As the school year is now in full throttle, your Board can takes steps to foster a more productive relationship with your school’s faculty. Here are a few tips for bridging possible gaps between these two groups.
- After each Board meeting, ask that the School Head allow two Trustees to be guests at the next scheduled faculty meeting. With the Head present, have the trustees summarize the Board’s agenda for the year and, if applicable, the progress to date. Teachers will have a much better understanding of the Board’s goals with this approach (and will be much less anxious about the “mystery” of the Board’s composition and activities).
- Ask exemplary teachers to serve on appropriate Board committees to which they can meaningfully contribute (but not the Education Committee). These may include the committees on Buildings and Grounds, Development, or any ad hoc committee where their education-based perspectives can provide useful balance.
- A well-rounded relationship involves social as well as “business” aspects, but the key to developing Board/faculty understanding is to place the two groups in contact with each other in ways that are generally task-focused. This will help to honor the fragility of the relationship between your school’s governing body and its instructional body.
Additional ISM articles of interest
ISM Monthly Update for Trustess Vol. 7 No. 9 How to Enhance Board-Head Relationships
ISM Monthly Update for Trustees Vol. 9 No. 3 Healthy, Respectful, Constructive Board/Head Relationships
Additional ISM articles for Consortium members:
Collection: Stability Marker™ Nos. 3, 5, and 6 Head and Board Leadership
I&P Vol. 28 No. 16 Board/Head Relationships: Brutal Facts and Eternal Faith
To The Point Vol. 14 No. 9 How Many Board Members Does It Take ...
