As summer vacation winds down, school administrators are busy preparing for the upcoming school year - finalizing new hires, creating the bell schedule, and reviewing enrollment. Teachers are decorating their classrooms and putting final touches on curriculum. Parents, guardians, and students are sharpening their pencils and shopping for new school backpacks. But, what should charter school board members be doing to get ready for the new school year?
Two important tasks that board members need to consider as the school year approaches include reviewing (or perhaps creating) the board’s meeting norms and a discussion around the composition of the current board. These topics could be addressed as part of a board workshop or added to the regular meeting agenda.
Board Norms
As a best practice, all members of a charter school governing board should be on the same page when it comes to board etiquette or “board norms.” These norms set up an expectation about meeting behavior and the interactions between and among board members. Norms create known expectations for board conversations and help to encourage constructive conversations and problem solving.
Norms can also help to facilitate legal compliance and guidance and direction for board members. Charter school boards may wish to use CSDC’s...
