The Art of School Boarding: What Every School Board Member Needs to Know

By Jim Burgett

School board rookies or veterans, superintendents, administrators, and the education-guiding citizenry are the reading targets for Jim Burgett’s newest K-12 book (of six). The Art of School Boarding should also be mandatory reading for candidates seeking school board election.

As Burgett explains in easy-reading detail, being a school board member is not a political position, nor one of royalty. It’s held in modest esteem. Board members deal with families, law, curricula, finances, mandates, athletics, the fine arts—the list goes on. No pay, tough issues, lots of controversy, much reading—oh yes, the future of the community is also in its hands.
“School Boarding” is an art. Boards have their own purpose, means, personality, process, and protocol. These pages discuss the basics of this particular boardsmanship, and school governance, the role of the board, its members, and the administration. It explains ethical expectations, a specific Code of Conduct, and how the board handles community concerns and builds relationships. Dozens of case studies also provide examples and insight from other, veteran board members and administrators.

The common sense of these straightforward, jargon-free pages explains what present or future board members must know.

Twelve words or phrases capture the core of The Art of School Boarding: leadership, superintendent selection, vision, morale standards, relationship building, trust, policy development, the law, ethics, educational support, setting expectations, and the chain-of-command.
This is the book’s table of contents:

1. Boarding Basics
What does a Board Member Do?
How much time is involved?
What are the pros and cons of Boarding?

2. Why Does Anyone Want to Board?
Know Why You Want to Serve
The School Boarding Questionnaire

3. The Foundational Principles of School Governance
The Board Clarifies the Purpose
The Board Connects with the Community
The Board as Employer
The Board as Delegator
The Board as Monitor
Fundamental Boarding Responsibilities

4. Board Roles and Superintendent Roles
What does the Board Do?
What does the Superintendent Do?
What is the Relationship?

5. Boarding Code of Conducts
Formal Codes
Common Sense Codes

6. Know the Chain of Command
Memorize the Organizational Chart
Direct Others to the Process

7. Learn the Art of Receiving and Responding to Complaints
Catching the Complaint
Throwing the Complaint

8. Never Forget Who Comes First
Rethink Your Reasons
Analyze Your Actions
Stabilize Your Center

9. Money Matters
Understand Your Role with Money
Know the Importance of Financial Stability

10. Programs and Growth
Understand the Fundamentals of Schooling
Understand Growth

11. Relationships

12. School Boarding at it’s Best
Characteristics of an Exemplary Board Member
Your Legacy

13. Expert Advice

14. Taking Care of You

15. The Ride

Jim Burgett regularly speaks nationwide to school administrators, teachers, and board members throughout the United States. He is also the author of Teachers Change Lives 24/7 and coauthor of Finding Middle Ground in K-12 Education, What Superintendent and Principal Needs to Know, and The Perfect School. For 40+ years Burgett has taught and served as principal and superintendent at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. He was twice named administrator of the year by his peers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gordon Burgett
• Release date: Sep 19, 2013
• ISBN: 9780989653046

