Board Meeting Information
At each Board meeting, the members are required by a series of state statutes to vote on various aspects of school district operations – necessary responsibilities to keep the district functioning on a daily basis. Some examples of these responsibilities are as follows:
Legal Responsibilities
The Board must address a number of legally mandated actions at its monthly
meetings, including:
- Financial transactions – management of accounts
- Personnel contracts – hirings/resignations
- Business contracts – approvals
Mission of the District
The mission of the New Albany-Plain Local School District is to create a Learning Community that empowers our young people to develop the knowledge, talents, and virtues necessary for success in a changing world.
Mission of the Board of Education
The Board is responsible for policy leadership and directing educational issues such as:
- Curriculum and instruction – approving curriculum
- Planning – developing and implementing the Strategic Plan
- Communication – obtaining community input and explaining Board policy and decisions
- Accountability and standards – reviewing and assuring that high standards are met
Policy and Administration
In addition, the Board:
- Reviews policies affecting the administration of the district
- Directs the Superintendent and staff, who carry out Board policy
Public Participation
Additionally, the Board agenda provides an opportunity for public participation, whereby individuals have an opportunity to offer ideas and raise concerns. If you would like to address the Board, here are several suggestions:
First,
Do your research; get information by:
- Meeting with the teacher and/or principal; or
- Contacting the Superintendent or Treasurer if you require additional information or have concerns; then
- Calling a Board member if you are not satisfied; Board members are interested in your concerns.
Then,
If you are not satisfied, address the entire Board at its monthly meeting
by:
- Signing up at the meeting (name, address);
- Summarizing your concerns during the Public Participation portion of the agenda, usually 5 minutes per speaker; feel free to have or use a handout;
- Recognizing that Board members are people too; be civil, come to the point, do your homework, respect the time of others.
You can expect the Board President to respond to your concern in writing or by telephone. Be prepared – The Board may not “fix” or “solve” the problem on the spot. Rather, they may either want to talk with you in more detail or may ask staff members to propose a solution or conduct further research on the concern.
How Does the Board Go About its Work?
Not a Lot Seems to Happen at Board Meetings
The Board needs to carry out its routine business responsibilities each
month in order to keep the district operating smoothly, and this is often
not the most interesting part of a Board meeting, but necessary if bills
are to be paid, contracts signed, and the buses kept running.
On other items on the meeting agenda that require informed decisions based on research and committee work such as curriculum and planning, the Board does much of its fact finding beforehand through committee reports, meetings, inquiries to staff, and planning meetings such as the annual Board retreat. There are also community groups such as the Campus Master Plan (Facilities) Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Joint Economic Committee that provide pertinent information to the Board.
Issues that the community or Board members feel are inadequately prepared or not in the best interests of tax payers, parents, students, and staff are redirected at an earlier level of review or are sent back to the appropriate committee for research and revision. Ideally, only after an issue has been examined by the necessary constituents, staff, and Board members, and they have reached a level of comfort, does the issue appear as a Board agenda item for adoption or rejection.
In short, if the Board and staff are doing their homework, asking pertinent questions, and getting satisfactory answers, the topics on the Board agenda should reflect this preparation.
This preparation process, however, should not exclude topics that may arise which are of immediate concern to an individual or group – hence there is space on the monthly agenda for “Public Participation” and “Additions to the Agenda.”
Overall, the Board’s goal is to have decisions made in a rational, fair manner with appropriate, thoughtful, and reflective processing. The Board seeks to avoid decisions based on emotionalism, pressure from special interest groups, or the interest of one individual. Such decisions could result in community divisiveness and produce lack of confidence and trust among all parties.
Schools should be dynamic organizations that inevitably have points of friction resulting from Board and public scrutiny in the melting pot of ideas. We want to balance the important characteristic of challenging assumptions and present conditions with the equally valuable characteristic of providing a stable environment to nurture the district’s growth. This healthy balance allows the district to move forward and achieve its goals, without being sapped of its energy and direction. This test of our wisdom and sophistication as a community will be our ability to balance these two dynamics in meeting the educational needs of our children and moving forward as an institution, while continually seeking to improve.