Onboarding and Building a Team

This board chose to do the Superintendent’s Formative Evaluation immediately prior to undertaking their on-boarding and team-building work. Note they reference every item on the agenda to their policy – training new members to understand “governing by policy.”

Thursday

8:30 am
Breakfast

9:00 am
Board Formative Evaluation of Superintendent (B/SR-5)

The summative evaluation will be based upon data collected during the year from the monitoring of Results and Operational Expectations policies.

The Board will discuss and summarize its six-month review of Superintendent performance identifying areas for commendation and areas to be addressed.

10:00 am
Board meets with Superintendent to discuss its conclusions. Questions for the Superintendent:

What have you discovered about PSUSD to date?
What is your assessment of our current operations and achievement?
What is your plan – your priorities and goals?

11:00 am
Board & Leadership: Carry-over on OE policies and Results concerns

Proposal of a new OE
Results Priorities: Worthwhile? Achievable? Measureable?

12:00 noon
Lunch

1:00 pm
Board Policy Review: Building the Governing Team (BC-2.2 & 2.6)

The Board is responsible for its own governing performance. The Board will ensure that its members are provided with training and professional support necessary for quality governance, skills and knowledge. (BC-2.2)

The Board commits itself to continuous improvement. In pursuit of this objective, continuous Board development will include orientation of candidates for the Board and new members of the Board about the Board’s governance culture and processes for conducting Board business. In addition, the Board will avail itself of whatever training it determines necessary for excellent Board performance. (BC-2.6)

Opening exercise:

What is this method of governing? (Randy and Linda)
Why did the PSUSD board adopt this policy approach to governing?   What attracted us to this method? (chair and vice-chair)
Why does the PSUSD board continue in this practice? What does this structure promise for “excellent” governance? (two members)

Policies: Review policies in quadrants BC and BSR          

Did we say what we mean? Questions for clarification?
Members address values they believe deserve further consideration – articulate concern and suggest alternative language
Specifics identified: any changes required as a result of member districts (e.g., spokesperson)

3:45 pm
Board Debrief (BC-2.2)

4:00 pm
Adjourn

Friday

8:30 am
Breakfast

9:00 am
Board Policy Review: Review Operational Expectations and Results for Student Achievement Policies

OEs – Did we say what we mean? Questions for clarification?
Results: development, evolution, current application

11:30 am
Board & Leadership: Begin the “Real” Conversation (BC-2 & 3.1)

The Board will govern lawfully with primary emphasis on Results for students … and govern with a long-term vision. (BC-2.2)

Ensure that Results are the dominant focus of organizational performance. (BC-3.1)

What should ALL PSUSD graduates know and be able to do?What are the promises to each and every student?
What are the implications for board governing direction as leader/servant/representative of the community?
Unending obsession of the Board: “What benefit? For whom? At what cost?”

To consider, as well:

ELL population and achievement (R.2)
Partnering to increase student achievement (OE-9)
Safety and security for the Latino population (OE-12)
Developing parent support & involvement (BC-3 &OE-9.1 & .3)

12:30 pm
Lunch

1:00 pm
Continue

2:00 pm
Next Steps: Board resolve (next retreat, process, key players)

2:30 pm
Board and Administrator Debrief

2:45 pm
Board Debrief (BC-2.2)

3:15 pm
Adjourn

Fairfax VA, a huge district, held this retreat for orientation and teambuilding. Note in particular they articulate the objectives, then Rules of Engagement. The veteran board members split up responsibilities to speak to parts of their work. This is the added benefit: when members are challenged to speak to what they have done – it builds ownership and pride.

The role of the Fairfax County School Board is to direct Fairfax County Public Schools and focus the greater Fairfax County community toward ensuring the successful education of students, consistent with the vision and goals adopted by the School Board. To carry out that role, the School Board will:

• Establish expectations for student achievement, provide resources to enable students to meet those expectations, and hold Fairfax County Public Schools accountable for student achievement.
  • Develop goals and rigorously monitor performance against approved benchmarks and toward identified goals.
  • Hire and regularly evaluate the performance of the Superintendent.
  • Adopt operating and capital budgets that support the Board’s identified goals.