Jim Burgett

Jim Burgett is a veteran educator, nationally recognized education speaker, and consultant. He was named the “Illinois Superintendent of the Year” by the American Association of School Administrators and "Administrator of the Year" by the Illinois Association for Educational Office Professionals. Burgett has received numerous honors and recognition for his leadership and skills as a motivator. Jim serves on many boards for the State of Illinois, various professional organizations, the Editorial Board for an educational publisher, and several community organizations. He is the recipient of the Award of Excellence from the Illinois State Board of Education, was named a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International, and was a finalist for Teacher of the Year in Illinois. After earning a B.S. degree in education, with a minor in chemistry, at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Jim earned his M.S. and C.A.S. degrees at Northern Illinois University. Jim has continued his educational training and currently writes and presents Administrative Academies for several states. Education has been the cornerstone of his career. Jim has been a teacher of grades five through twelve and a principal of elementary, middle school, and high school. During his 38-year tenure, Jim has served as the Superintendent of the Elizabeth Community Unit School District, the River Ridge Community Unit School District, and the Highland Community Unit School District, all in Illinois. Jim retired from the Blue-Ribbon Highland District in 2004. He has frequently published in professional journals, speaks across the country to a variety of organizations, and has keynoted most major educational conferences in Illinois. Jim Burgett is known for his practical leadership. He consults many districts, leads strategic planning sessions, and has been a leader in such areas as school construction, administrative standards, and effective teaching strategies. Jim Burgett's wife, Barbara, is a medical records specialist for a senior citizen service complex in Highland. Jim and Barb have three children and five grand children. Their oldest child is Stacey, is a nurse-administrator at an area hospital. She is married to Brian Zobrist, a medical technician. Stacey and Brian have three children, Rachel, Andrew, and Grace. The second daughter is Jennifer, a former high school Spanish teacher. Her husband Mike is a Regional Specialist for a communications hardware company. Jennifer and Mike have two children, Nick and Paige. The youngest Burgett child is Doug, recently graduated from the University of Illinois as a graphic artist in computers and media. In addition to being a co-author, in 2003, of What Every Superintendent and Principal Needs to Know, Jim participated in the "Excellence in Education for Superintendents and Principals" report series by writing "How to Handle the Death of a Student, Faculty, or Staff Member" in 2004. Jim participated in the revising and updating of the second edition of What Every Superintendent and Principal Needs to Know in 2007 and both co-authored the book The Perfect School (with Jim Rosborg and Max McGee) and wrote his own book, Teachers Change Lives 24/7: 150 ways to do it right, all in the same year!

Book preview

The Art of School Boarding:

What Every School Board Member

Needs to Know

Jim Burgett

Including direct in-print advice and instructions

from 20 additional school board veterans

The Art of School Boarding:

What Every School Board Member Needs to Know

Copyright © 2013 by Education Communication

Unlimited and published at Smashwords

Cover Design by Ali Majoka

Proofreading by Sharon Rinderer

ISBN 9780989653053 (Digital)

Table of Contents

The Art of School Boarding:

What Every School Board Member Needs to Know

Introduction

1. Boarding Basics

What Does a Board Member Do?

How Much Time Is Involved?

What Are the Pros and Cons of Boarding?

2. Why Does Anyone Want to Board?

Know Why You Want to Serve

The School Boarding Questionnaire

3. The Foundational Principles of School Governance

The Board Clarifies the Purpose

The Board Connects with the Community

The Board as Employer

The Board as Delegator

The Board as Monitor

Fundamental Boarding Responsibilities

4. Board Roles and Superintendent Roles

What Does the Board Do?

What Does the Superintendent Do?

What Is the Relationship?

5. Boarding Code of Conduct

Formal Codes

Common Sense Codes

6. Know the Chain of Command

Memorize the Organizational Chart

Direct Others to the Process

7. Learn the Art of Receiving and Responding to Complaints

Catching the Complaint

Throwing the Complaint

8. Never Forget Who Comes First

Rethink Your Reasons

Analyze Your Actions

Stabilize Your Center

9. Money Matters

Understand Your Role with Money

Know the Importance of Financial Stability

10. Programs and Growth

Understand the Fundamentals of Schooling

Understand Growth

11. Relationships

12. School Boarding at its Best

Characteristics of an Exemplary Board Member

Your Legacy

13. Expert Advice

14. Taking Care of You

15. The Ride

Dedication and Acknowledgements

Author’s Biography

Index

More K-12 Books from Amazon and E.C.U.

Introduction

This book should be mandatory reading by every new member of every school board in America. They should read it before they seek election or accept appointment.

Being a member of a board of education is one of the most important jobs that a person can hold, and it should be reserved for people who have the courage, the fortitude, and the desire to make a difference. It is not an easy job, but it’s a very important one. The lives of every kid in this country, our kids, are at stake. And so is the present and future fabric of our nation.

Who else should read its pages? Current board members, both as a reminder of the pledge they have made and to provide a unifying language, shared process, and commonly held goal that they and their new followers can seek together.

I’m writing this book because it needs to be written. It is intended to serve as a guide, a primer, a companion, a training manual, a motivational tool, and a down-to-earth conversation starter about a job that is always, for those involved, a life-changing event.

