School for S.J. school boards
STOCKTON - They come from all walks of life for little or no pay and usually with no experience at running organizations that handle hundreds of millions of dollars and affect the futures of society's most precious natural resources.
When a school board is operating well, all those involved - parents, students and staff - are able to focus on the core goal of maximum academic achievement.
But when a school board falters, the troubling results can range from academic woes to ill-advised selections of superintendents to athletic scandals.
Suggestions for board members
• Remember that your job is to set policy, not to carry it out.
• Have one foot in the now and one foot in the future.
• Build on programs that are working.
• Support risk-taking and innovation.
• Ensure that there are opportunities for stakeholder perspectives to be incorporated into the district's beliefs and vision.
• Provide support while the superintendent and staff develop and implement action plans to accomplish the district's goals.
• Evaluate the superintendent based on progress on goals.
— Source: California School Boards Association
And children pay the biggest price.
"Having a well-functioning board can make all the difference in the world for a school district," said Deputy Superintendent Gary Dei Rossi of the San Joaquin County Office of Education.
With this in mind, the county office joined forces with the San Joaquin Business Council and University of the Pacific to arrange two training sessions to help prepare current and prospective school trustees for their complicated and crucial job.
The opening three-hour session was five nights ago at Pacific's Janet Leigh Theatre.
The second session is 6 to 9 p.m. Monday at the same site. The focus in the second training session will be on student achievement and on building strong relationships with the community.
The topic at the opening gathering was different - a discussion of the separation of board and superintendent duties. Sixty-five people attended, including current and prospective board members. Twenty-eight of the county's 81 seats on education boards will be contested in the November election.