Retreat Objectives:

• To build understanding of each other’s’ expectations on a newly-formed board
• To review and update the current beliefs and vision of FCPS as foundational to driving all Board and division focus and efforts
• To understand the concept of Strategic Governance as an operating system for powerful, accountable governance focused on student achievement

Rules of Engagement: In order to achieve the retreat’s objectives, and ensure balanced and full participation of all board members and the Superintendent, the following protocols will be observed:

• Recognize the value of all participants and their opinions: Speak once and then allow others to have their say before speaking again
• Maintain order: Speak only when recognized and for not more than three minutes each time
• Be coherent: Address concerns directly and clearly – offering solutions and alternatives to your concerns
• Majority rules: If you have spoken and been understood, be willing to move on

8:30 am
Grounding the Board (MBTI application)

• “Why did you run?”
• “What do you hope to accomplish?”
• “What do you consider to be the role of the board? Board member?

10:30 am
Consider Beliefs: The School Board’s and the school division’s value system. They serve as the corporate conscience that drive other decision-making, specifically the mission, Student Achievement Goals, and budget.

• We Believe in Our Children: Ilryong
• We Believe in Our Teachers: Janie
• We Believe in our Public Education System: Kathy
• We Believe in Our Community: Dan
• Impact Statement: Dr. Jack Dale

Consider Vision: a statement of how the school division is intended to look at a point in the future, assuming all goals are met, and all parts of the strategic plan succeed. It is a statement intended to express both aspiration and inspiration.

• Looking to the Future: Ilryong
• Commitment to Opportunity: Dan
• Community Support: Sandy
• Achievement: Patty
• Accountability: Dan
• Impact Statement: Dr. Jack Dale

11:30 am
Working Lunch

Two groups of six: one to review beliefs, one to review the vision.   Bring recommendations back to the full Board for any revisions.

1:00 pm
Revise/Renew Beliefs and Vision: FCPS Board

2:30 pm
Overview: FCPS Board choice to focus its role and responsibility on Student Achievement through a deliberate, custom-designed governance structure

Focus: Governance Role Clarity

4:00 pm
Debrief and Next Steps: Consider Mission and Results

4:30 pm
Adjourn

Harrison has practiced CG for many years. They are absolutely committed to good onboarding and team-building. This is a plan they executed a couple of years ago that includes their plan to recruit good candidates, in-service them so they begin to understand the job, and then thorough training with candidates and the newly elected members:

Onboarding Plan – June 16, 2017

July
Digital and print flyer – a special digital mailing on behalf of the Board.

• Info on the election – clear and unbiased data & facts about candidacy processes
• Encourage potential candidates to reach out to board members for more information
• Staff will help identify the media, put info on the website and on the district lobby monitor

August
Print flyer available for Back to School Nights, with the agendas at board meetings, Summerfest booth, available in the district lobby. Repeat info in the District Corner.

June through election
President announces board openings and election at the beginning of each board meeting.

Members will share information about vacancies at all meetings they are attending.

August 24
Pre-Filing Orientation for Potential Candidates

• Fact sheet on the district and board service
• Copies of Q & A on CG
• Reminder: Filing deadlines and legal obligations
• Dates for: Candidate Orientation (September 7 at 3:30 Zalman) and Organizational Team-building Retreat post-election (Friday, Nov 17 from 5 – 8 p.m. and Saturday, Nov 18 from 8:30 – 5 p.m.)

September 7
Orientation for Candidates who have Filed

November 17 & 18
Training and Team-building for New Board

November 17 5-8 pm

• “Getting to know you”: Dinner and social at Cheyenne Mountain Resort
• Team-building

November 18 8:30 – 5 pm

• Coherent Governance: Foundational Principles and Overview. Reading: “Good Governance is a Choice”
• Review of all Policies (include Annual Work Plan)
• Review of current Board focus/issues/challenges

Note: Find a separate time to invite the public and administrators to meet with the full board in a social setting in the Boardroom.