It’s called The Art of School Boarding:

What Every School Board Member Needs to Know

School Boarding is a verb that captures movement and change. The Art of School Boarding is the process that propels and steers that change.

I think school boards in general are doing a superb job, despite the fact that much of that is done by the seat of their pants. And much of that is because too many of the members just don’t know any better. And some don’t care.

You see, some folks run for the school board without understanding both its importance and its complexity. Some, once elected, simply don’t get it. And some lose their vigor and vision. So maybe a straightforward, common sense, jargon-free book like this can help all of the board members become essential components of a crucial process for helping kids. Perhaps it can provide a shared starting point for boards of education working as cohesive teams, knowing their purpose, rolling up their collective sleeves, and never losing focus while making a true difference. Helping school boards board in a positive, effective, and meaningful manner, then, is the goal of this book, the very reason for its existence.

This book contains the kind of information that board members, particularly beginners or others considering joining, should know, like being a member of a board of education is an act of noble and selfless public service. Few receive a salary or even reimbursements for expenses related to the job. In most cases it is a voluntary position that may also cost the individual money to run a campaign for election.

Being a member of a board of education takes time. Many school boards conduct at least one regular meeting each month. Some have two or more. Meetings often last several hours. Many districts expect board members to serve on committees or attend other events that take time and energy. If done right, it is a time-consuming task.

In some places board members are required to complete formal training before they can be seated. Continued professional development may be required or expected. In every case, school board members also have a great deal of literature and information they must read, study, and act upon.

There are no board of education members who don’t face difficult decisions, votes, or issues. Nor any who haven’t had to defend his or her decisions many times. This is a job that often includes some degree of conflict.

Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? Well, it can be fun and rewarding. It is always life changing. But it can also be taxing and frustrating. One thing for certain, it is not a job to be entered into lightly.

Probably the very first question I would have asked (in the middle of the first sentence) is Who is this Burgett guy who says that every school board member should read his words, as if he were some oracle sharing eternal wisdom?

So here it is, a quick bio in a few paragraphs, plus a link for depth.

As a veteran teacher, principal, and superintendent, I think I have served on about one zillion boards, including Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, community library, hospital, churches, Salvation Army, economic development, foundations (school and community), Boy Scouts, and, of course, school districts, and more. To be clear, I have never been elected, always appointed, or in the case of school boards, hired.

During my 40 years as an educator, I have authored five books for school leaders, provided hundreds of training sessions for aspiring and active school board members, and trained and/or consulted with dozens of specific boards of education concerning internal issues, governance, and strategic planning. I was also selected Illinois Administrator of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators and the Illinois Association of Educational Office Professionals.

If you want more dreary details, please see my biography at http://www.theburgettgroup.com or modified earlier in this book.

I do know a lot about school boards, but not everything. Many times, as you will read later, I turned to other board members and administrators that I have worked with to get their thoughts and case studies to share here. (And I cite five school board mentors in this book’s dedication.

Together, they do know everything!)

We’re both eager to get into the school boarding text, yet I should add a few more comments.

This is not a textbook. It has no footnotes, nor many statistics. It comes from me (who sat through thousands of hours of school board meetings), mentors, and colleagues with a century-plus of school board experience.

The format is casual, like a conversation. (I’ve delivered more speeches and presentations than I can count. This is less formal.) What comes through is that I’m a nice guy, others say I’m fun, and I have a deep passion when it comes to kids and doing the right thing.

School boarding isn’t a science—I taught science. Yes, there are some rules, procedures, and recommended guidelines. What makes it an art (as in The Art of School Boarding) is that at the core what we most need to share is thoughtfulness, tact, and the process (really the art) of building relationships.

Are you ready? Slip on your togs, stretch, pad up—let’s go School Boarding….

Chapter 1

Boarding Basics

What does a school board member do?

School board members (SBMs on these pages) mold, direct, and outline the educational opportunities of children and adults. Would it be too theatrical to say they hold the future of mankind in the palm of their hand? Well, if mankind is composed of one person at a time, one new opportunity, one creative philosophy permitting another, then maybe, just maybe, theatricality borders on reality. You have an opportunity to change the world.

