Board Norms

Live blog tomorrow for DeKalb Board of Education's Work Session and Board Meeting
Back by popular demand, we'll host a real-time blog for tomorrow's DeKalb Board meeting. The DeKalb BOE has changed the timing and format of meetings so tomorrow's blog will start at 2pm, with the Work Session. DCSS has indicated that they will be broadcasting the Work Session at 2pm on Comcast 24 and steaming it on their website.

Please note that I will be on and off the blog from 2pm through the board meeting at 7pm. At 6:45pm, I will be interviewed on the blog by the Patch Editors. All of the DeKalb Patch websites will be carrying the live blog as they did with the previous meeting. I am delighted that they have partnered with us to bring you this interactive forum.

"Board Norms"
The Work Session at 3pm contains the item E.1.a. - "Board Norms". This item has no detailed documentation associated with it. Previously, the board was provided with a list of "board norms" that included the following ten items to which they are to commit themselves:

1. Adopting policies, providing stakeholder education, advocating the work of the strategic plan, and developing and allocating resources to support implementation of the strategic plan.
2. Setting the superintendent's annual performance goals in alignment with the strategic plan.
3. Acting to support the superintendent to maintain district focus on work and priorities in the approved strategic plan and to avoid distractions by using the strategic planning cycle to collect stakeholder input.
4. Directing all stakeholders' questions, input and discussion directly to the superintendent, providing the superintendent and fellow board members with proactive notice of issues or concerns.
5. Using board meetings to discuss board issues, current or upcoming, with the community, not email, social media, other channels.
6. Requesting information from the superintendent or actions by the superintendent by a request to the whole board, rather than individually from the superintendent or from staff or school personnel.
7. Interacting as a parent of a CSD student in ways that reflect the separation of parent and board member roles, informing the superintendent before contact with school personnel regarding parental concerns.
8. When expressing ideas, opinions and intentions to stakeholders, prefacing or clarifying the statements as personal expression, not representation of the board's ideas, opinions or intentions.
9. Model excellence and innovation in education governance for stakeholders and peer boards.
10. In interactions in which stakeholders request or expect district actions and decisions, in addition to or unaligned with the strategic plan, educate stakeholders in the strategic planning process, as the process for providing input to the work of the district and its priorities.

I have several concerns about these "board norms". In particular, I am concerned that #5 will prohibit board members from communicating with citizens. Would this "norm" be acceptable for your state representative or senator? The majority of your tax dollars (property taxes plus more than 50% of state revenues) are spent on education. These "norms" seem to keep citizens separated from the governmental entity that decides how these monies are spent in DeKalb. That structure seems to benefit the administrative class to the detriment of transparency and accountability. Item #8 seems to contradict #5. If a board member expresses their opinion or intention, would that not be a violation of #5? It's all food for though. I look forward to hearing the board's discussion on these issues.

Thanks and stay in touch!
--Nancy