1. West Virginia School Board Association State Superintendent’s Presentation June 23, 2014 7:00 pm

2. Voices for Courage “Everyone has the desire to tell the truth But only a few have the courage to do so.”

3. A Foundation for a Common Voice  The Code  The Board  The Superintendent  Effective Boards  Effective Leadership

4. West Virginia Code §18-5  Establishes a framework and organizational structure for school boards  Contradictory Responsibilities o As a policy making entity o As an administrative agency o As a democratic elected body

5. The Board Meeting  Authorized to adopt own procedures  Must keep accurate minutes  Notice of Meetings – open public meetings not necessarily open public forums  The work of the Board  Models for decision making

6. The Role of the Superintendent  To inform the board accurately  To recommend a course of action  To implement the Board’s decision

7. Effective Boards  Study and question the information presented  Analyze the recommendation  Analyze other alternative courses of action on a logical or systematic basis  Understand that boards are sometimes limited or constrained by law or state policies which are almost always initiated by state law

8. County Board Service Encumbrances 1. Don’t be too lawyerly. 2. Learn to acquire independent information but do so with sanction of the county board. 3. Don’t become bogged and paralyzed by informational overload.

9. County Board Service Encumbrances 4. Have a quarterly checkup. 5. Let the system solve problems. 6. Keep the superintendent on his or her toes. 7. Finally, have fun.

10. Effective Superintendent Leadership  The superintendent is Chief Executive Officer of the school district and the leader of the county board but should not act independently of the board’s vision  The superintendent must be the respected leader of the administrative staff  The superintendent is appointed by the county board of education  Each entity should work for the success of the other

11. 10 not so Secret Steps to Success  Appoint the right superintendent  Serve with integrity, perseverance, faith  Demonstrate the corporate nature of the board  Establish an effective policy making process  Actively involve yourself in the establishment of curricula and achievement expectations for students and adults  Encourage cooperation between the school system and the community  Encourage training for the board and the staff  Follow your policies  Monitor yourselves  Advocate for building capacity in your schools to improve student performance

12. Elements of Operation  Trust is measured in the vote  Your Most Important Appointment  Present / Act / Move On  Empowerment  Efficiency  Efficacy

13. Reality Checks  The Summer Storm  McKinney – Vento: Standing Strong  Friday Night Fight  Hurricane Sandy

14. Reality vs. Perception  Hiring Practices  Calendar Bill  Innovation Zones  BOE Authority - The Reality

15. Some Thoughts  Understand what micro management is or isn’t and stay out of it  Do Not Allow your Superintendent to opt out of the tough decisions  A-F school grading system will be a real opportunity to involve communities as a part of the solution  Will you be doing real work at your meetings?

16. Some More Thoughts  What will happen in the future with local boards of education?  What could be? vs. What will be?  It depends on your mentality.  What is the right thing to do is not always the most popular thing to do.  What is the most popular thing to do is not always the right thing to do.

17. One Last Thought  When you think as the new person on the board of whether you can make a difference… think of how the wolf changed a river.think of how the wolf changed a river.

18. Thank you and good luck!  What you are going to do for students is worth more than all the grief you will take for trying to do so.  This may be the hardest job you will ever love.  You are special if you remember what this job entails.