by the Pennsylvania
Constitution.
• Our fellow residents have entrusted us with the
advocacy for and stewardship of the education of
the youth of this community.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Code of Conduct for Members
of Pennsylvania School Boards
• The public expects that our first and greatest
priority is to provide equitable educational
opportunities for all youth.
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PSBA Code of Conduct for
Members of Pennsylvania Schools
Boards
Accordingly,
• The community should be provided with
information about its schools and be engaged
by the board and staff to encourage input and
support for the school system.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Code of Conduct for Members
of Pennsylvania School Boards
• Devoting time, thought and study to our duties and
responsibilities as school board members is critical
for rendering effective and credible service.
• Board members should work together in a spirit of
harmony, respect and cooperation, despite
differences of opinion.
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PSBA Code of Conduct for Members
of Pennsylvania School Boards
• Personal decisions should be based upon all
sufficient facts, we should vote our honest
conviction without partisan bias, and we will abide
by and uphold the majority decision of the board.
• Individuals have no legal authority outside the
meetings of the board, and should conduct their
relationships with all stakeholders and media on
this basis.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Code of Conduct for Members
of Pennsylvania School Boards
• We will not use our positions as school directors to
benefit ourselves or any individual or agency.
• School boards must balance their responsibility to
provide educational programs with the need to be
effective stewards of public resources.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Code of Conduct for Members
of Pennsylvania School Boards
• We should recognize that the primary responsibility
of the board is to adopt policies by which the
schools are to be administered.
• We should respect that the superintendent of
schools and his or her staff are responsible and
accountable for the delivery of the educational
programs and the conduct of school operations.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Code of Conduct for Members
of Pennsylvania School Boards
• Communication with all stakeholders and the
media should be conducted in accordance with
board policy.
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This Code of Conduct has timeless core
principles that give us best practices and
norms for effective and ethical
leadership.
It is also a personal belief system, as well as
for the entire board, to commit to and
practice.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Standards for Effective
School Governance
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Standards for Effective
School Governance
To promote student growth and
achievement, an effective school board:
1. Advocates for a thorough and efficient
system of public education.
2. Models responsible governance and
leadership.
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PSBA Standards for Effective
School Governance
3. Governs through policy.
4. Ensures that effective planning occurs.
5. Monitors results.
6. Communicates with and engages the
community
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Indicators of Standards
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PSBA Standards for Effective
School Governance
To promote student growth and achievement, an
effective school board…
1. Advocates for a thorough and efficient system of
public education by:
a. Promoting public education as a keystone of
democracy.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Standards for Effective
School Governance
b. Engaging and promoting community
support by seeking input, building support
networks and generating action.
c.
Allocating resources in a manner designed
to facilitate student achievement, consistent
with school district goals and plans.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Standards for Effective
School Governance
d. Maintaining legislative awareness and
communicating with members of local, state
and federal legislative bodies.
e.
Ensuring strong management of the school
system by hiring, setting goals with and
evaluating the superintendent.
f.
Employing qualified staff to meet student
program needs.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Standards for Effective
School Governance
2. Models responsible governance and leadership
by:
a. Staying current with changing needs and
requirements by reviewing educational
literature, attending professional
development opportunities prior to board
service and continuously during board
service, and preparing to make informed
decisions.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Standards for Effective
School Governance
b. Interacting with school officials in other
districts and using resources provided by
organizations and agencies committed to
effective governance and management of
public schools.
c.
Leading with respect and taking full
responsibility for board activity and
behavior.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Standards for Effective
School Governance
d. Adopting and acting in accordance with the
PSBA Code of Conduct for Members of
Pennsylvania School Boards.
e.
Engaging all community stakeholders.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Standards for Effective
School Governance
f.
Complying with board policy and all
applicable local, state and federal laws and
regulations.
g. Operating as a collective board in making
decisions.
h. Participating in annual board retreats.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Standards for Effective
School Governance
3. Governs through policy by:
a. Seeking input from stakeholders and
following an established procedure for
consideration.
b. Regularly reviewing and, as necessary,
revising and adopting board policy.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Standards for Effective
School Governance
c.
Delegating to the superintendent
responsibility for implementation of board
policy.
d. Ensuring public access to adopted board
policy.
e.
Purposefully linking its actions to applicable
board policies.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Standards for Effective
School Governance
4. Ensures that effective planning occurs by:
a. Adopting and implementing a collaborative
strategic planning process, including regular
reviews.
b. Setting annual goals that are aligned with
the strategic plan.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Standards for Effective
School Governance
c.
Linking board actions to the strategic plan.
d. Adopting a financial plan that considers
short-term and long-term needs.
e.
Adopting professional development plans
for board and staff.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Standards for Effective
School Governance
f.
Adopting a plan to ensure evaluation of
student growth and achievement using
relevant data.
g. Adopting a master facilities plan conducive
to teaching and learning.
h. Adopting a plan for curriculum review and
development.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Standards for Effective
School Governance
5. Monitors results by:
a. Using data appropriately to make
informed decisions.
b. Ensuring effective practices for
evaluation of staff, programs, plans and
services.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Standards for Effective
School Governance
c.
Evaluating its own performance.
d. Assessing student growth and
achievement.
e.
Evaluating the effectiveness of the
strategic plan.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Standards for Effective
School Governance
6. Communicates with and engages the community
by:
a. Distributing relevant information about the
district.
b. Providing methods of communication to the
board and appropriate staff.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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PSBA Standards for Effective
School Governance
c.
Seeking input through a variety of methods.
d. Including stakeholders in all
communications.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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What’s Next?
• Code of Conduct and Standards are tools for
continuous improvement, regardless of where the
board may be.
• The Standards for Effective School Governance
and Code of Conduct for Members of Pennsylvania
School Boards is being promoted to Association
members, government officials, education
associations and the general public.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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What’s Next?
• Develop benchmarks for each standard and
revise the board self-assessment that PSBA uses
in customized workshops around these
benchmarks.
• Create new policy incorporating both the
standards and the code of conduct; policy
number will be 010.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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What’s Next?
• Standards and Code of Conduct has been
distributed to local boards for annual adoption as
part of board policy—as written or adapted to the
local school district.
• Revise PSBA model policies and develop model
administrative regulations in accordance with
established internal criteria.
© 2005 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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What’s Next?
• Publish a series of articles in PSBA publications
and on the website to educate board members and
administrators on how to differentiate between
policy and administrative regulations and how to
integrate the standards and code into the policy
process.
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What’s Next?
• Pilot the Standards and Code of Conduct in
one or more school districts
• The PSBA Executive Board will be reviewing
its governance practices in light of the
Standards and Code of Conduct
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(800) 932-0588
www.psba.org
Leadership
Advocacy
Service