“I can’t remember the last time I saw a Trustee around here. How can the Board set policy without experiencing what our school is really like?”
“The Board makes the decisions about how our school is run, but I’ve never even met a Trustee.”
If you hear these kinds of comments from people in your school, then your Board is an invisible power rather than an integral and involved part of the school community.
Trustees are busy people. Many feel that the time given to committee and full-Board meetings satisfies their commitment to the school. However, visits to campus and attendance at school events are a part of Board membership. These are very important components of their responsibilities.
To those who are part of the school family, the perception of commitment can be just as important as the commitment itself. Seeing evidence of a Board member’s involvement demonstrates that their school is one of that person’s highest priorities.
It is important to set up strategies to ensure that Board members are recognizable to faculty, parents, and students. As School Head, a great deal of the responsibility for putting this process in place falls on you.
Board members who understand their role know that they are responsible for the governance of the school, not for the management of day-to-day operations—that’s the Head’s job. As a result, they don’t want to be perceived as “interfering” and decide to stay away from the school. Assure the Trustees that they are welcome. Let them know when an interesting event will take place, and suggest opportunities for them to get involved.
Here are strategies to help Trustees be more visible on your campus.
- On a well-profiled Board, there are individuals with various backgrounds and experiences. Invite Trustees to address classes, perhaps about their jobs, travels, or life experiences. Students and teachers will then come to know them as individuals.
- Encourage Board members to stop by the faculty lounge for coffee and informal conversation. Make sure teachers know that these random visits are a getting-to-know-you effort—not an “interference” or “inspection” by the Board.
- Many schools have a bulletin board in the main entryway announcing visitors for the day. Use this vehicle to announce a Board member’s visit. Do the same with an online announcement calendar on your school website.
- Create special badges for Trustees, identifying each person by name and as a Board member. Keep the badges in the school office so they are available whenever a Trustee comes to the campus. Then, his or her presence will be apparent even to those who only pass the person in the hall.
- Briefly introduce Board members at back-to-school night. While your entire school community is together, make the Trustees’ names and faces known, and mention that they will be seen around the school.
- Trustees must take some initiative as well. Consider attendance obligatory at major events, such as the holiday concert and other musical performances, drama productions, art displays, and school fairs. Equally important is attendance and active participation in any major fundraising events.
- While Board members who are either current or past parents are likely to attend sporting events, those without this connection should also show up occasionally. These events are extremely important to students and parents alike, and a Trustee’s enthusiastic support reinforces the perception of commitment from that individual.
Whenever Trustees visit the campus or take part in school events, they should take the effort to introduce themselves and make their presence known.
A caution: While increasing the Trustees’ visibility is intended to be a positive step, there is a potentially negative side. Even on a Board that is mission- and future-focused, as it should be, members can cross lines. The omnipresent Board member, always on campus or politicizing in the parking lot, is more detrimental to faculty and administrative morale than the “phantom” Trustee.
These key players need to be properly visible, displaying their commitment by their presence as well as their deliberations and donations.
Additional ISM resources:
The Source for Trustees Vol. 15 No. 3 Parent and Trustee? Tread Carefully!
The Source for Trustees Vol. 13 No. 7 Loose Lips Sink Ships
Additional ISM resources for Gold members:
I&P Vol. 40 No. 14 Board Confidentiality: A Cautionary Note
