School Board Orientations
Kris Finley,
Trinity Lutheran Preschool & Kindergarten, Lynnwood, WA and ELEA
National Board President
In the rush of opening school
for fall, that first school board meeting in September always
sneaks up on us and sometimes catches us unprepared. How do we
deal with the new board members who have graciously volunteered to
join the board and are now staring at us like deer in headlights?
How do we all get on the same page, so to speak, and hit the road
running?
A SCHOOL BOARD ORIENTATION!!!
I know this sounds like a lot
of work and in the midst of opening school (which is a lot of
different kinds of work) you do have a point……………BUT………wouldn’t it
be nice if the board knew what it’s job was from the beginning and
enabled you, as the director/principal, to do what you do best and
we all were one big happy family? I am here to tell you this is
not a dream, but a real possibility if you put some key plans in
place now that can be used from year to year without reinventing
the wheel each time. So here is a recipe for success that has
worked for me and I hope it encourages you to invest the time so
you can benefit from a great board each and every year.
First, you need a board book
that will be given to each member and can be passed onto new
members when terms are up (good boards have terms for each
position.)
The book we use includes
sections 1-12 and is listed in a table of contents. A quick
rundown of what it includes:
-
Trinity Lutheran Preschool and
Kindergarten: The school’s mission
and vision statement, goals and objectives, and standing rules.
-
Board Information:
list of board responsibilities and an up to date list of members
with addresses, phone numbers and email addresses.
-
School Data:
Registration packet/tuition prices, parent
handbook, licensing handbook.
-
Calendars:
Board meetings and events, school calendar,
curriculum and Chapel calendar and special events of the school.
-
Employee Data:
Staff history and current staff list with years of service.
-
Employee Expectations:
Contracts or letters of call, Job descriptions, employee
personnel policies.
-
Budget and Insurance:
Past and current fiscal budget, monthly budget reports,
projections for next fiscal year.
-
Insurance:
Overall church policy information, student accident insurance.
-
Communication:
Copies of newsletters and any special communication to parents.
-
Summer programming:
Flyers and information.
-
Agendas and Minutes:
Copies of current and past.
-
Financial Assistance:
Forms and action of the board regarding assistance decisions.
Next we choose a Saturday
morning breakfast meeting at the beginning of September when
members are back from summer vacations and before the first
regular meeting. We schedule this meeting for no more than two
hours.
Then the board chair and I split
up leading portions of the meeting. We pass around a sign up
sheet for devotions and snack for each scheduled meeting for the
year and then copy it to add to each book.
One of us will explain the board
book as each member browses through their new best friend that
will accompany them to each and every meeting. Then the other
will lead them through a few resources that include a board member
job description, a board member agreement that is signed and
dated, a clear grid of duties for board and director/principal and
who is responsible for each and finally a code of conduct for
boards.
My prayer for you this fall is
that you have a smooth opening of school and that this information
will inspire you to train your board so they can support you in
all you are called to do.
Kris Finley serves as director of
Trinity Lutheran Preschool & Kindergarten in Lynnwood, Washington,
and also as President of the ELEA National Board. She may be
reached at klynnfin@aol.com.
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