Download Standards for Highly Effective Charter School Boards

Eagles Nest Academy
Board Governance
Overview
December 2, 2013
Dan Warren
GVSU Field Representative
Standards for Highly
Effective
Charter School Boards
Believe in and commit to the mission of the school
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1. Focus Relentlessly on Student Achievement
2. Recruit and Retain Exceptional Leadership
3. Invest in Exemplary Governance
4. Act Strategically and Hold The Board
Accountable
• 5. Raise and Use Resources Wisely
• 6. Commit Steadfastly to Legal and Regulatory
Compliance
Source: CharterBoardPartners
Overarching Principle of
Good Charter School
Governance
The board must maintain an
unrelenting focus on student
achievement ….A significant goal
Focus on Student
Achievement
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Own Student Achievement
Assume responsibility for student results
Agree on definition of academic excellence
Ensure the school’s program is raising achievement
Evaluate Achievement
Understand how it is measured
Use data to inform decisions
Know how you compare to other schools
Primary Role is
Governance
Board has a critical role in:
Defining its Mission
 Strategic Planning
Setting Policy
Holding and abiding by its
written Charter…..read and
know your Charter contract.
Without getting involved in the day
to day operations of the school.
Three Central Purposes
Three fundamental jobs of the
board
– Control the school’s
mission (know it, refine it,
believe it, use it, promote it)
– Oversee student
achievement (ask
management for facts & data
in formats that make sense
to you and that demonstrate
mission achievement)
– Perform non-delegable
duties (approve budget, deal
with suspension/expulsion,
legal items, etc.)
Governance v.
Management
Governance (Board)
 Sets a goal
 States an expectation
 Clarifies a direction
 Deals with HOW WELL!
Management (Education Service Provider)
 Acts in way to accomplish a goal
 Carries out an activity
 Day to day
 Deals with HOW!
Effective Governance
Holding
Leadership/Management
Accountable
 Define Roles (Governance)
 Establish Goals (Strategic Planning/Contract
embedded)
 Monitor (Establishing Systems/Processes)
 Focus on Results (Data)
 Continuous Improvement
Accountability is established when there is an
agreed upon successful measurement of desired
results.
The Board Together
Board Oversight
– The board exercises its proper
control over management by
limiting rather than by
prescribing.
Example:
“Spend no more than $50,000 on
computer lab
equipment”, rather
than…..
“Purchase a Chromebook for every
student.”
– Create boundaries within which
the school can operate freely,
effectively and efficiently. (fiscal
responsibility, high standards etc)
– “Go until we say stop” … NOT …
“Stop until we say go”
Board Member
Fiduciary Responsibility
Financial Oversight of the charter school.
Understand financial condition of school.
Oversee the operating budget to protect th
e resources of charter school.
Hold school staff accountable for budget m
anagement.
Ensure that the necessary financial policies
are in place to prevent fraud, waste and mi
sappropriation.
Governance
Board authority is group
authority, not individual
authority
On matters of authority the
board speaks as one voice
Governance
 School ownership is defined as the public
 Governance is a function of ownership, not management
 Board is the link in chain of command between ownership
and management
 Board holds the school in trust for the public
Governance
 Based on its understanding of the owners
values, the board’s primary focus is on end
results/goals/outcomes. ENDS: missionrelated policies embody the board's vision,
and the organization's reason for being (ie
Academic goals)
 The board provides strategic leadership to
the organization (the board's key
responsibility) by clearly defining, on behalf
of the owners, what human needs are to be
met, for whom, and at what worth
 Desired results, for what people, at what
cost
 Evaluative: Did we achieve or ends? (Goals)
Governance
The board limits the means the
management may use with
boundaries of prudence, ethics
and executive limitation policies
Governance
Board provides accountability
with a rigorous monitoring system
that is aligned with the identified
ends
Monitoring is established in
collaboration with management
Management is responsible for
systems/processes to accomplish
means
Governance
Board also writes policies to hold
themselves accountable
The board determines its
philosophy, its accountability, and
the specifics of its own job
Results focused
Culture of accountability
Board Evaluates
Themselves
• Compliant with Public Board
operations (By Laws, Rules of Order,
OMA)
• Well organized and results focused
board meetings
• Collaboration culture
• Effective governance
• Decision making based on alignment
of school mission, goals
• Monitoring
• Accountability
The Board in Context
Authori
zer
Mission /
Purpose/G
oal
Stat
e
Law
Board
Management Company/Educational Service
Provider
Parents
Administrati
on
Teachers
Communit
y
Students
Teaming/Collaboration
• Successful Charter Schools
have a strong balance of
decision making power
between the authorizer, board
of trustees and management.
School
• Quality decision making is
necessary from all
three groups to ensure the
success of the
school.
It’s a team effort.
Authorizer
/Board/Ma
nagement