“ Building” an Effective School Board Provided by:

1. “Building” an Effective School Board Provided by: School Ministries of the Pacific Southwest District, LCMS • Characteristics of effective school boards & school board members. • Roles of the Board & Board member. School Consultant Paul Brandt 949-892-7154 paul.brandt@psd-lcms.org

2. Definitions… • Governance: the means by which the leading authority guides and monitors the values and goals of its organization. • Fiduciary: a legal or ethical relationship of confidence or trust between two or more parties. • Strategic: a way of thinking that considers how parts of a plan work in unison to achieve a future goal. • Administrator: includes early childhood directors, principals, executive directors, headmasters, etc.

3. Governance Diversity: Which describes your board? • Essential: • Board recruitment • Strong yet humble school admin. leader. • Essential: • Relationship with higher board. • Mutual support between SB & school admin. • Essential: • Creative and open-minded “Board" • Exceptionally strong yet humble school administrative leader. • Exceptionally strong yet humble pastor. Your decisions are final. There is no higher group. Board within a Board Independent Governing Board Your decisions are subject to approval by a higher board. Advisory Committee You have no authority. Advise the administrator.

4. What’s the Point? “Trustees hold in trust something much deeper and elusive – the legacy of the institution. Legacy includes the dreams of the institution’s founders and its history of accomplishments and failures. It includes deeply-held values and beliefs which have shaped its character over the years.” Balcony Perspective – Broholm and Johnson “The purpose of the board job is, on behalf of some ownership, to see to it that the organization achieves what it should and avoids what is unacceptable.” John Carver

5. So your fiduciary responsibility is… To “guard” what is important to others! What is important to: • Current students? • Future students? • Graduates? • Faculty? • Your congregation? • God?

6. Charter: A must for every board (and worker). Empowered AND Accountable Why does this board/position exist (mission)? To whom is the board/person accountable? What is the extent/limit of the board’s/person’s authority? (the limitations) Written by the entity/person extending authority to the board/person (from “above”). ALWAYS with meaningful, authentic feedback on performance, care & appreciation.

7. Sample Charter • Our School Board exists to provide: • Strategic leadership - Thinking about, talking about and planning for the future. • Fiduciary oversight over what is especially important like the mission, values, funding, reputation, etc. • Oversight of the lead administrator through goal setting and annual review with authentic feedback, care, and appreciation. • The Board is accountable to the BOD/CC and • Carries out its responsibilities within the limitations on authority granted by the BOD/CC. (Followed by a list of those limitations.)

8. “All systems are perfectly designed for the results they achieve.” A Timeless Truth… What results is your school’s governance structure designed to achieve? Are those the preferred results? Is your structure in need of change?

9. Lines of Authority/Accountability Congregation Pastor Church Council Where’s the pastor? School Board Administrator ChurchMembers Teachers Students Advisory Committee Parents Public

10. Too often… • Boards make too many decisions! Since they are involved in non-board tasks, they do not get to true board tasks. • Boards should spend meeting time on…planning for the future, guarding what is most important (fiduciary) and supervising the lead administrator. • The past is past. • The present is in the hands of the staff. • The future is often left to…no one. • What can only the Board do? DO THAT FIRST. Plan with the next generation in mind.

11. Sample Board MinutesStrategic leadership? Fiduciary oversight? Admin. Oversight? None? • Schedule the fire inspection. • Motion to thank a retiring Board member. • Motion to appoint a new Board member. • Report by the lead administrator. • Discussion about ordering school t-shirts. • Treasurer’s report. • Staff report on Christmas program plans. • Approval of mileage reimbursement policy. • Approval of a mileage check for a teacher. • Approval that students’ families will be asked to bring treats to the Christmas program. • Discussion on how to thank donors.

12. Time flies… Where does your Board spend most of its meeting time? Past? Present? Future? • Strategic Leadership? • Fiduciary oversight? • Administrative oversight? • Other: _______________ What must change?

13. Limitations A different way to guide the board and administrator. • Tells us what we cannot do. All else (legal and ethical) is “fair game” - until wisdom or a higher ministry authority says otherwise. • Leaders thrive under limitations. (List of “do nots”. Like the 10 Commandments!) • Managers thrive under position descriptions. (List of “to dos”. More later.)

