Board retreat dials in on oversight duties
Jul. 9—Elected members of a school board are charged to find a careful balance between checking the power of the administration and avoiding a pattern of micromanagement, all while contributing many hours per week of their time for zero pay.
The St. Joseph Board of Education heard about this advisory and others like it on Friday in a special meeting at the Troester Media Center. The event, called a board retreat but hardly resembling a vacation, featured meetings on subjects like media interaction and assessment of academic performance. However, Susan Goldammer opened a window to the board's most essential function, being the boss of the big boss, Superintendent Gabe Edgar.
The training is key as none of the current members have been in office for more than three years and most have been around for less than 30 months.
"This school board has a lot of board members on it that haven't been on it very long," said Goldammer, associate executive director for law, labor and advocacy at the Missouri Schools Boards Association. "But, in my experience, they're very engaged and they want to do things right. And that's half the battle."
Goldammer presented a basic plan for members to follow in their oversight role. Regardless of whatever course the board decides to take, she recommended setting "SMART" goals: objectives that are "specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound." Where possible, board members should attempt to find common ground with school administrators and not impose their personal opinions upon them unless hard data supports doing otherwise, Goldammer said; a superintendent who feels put upon and unable to do his or her job may become likely to leave early.
When a superintendent has just finished his first week in office, the standards of oversight become even more important, board members heard.
"That's why we hire administrative staff, highly qualified administrative staff," she said. "And it's the board's job to monitor results, to supervise the superintendent and provide resources so that the administration can do their jobs and provide a quality education for the district."
Marcus Clem can be reached at marcus.clem@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NPNowClem
