Regular Board meetings are held at the Central Administration Office
509 S. Dubuque Street, Iowa City, on
All meetings are cable cast live on the Kirkwood
educational channel and rebroadcast the following Thursday at 7:30
PM, and Sunday at 1:00 PM.ICCSD Board Governance Policies Prologue:
Origins, Purpose, Scope
This document represents a prologue for the governance
policies developed by the Iowa City Community School District
School Board during the fall of 1999.
Those policies are contained in four categories: Board
Governance, Executive Limitations, Board-Superintendent Linkage,
and Ends. The policies in each category are intended to be
consistent, integrated and mutually supportive.
Although this prologue may assist in the interpretation of the
policies, it does not modify them. Only the language of the
policies constitutes Board policy.
The policies have been prepared for the guidance of the Board,
the Superintendent of the ICCSD, and through him/her the staff of
the District. They are also made publicly available for the
information of all District stakeholders and anyone else who may
be interested.
They have been drawn, in substantial part, from the model
offered boards in the book by John Carver and Miriam Mayhew
Carver, Reinventing Your Board (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass,
1997) - a continuation of John Carver's earlier book, Boards
That Make a Difference (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1990). The
Board expressly recommends that anyone interested in the purpose
and intention of the Board consult those books. (The latter is now
in a second edition.) Not only do they spell out the purpose and
philosophy of this approach to governance, they also explain the
way in which the Carvers' terms, such as "Ends," are being used.
This prologue is designed to serve a number of purposes. As a
reminder to the Board members who drafted the policies. As a
fuller explanation to interested parties who could not attend the
meetings at which they were drafted. And, perhaps of greatest
significance, future Board members who may wish to operate under
these policies, or modify them, but want more information about
their origin and purpose.
As the Carvers explain, and the Board believes, the policies
in general, and Executive Limitations in particular, are not the
product of the Board's lack of confidence in, or trust of, the
Superintendent. Quite the contrary. They exist because the trust
and confidence is so great that the Board is prepared to delegate
all administrative responsibility to the Superintendent (subject
to limitations explained below).
In brief, the Board establishes Ends. These may be thought of
as long term outcomes or measurable goals. Achievement of these
goals is one of the standards by which the Superintendent's
performance will be measured by the Board. (An example of a
possible End might be a goal of a 10% increase in third graders'
reading scores by the beginning of the following school year.) The
Board also establishes Executive Limitations. (There are numerous
examples in the Board's Executive Limitations policies.) These are
the means that the Superintendent cannot use. The Superintendent
is then expected to achieve the Ends by using any means of his/her
choice not forbidden by the Executive Limitations. This approach
is designed as an alternative to, and to avoid the necessity of,
the Superintendent coming to the Board for "approval" of every
administrative policy, decision or action.
The Board does, of course, retain the responsibility, option
and power to modify, or add to, these policies.
The Board expressly notes that in evaluating the performance
of the Superintendent no negative weight is to be accorded
decisions s/he has made that were based on reasonable
interpretations of the Board's policies. The Board may not like
the decisions. They may be decisions the Board would not have
made. The decisions may have inspired the Board's perceived need
to make additions to or clarifications of its policies.
Nevertheless, only clear violations of policies in place at the
time decisions are made will be considered in evaluating the
Superintendent.
Board policies' that refer to "the Superintendent" are
intended to be applicable to all District staff. However,
District-wide enforcement of the policies is the responsibility of
the Superintendent. Indeed it is one of the standards by which the
Superintendent's performance will be evaluated. Monitoring that
enforcement is the responsibility of the Board.
The expression and organization of the Board's policies follow
the suggestion and illustrations of the Carvers regarding layering
or levels. That is, they begin with the most general propositions
and then become increasingly precise.
The policies make reference to stakeholder relations. A
stakeholder is anyone affected by the District and its policies,
from students to property tax payers. Positive interpersonal
relations between the District and its stakeholders are expected
by the Board of itself, and all District staff, because,
the District is a service organization of individuals
employed by, and legally responsible to, its stakeholders,
it helps create a better learning environment for our
students at school and at home,
it is, increasingly, the standard stakeholders have come to
expect from all commercial and public institutions including
school districts,
this adult modeling is one of the best ways to educate
students regarding the behavior we (and their future employers)
expect of them,
it is an element of the reputation the Board wants to
create and maintain for this District, and deliberately last,
public education is no longer the near-monopoly it once
was. The public education offered by our school district is
increasingly but an option in a marketplace of parental choices
involving, among other things, transfers into other districts,
various private schools, and home schooling- along with growing
public support for vouchers, charter schools, and other
alternatives. We want quality stakeholder relations because
it's right; we need quality stakeholder relations because it's
essential in a competitive market.
Stakeholder relations are improved by including affected
parties in the District's decision making process as early as
possible. It includes, but is not limited to:
an ongoing affirmative outreach to, and communication with,
those institutions and agencies with which the District shares
a mission or program,
especially those also engaged in the education of K-12-age
children,
those whose property borders on District property,
parents and staff, and of course,
students - if for no other reason because "It is difficult
to teach democracy in an authoritarian manner."
Positive stakeholder relations include, but are not limited
to, a constant effort to ascertain stakeholders' expectations and
then exceed them. It includes a helping attitude that responds to
others by dealing with, and when possible resolving, concerns,
complaints and suggestions courteously and promptly.