From the minute you are elected or appointed a SBM, you hold a position of public authority. Your vote always counts. You become responsible for huge sums of money, the stewardship of property, and the employment and welfare of many human beings. Essentially, you hold the personal livelihood of people in the power of your vote. And not only the individual, but his/her family.

What does a SBM do on a daily basis? Let me dip into my vat of experience from attending dozens of board meetings for many dozens of years and share a few of the common denominators.

Probably the most important task is a continued effort to be knowledgeable, to know the stuff of the job. Some SBMs do this quite well. They read and study journals and articles and subscribe to related email newsletters, blogs, or cyber resources. When something is brewing on the state or national level concerning education, they are plugged in. They ask; they listen; they learn. In today’s society, they may have an educational information app on their phone or tablet, and they use it to skim the topics, searching for those that need more extensive study.

Next, SBMs are plugged into the system. If it is a PreK-12 school system and the SBM has kids in a first and fifth grade, he/she still has to know what is happening at the high school. If it’s the opposite, where the kids at home are all older, the SBM still needs to understand the debate about teaching cursive handwriting and why it is important. The spread of knowledge must cover the full age span and the entire district, and beyond. Listening and learning are imperative to be a successful SBM!

Let’s assume your board meets once a month for a regular meeting and once a month for a committee meeting. A SBM should expect information to be emailed, mailed, or delivered a few days before each meeting for review and study. Competent SBMs take this aspect of the job very seriously. They set aside time to study advance meeting materials. Why? So they can ask logical questions, do homework, and be ready to make sensible and reasonable contributions at the next meeting. It is easy to set the packet aside, skim it over quickly, and be confident that you know the content, or can at least seem to know it. We will talk more about this later, but this is a regular and important facet of the job.

What else do you do besides attend the scheduled meetings? Remember the statement that you are a SBM 24/7? That means that no matter where you are, or what you are doing, you are on-call. That means at the store, the card club, when you pick up the kids from practice, at church, or anywhere that you may encounter other humans! SBMs should expect an unscheduled commentary, a question, a suggestion, an opinion, or a shared frustration. You need to know that you will be told what to do, how to do it, and why it should be done. And, brace yourself, there will be the rare occasion when a person will thank you for something. Later in this book, we will give you some absolutely outstanding advice from my colleagues on how you receive and respond to many of these encounters.

Did you know about the conferences, professional development training, and events that you will need to attend? Some may be mandatory by law or by association expectation, and some may be completely voluntary, but in either case, good SBMs try to attend as many as possible, and even better SBMs not only try to attend, but want to. So, prepare for those awards banquets, annual conferences, quarterly association training sessions, and being present at some of the school’s products, like plays, games, contests, retirement dinners, and much more.

Is there more you do? Yes, indeed. As you turn the pages of this book, you will begin to see that this responsibility is truly more than attendance at meetings; it’s a true adventure.

One of my fondest memories of a school board member was when Harold, a rather large and kind farmer, also a long-time SBM, shared with me two of his most enjoyable acts while serving. One was to be at the county fair on cattle judging day to encourage and support our local FFA students. The other was at an annual FFA event where the services of students were auctioned off, as part of a fund-raiser for the organization. Harold always wanted to be the high bidder for kids he felt might not have many friends in the crowd, who might not have parents who could afford to bid, or who just needed to feel that they contributed to the event. Could he have done both of these things without being a school board member? Of course, but he felt he was not just saying how important FFA was to the school, he was actually showing his support. He loved the intrinsic reward of giving back. (You will hear more about Harold later.)

That’s a snapshot of what a SBM does. An entire album lies ahead!

ow much time is involved?

It was between the first and second semester when I was hired for my first teaching job. I had just graduated with a B.S. in teaching high school chemistry. I was planning to take a semester of graduate work in guidance hoping for a job teaching somewhere the next fall. Then the call came. I received an invitation from the superintendent of a little PreK-12 district in NW Illinois. They needed a junior high math and science teacher to fill a sudden vacancy. They called the nearby university and discovered someone who qualified on paper and was breathing. Me! They called and invited me to come over to apply. Could I come now? Long story short, I thought a semester