Before becoming a School Board Member I was given the opportunity to attend training. Who would think as a classroom teacher, I would need to know anything more, as a School Board Member? I sure didn't think I did. But there was a lot.
On October 26, 2011, I attended the AZ School Board Association's Cochise (ASBA ) County Workshop where I first learned being a School Board Member was going to take up more than a couple hours a month at the Board Meetings. I was informed about the ASBA organization who would provide School Board: policy services, advocacy, conferences, training, and Superintendent Searches. This is when I had a lot to learn about being a School Board Member.
Most important messages from this orientation were that, as a Board Member of the Tombstone Unified School District (USD), I am a servant leader to the Tombstone community, drive academic excellence and my power is through voting at legal meetings, of course, that is only if the majority of the others vote the same as I.
The key roles of the School Board are to set direction, establish the structure in which the direction can happen, provide the support, ensure accountability, and most importantly advocate for the students. Our duties are to establish Vision, Mission, and Goals; set policy, approve personnel actions, approve budget, and track progress toward goals.
As an ambassador of Tombstone USD, I am to put students first, avoid conflict, base decisions on facts, act on recommendations to employ best qualified staff, and, most obviously, attend meetings and vote.
I do not run the district, as School Board Member, I use goals and policies to guide the Superintendent who runs the district. With this in mind, we must all respect the chain of command and constituents must understand that I have no individual authority to solve any complaints.
The 'Pearls' of wisdom they sent me home with after this orientation were to not make promises, because their needs to be a majority vote of the board and to listen to all facts before making any decisions.
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