My Role as a Board Member and My Expectations
David Coates has attended hundreds of school board meetings over decades of one year appointments as Board of Education counsel. He has been co-lead counsel on state constitutional challenges to the way public schools are funded. He has learned along the way and wants to use his experience and insights for the benefit of your children. Some of his insights are:
A Board of Education's role is not to manage a school district, but to see that it is well managed for the benefit of children;
All children can learn, but children who are hungry or feel emotionally or physically unsafe cannot learn. A full time school nurse is necessary;
Excellent teaching is the product of high expectations, good pay and benefits, continuing education and proper supervision, help, and evaluation. A community that demands an excellent educational system for all of its children is likely to approach or meet that standard;
A Board of Education observes and evaluates one person: the Superintendent of Schools;
The Superintendent is responsible for all aspects of a school system, including but not limited to curriculum, instruction, teacher recruitment and retention, physical and emotional safety of students and staff, equity throughout the school system (recognizing that students have different backgrounds, abilities and interests), finance, capital improvements, maintenance and cleanliness, nutrition programs, extracurricular activities of all kinds, guidance and more.
The Superintendent accomplishes her/his task by observing and evaluating district administrators;
A Board of Education channels the aspirations of the community through a continuous and probing conversation with the Superintendent and a review of data provided in order to set ambitious and measurable goals;
All people are created equal, but some people start life with a variety of advantages, some people have educational, emotional or physical handicaps, some people due to past and present racial and ethnic bias do not start life on an equal footing with their peers and for some people poverty economically translates to poverty of reading . These facts must be understood so the privileged can get what they aspire to and the historically and presently disadvantaged can also.
Membership in a Board of Education is not about performance art formerly known as grandstanding, but about service;
Children cannot learn if they feel physically or emotionally unsafe. Bullying needs to be proactively addressed and physical safety be a continuing priority;
Effective advocacy and cooperation with County Commissioners is essential as is advocacy with the Governor and General Assembly in that our school system is a creature of the state;
High tech industries which bring good jobs to communities look for locations where potential employees, for example, secretaries, administrative assistants, lab techs, computer people, maintenance workers, janitors etc. are literate. This point cannot be overemphasized;
Sound internal accounting systems, no tolerance for waste and prudent and effective use of funds in furtherance of Board goals and efficient operations strengthens a district's hand as it seeks adequate funding. Every wasted dollar is a dollar not available for educating children.