14. Sample Board Limitations • Will not make decisions reserved for the governance structure “above”. • Will not allow the school to exceed spending in any section (not line) of the budget without first… • Will not neglect to update the school’s current and long-range financial plan at least annually. • Will not allow the school to operate without a vision statement and current strategic plan. • Will not dismiss a worker without first… • Will not neglect to provide the administrator with an annual performance review. (Note: all other reviews are delegated to the administrator.) • To get started: set them and then refine them, add more or remove statements over time.

15. The Board in the Boundaries Limitations External Boundary The Board Room The Board Room Laws The Schoolled by the Lead Admin. The Board Self-Monitors The School Internal Boundary With the Admin.

16. Role of the Board Member The board is only the board when it is in session. Boards speak through policy. Discussions on the path to policy are not public information. An individual board member can only speak for the board when given specific permission by the board to do so. (Most often the Board Chair or Lead Admin.) The board (and board members) has the administrator’s “back”! Board members… Are committed to THIS school: time, talent, treasure and testimony. Attend meetings and are prepared for meetings. Have a fiduciary responsibility to be curious and to ask tough questions. Know and model the difference between board leadership and school administration. Are representative; they do not represent. Visit the school and attend school events as participant and cheerleader, not as a critic or boss.

17. Roles of Officers • See handout.

18. Role of the Lead Administrator Simultaneously: • Leads the Board. • Reports to the Board. Focused on the Board’s roles: • Strategic Leadership – examples. • Fiduciary Oversight – examples. • Administrator Oversight – examples. While anticipating information need to make informed decisions.

19. Lead Administrator • Guides visioning and takes actions of the plan. • Implements the budget within limitations. • Hires & leads staff. • Admits students. • Prepares reports that meet the Board’s needs. • Closely monitors actions and results to see that they are within set limitations. • Receives feedback and annual performance review. (Is able to appeal.) • Anticipates needs & recommends for the Board’s agenda. • Board • Adopts a vision & plan. • Sets the budget within limitations. • Adopts personnel policy. • Adopts admissions policy. • Receives reports from the administrator. • Allows the admin. to serve within the set limitations. • Provides regular feedback and annual performance review. • Sets its agenda with input from the administrator.

20. Contact School Ministries BEFORE Ex. Dir. Rachel Klitzing can help you avoid mistakes. • Formally talking about dismissing any worker for any reason including Reduction in Force. (RIF) • Formally talking about dismissing a called worker because special circumstances may need to be addressed. • Formally talking about closing your school or greatly expanding your school. • Calling/hiring a lead administrator: principal, assistant principal, director, DCE, etc. Calling is different from hiring. Request a face-to-face before calling an administrator. And, • If the relationship between administrator and Board or between the administrator/board and pastor are not good. • Whenever you wonder if you should!

21. Some useful resources LCMS Congregational Treasurer’s Manualhttp://www.lcms.org/ca/www/ctm/01c/ Governing Board Manual for LCMS schools: http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=1776 Growing In Governing, a monthly publication for boards: www.lcms.org/schools (click on “resources”) (subscription) Transformational Boards (Tweeten) Boards that Make a Difference (Carver), www.carvergovernance.com Building Effective Boards for Religious Organizations (Holland and Hester) Jossey-Bass Publishers Roberta’s Rules of Order (Cochran) Jossey-Bass Publishers Executive Values (Senske) Augsburg-Fortress Trust and Teams (Fryer) Concordia Publishing House Governance as Leadership (Chait, Ryan, Taylor) Board Source Nonprofit Boards that Work (Robinson) Wiley Good to Great & and Good to Great and the Social Sector (Jim Collins) BoardSource…www.boardsource.com The Heart of Change (Dan S. Cohen, John Kotter) Winning on Purpose (John Kaiser)

22. Next Steps • For a board improvement plan: why, what, who and when leading to improvement. (change) • Take time to talk through and agree on improvements. (Why and What) • Decide who is responsible for leading the change. • Decide when to implement the change. (When) • Implement the plan! • Evaluate the change and improve it.