Positive stakeholder relations also means the avoidance of the
appearance, as well as the reality, of conflicts of interest, or
favored treatment of any stakeholder because of such things as
personal relationships, political or financial power. Especially
is this true in matters of hiring, promotions and discipline. The
Superintendent should exercise special caution with regard to any
District dealing by or with Board members themselves.
Board policies refer to its desire to create and maintain an
atmosphere open to an expression of a diversity of views. This is
because
It is consistent with the District's educational mission.
If there is to be a spirit of open inquiry in our classrooms,
and students are to value the purposes of the First Amendment,
there cannot be discordance with those values in the way in
which the District is administered.
The Board believes such an atmosphere will tend to promote
more constructive innovation, and more rapid response to needed
changes.
Accordingly, it will look with disfavor on any documented
instance of an employee sanctioned in any way (including being
characterized as "disloyal" or "insubordinate") for reasons
reasonably believed to be related to the employee's ethical and
civil expression of facts, concerns, opinions or views.
Although Board members want to be generally informed about
conditions in the District, and therefore welcome direct
communications from staff and other stakeholders, they will
normally merely refer complaints to the Superintendent without
recommendation rather than take action on them, as such, as a
Board or individual Board member. Normally the only exception to
this practice would occur if the Superintendent has already
resolved a complaint in a manner that the complaining party
believes violates Board policy, or is indicative of the need for a
revised or new policy.
Staff compensation.
The Board is mindful of the external limitations on the
Superintendent with regard to employee compensation, such as
(1) the law governing negotiations with employee bargaining
units, (2) the binding decisions of arbitrators, (3) the
comparable salaries and benefits paid to the staff of other
school districts similarly situated, and (4) the relatively
rigid limitations on any school district's potential revenue.
It is aware that roughly 80 % of the District's budget is
personnel costs. Thus, even a relatively minor change in staff
pay and benefits - without offsetting increases in revenue -
can have a substantial impact on such things as programs
offered, numbers of staff, and resulting average class size.
The Board recognizes that there is not a perfect fit
between the interests of the District and the interests of any
given bargaining unit.
Understanding these constraints, the Board would like the
Superintendent to balance three -sometimes seemingly
conflicting - goals.
That negotiations be conducted with the maximum
mutual respect and good will possible, recognizing that all
parties are professionals and co-workers' in a common
enterprise, and that the Board wishes to attract and hold
top professionals.
That every effort be made to avoid increases in pay and
benefits that are not offset by increases in revenue - and
will, therefore, require employee layoffs, larger class size
and cuts in programs.
That disparity between the pay, benefits and perks of
administrators and other staff be held to the minimum
necessary to hire and hold well-qualified administrators.
Communication.
Individual Board members are free to pursue their own
interests, inquiries, communications and conversations with any
District staff member.
However, the Board members have agreed among themselves to
exercise sensitivity and restraint with regard to (1)
unwarranted and excessive demands on the time of employees, (2)
failure to make clear they do not speak for "the Board" (unless
authorized to do so by Board action), (3) crossing the line
into matters of administration and one-on-one Board member
micro-management, or (4) failing to inform the Superintendent
and other Board members of personal activities of relevance to
them.
The Board expressly requests that if in the
Superintendent's judgement the requests or activities of an
individual Board member are impeding the routine work of the
Superintendent or other staff s/he will first discuss the
matter with the Board member, and, failing mutual resolution of
the conflict, present the matter to the full Board.
The Board fully supports the spirit as well as, of course, the
letter of the open meetings law, and the right of the District's
stakeholders and public to see public documents and know the
business of its public agencies. Especially does this apply to
matters of budget and finance.
Advance notice is provided in the local media, and at the
Central Administration Office, of the time, place and agenda of
forthcoming Board meetings. The Board's meetings are open to
the public. They are usually televised as well, and re-run on
the local education cable channel.
The Superintendent provides additional detail during
his/her Community Education meetings. They are also public and
televised.
The Board holds meetings in the school buildings to make
itself even more accessible to its stakeholders.
Board members e-mail and postal addresses, and phone
numbers, are made available, and a process is in place for
responding to, and/or forwarding, public comments directed to
Board members.
Internet Web pages are maintained by the District and some
Board members.
The Media Centers in each school, as well as the local
public library, contain basic District documents available to
any member of the public. Others are available through the
Central Administration Office. These include a number of
pamphlets for parents.
In this spirit, it is the Board's desire and intention to
make financial and budget information as flilly available and
understandable as possible to the media and public. But it
urges its stakeholders to be aware that Iowa School Finance Law
and accounting practices, and the District's budgets and
reports affected thereby, are a sophisticated and arcane
subject that makes simplistic summaries something between
impossible and dangerous. Briefings will be held for the media
and public, the basic documents will be available, innovative
efforts will be made to make them as understandable as
possible, and sources of additional information (e.g., Code
provisions, texts, articles, Web sites) will be suggested for
those wishing to pursue the subject in greater detail.
Transition Policies
With the adoption of the Board's policies on Board Governance,
Executive Limitations, and Board-Superintendent Linkage, and
following their effective date, they will supersede any
pre-existing policies of the Board, except for such pre-existing
policies as may be specifically required by law or regulations to
be created and maintained by the school board (as distinguished
from the Superintendent) which shall remain in effect.
Draft Ends Policies will be developed by the Board during the
current school year (1999-2000). Until the original version of
Ends Policies has been created and promulgated the Board's
taansitional Ends Policies are found in the ICCSD Second Strategic
Plan (1996-2001).
