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A Presentation For The American Association Of School Administrators Governing At The Top: Building a High-Impact Board- Superintendent Strategic Governing Team November 5, 2014 ©Doug Eadie & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Governing Is A Team Sport Involving A STRATEGIC GOVERNING TEAM School Board Superintendent Senior executives Doug Eadie & Company

4 Facts Of Life In All School Districts 1.Making truly high-impact governing decisions and judgments depends on a rock-solid board- superintendent working relationship. 2.Board-superintendent partnerships are difficult to build and always fragile. 3.School board members make better governing partners when they are actively engaged in shaping high-impact governing decisions and judgments and, therefore, feel like satisfied owners of their governing work – NOT like an audience for finished staff work. 4.Board-savvy superintendents are the most effective partnership builders. Doug Eadie & Company

2 Of The Major Keys To Building A High-Impact Strategic Governing Team A board-savvy superintendent at the helm Meticulous management of the board- superintendent working relationship to keep it healthy Doug Eadie & Company

KEY # 1 A Board-Savvy Superintendent At The Helm Doug Eadie & Company

Board-Savvy Superintendents See the school board as one of their district’s most precious assets and take accountability for capitalizing on the asset. Treat governance and the board- superintendent partnership as a top-tier chief executive priority. Are world-class experts in the rapidly evolving field of K-12 governance. Doug Eadie & Company

Making Governing A Top Superintendent Priority Means: Spending at least 25 percent of his/her time on governing matters Serving as “executive director” of the district’s board “program:”  Closely monitoring board functioning, identifying issues needing attention and taking the lead in addressing them  Helping the board become a more effective governing body Doug Eadie & Company

Governing At The Highest Level The school board plays the leading role – in close partnership with the superintendent and executive team – in continuously answering 4 critical questions: 1.Where should our district be headed/what should we become over the long run? 2.What should we be now and in the near-term? 3.How well are we performing: in terms of educational performance, finances, external relations, administration? 4. How do we need/want to be perceived by the general public and key stakeholders? Doug Eadie & Company

The Board’s Detailed Governing Work Consists Of Much More Than Mere “Policy- Making” Decisions about concrete governing “products” and judgments based on governing information – flowing along 3 broad governing streams: Strategic and operational planning/budget development Performance oversight/monitoring External/stakeholder Relations Doug Eadie & Company

Your Board’s Detailed Governing Work Can Be Organized/Managed By Actual Or Virtual Standing Committees That Correspond to the major streams of decisions and judgments that make up the board’s governing work (form following function) Cut across all district operations and functions (not tied to narrow silos such as curriculum and instruction, contracts, buildings and grounds, personnel, finance, etc.) Are standing, not ad hoc, committees Doug Eadie & Company

Form Follows Function Board Governing Streams Educational/Administrative Functions Planning Stream Performance Oversight Stream External/Stakeholder Relations Stream Doug Eadie & Company

Model Committee Structure Doug Eadie & Company External/Stakeholder Relations Board Performance Oversight/Monitoring Planning and Development Governance (Board Operations)

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KEY # 2 Meticulous Management Of The Board-Superintendent Working Relationship Doug Eadie & Company

5 Keys To Maintaining A Healthy Board- Superintendent Working Relationship 1.An actual or virtual (committee of the whole) committee accountable for management of the relationship – often called “governance” or “board operations” 2.Ongoing, detailed division of labor in major governing areas (e.g., planning) 3.Clear, detailed board-superintendent (and board- executive team) communication and interaction guidelines 4.A solid board chair-superintendent working relationship 5.A well-designed process for board evaluation of superintendent performance Doug Eadie & Company

The Actual Or Virtual Accountable Committee Pays explicit, close attention to the board-superintendent relationship Fashions explicit guidelines for board-superintendent (and board-executive team) communication/interaction Ensures that an effective process for board evaluation of superintendent performance is implemented Identifies relationship issues and works out solutions with the superintendent Doug Eadie & Company

Regarding The Board- Superintendent Division Of Labor The magic is in the continuous, detailed division of labor in key governing areas like strategic planning and budget preparation – NOT in drawing and preaching about general boundaries like “the board focuses on ends, the superintendent and executive team on means.” Actual or virtual committees are the perfect place for board members and the superintendent to work out a mutually satisfactory division of labor. A key objective is to ensure meaningful board engagement in shaping decisions and judgments. Doug Eadie & Company

Determine With Your “Planning Committee” How Board Members Should Be Involved In: Updating district values and vision statements Preparing the annual operating plan and budget Identifying strategic issues facing your district and fashioning change initiatives Doug Eadie & Company

Determine With Your “Performance Monitoring Committee” How Board Members Should Be Involved In: Updating major policies (e.g., contracting) Determining the content and format of performance reports Assessing educational, financial, and administrative performance Doug Eadie & Company

Determine With Your “External Relations Committee” How Board Members Should Be Involved In: Representing your district in appropriate external forums Updating your district’s desired image Fashioning marketing, communication, and stakeholder relations strategies Doug Eadie & Company

Board-Superintendent Interaction/Communication Guidelines Are one of the most important ways to prevent relationship issues from developing. Should reflect desired internal cultural values (for example, fostering understanding, transparency and openness in your district). Should be developed by the accountable board committee and formally adopted by the full board. Should extend to members of the superintendent’s executive team. Should be monitored by the accountable board committee. Doug Eadie & Company

A Solid Board Chair-Superintendent Working Relationship Depends On: Reaching agreement on the basic division of labor Non-monetary compensation:  A board-savvy superintendent’s providing strong support to the board chair in carrying out his/her role  A board-savvy superintendent’s paying close attention to the board chair’s professional objectives and ego needs Doug Eadie & Company

Regarding The Board Chair- Superintendent Division of Labor The board chair is responsible for leading deliberations of the board and the governance committee The superintendent is responsible for all internal operations, including directing staff The board chair and superintendent share external/stakeholder relations Only the full board collectively provides direction to the superintendent, never the board chair alone Doug Eadie & Company

Board Evaluation of Superintendent Performance Is Intended To Result In Practical Steps To: Strengthen superintendent performance Strengthen superintendent performance Address relationship issues Doug Eadie & Company

A Sound Process For Board Evaluation of Superintendent Performance Should Be spearheaded by the actual or virtual governance (or board operations) committee Be carried out at least annually – with the superintendent present Be outcomes-focused – NOT using some kind of questionnaire measuring functional excellence Focus on 2 performance tiers: (1) overall district education and operational performance; (2) the superintendent’s CEO-centric leadership targets Doug Eadie & Company

CEO-Centric Performance Areas Board development and support Internal operational/managerial capacity building External/stakeholder relations Strategic Educational Leadership Doug Eadie & Company

QUESTIONS Doug Eadie & Company

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