This column will concentrate on the principle called
“The Board Delegates Authority”, which is perhaps one
 of the hardest for boards to do well.

Even though the board has the ultimate responsibility for all of the things that happen in a district, it does not “run” the district. That job is delegated to the superintendent and the superintendent depends on a capable and qualified staff to accomplish the myriad of tasks necessary on a day-to-day basis so that the district can function.  What the board does do is set policy and describes goals.  This then gives the superintendent the boundaries within which to use her professional judgment as to how the goals are to be best accomplished. Turning over the “how” of a process to the superintendent and staff allows them to pursue the tasks without fear of having those tasks undone by the board at a later date. The people on the staff are the people who have been trained in and have experience in making the educational system work.

Often people who make the effort to run for the office of school board are people of direct action. They are people who “get things done” and feel that they know a lot about the areas that they are interested in. This then sets up expectations both by the people coming onto the board and by the public involved in their election, that these people will get in there and show the staff just what to do. It takes some time and effort on the part of the board to discipline itself to set the appropriate boundary conditions so that it can build trust in the staff and refrain from being involved in day-to-day matters.

Because the board must be responsible for the district outcomes but stays out of process for getting there, it is very important that it clearly state its policies and define the boundaries for the superintendent. One of the most important things a board does is to set policy. It is often difficult to create a policy that ensures the ends but doesn’t proscribe the means but once good policy is in place, the staff is then sure of what it must accomplish and is free to figure out how to best accomplish it.