BCBLA - School Board Effectiveness

File:  BCBLA

School Board Effectiveness

     School Board effectiveness is a direct result of involvement of schools, staff, parents, and community in decision making.  Specific goals resulting from this involvement include the setting of broad guidelines for oversight procedures, development, and implementation of standards of accountability, and future needs.

Measures to Promote School Board Effectiveness

     Personnel policies of the district shall be reviewed annually in order to determine their effectiveness.

     Broad guidelines will be set for the school districts, including the establishment of specific oversight procedures, development and implementation of standards of accountability, and the development of long-range plans to meet future needs.

     School-based accreditation and performance data provided by the state board and other available data will be used in decision making to meet the education goals of the state and such other goals as the Board may establish.

Communication Links to Promote School Board Effectiveness

     Direct links shall be established as follows for the purpose of enabling the Board to receive information, comments, and suggestions directly regarding broad guidelines as referred to above.

            School Improvement Councils

     The county board of education shall establish direct links between the board and its local school improvement councils for the purpose of enabling the county board to receive information, comments, and suggestions from the councils regarding the broad guidelines for oversight procedures, standards of accountability and planning for future needs.  For further development of these linkages, each county board shall:

(1)   Meet at least annually with a quorum of members from each school improvement council in the district, at a time and in a manner to be determined by the county board.  At this annual meeting, the local school improvement council chair, or another member designated by the chair, shall be prepared to address any matters as may be requested b y the county board as specified in the meeting agenda provided to the council and may further provide any other information, comments or suggestions the local school improvement council wishes to bring to the county board’s attention.  Anything presented under this subsection shall be submitted to the county board in writing.

Nothing in this policy prohibits a county board from meeting with representatives of a local school improvement council more often than annually;

At any time with reasonable advanced notice county boards may schedule additional meetings with the council for any low performing school in the district;

(2)   Develop and submit to the council at least thirty days before an annual meeting with each local school improvement council an agenda for the annual meeting which requires the council chair or a member designated by the chair, to address items designated by the county board from the report created pursuant to this section, and one or more of the following issues:

a.    school performance

b.    curriculum

c.    Status of the school in meeting the unified school improvement plan

d.   Status of the school in meeting the county improvement plan

(3)   Make written requests for information from the local school improvement council throughout the year or hold community forums to receive input from the affect community as the county board considers necessary; and

(4)   Report details to the state board concerning the meeting or meetings held with councils.  The information shall be provided to the state board at the conclusion of the school year, but no later than the first day of September of each year, and shall become an indicator in the performance accreditation process for each county.  In order to facilitate development of this report, a county board may consult with and request assistance from members of the councils.

      Other methods of providing direct links between the Board and local school improvements councils may include distribution of minutes of School Improvement Council meetings to the Board, surveys, meetings with particular groups of school improvement councils, formal linkages, forums, town meetings, etc., as deemed appropriate by the Board.

School Faculty Senates

     Direct links shall be established between the Board and school faculty senates, for the purpose of enabling the Board of receive information, comments and suggestions directly from the Faculty Senate regarding the broad outlines for oversight procedures, standards of accountability, and planning for future needs.

     Other methods of providing direct links between the Board and local faculty senates may include distribution of minutes of Faculty Senate meetings to the Board surveys, meetings involving faculty senates, meetings with faculty senate chairs, formal linkages, forums, town meetings, etc., as deemed appropriate by the Board.

Community At Large

     Direct links shall be established between the Board and members of the community at large. Community involvement will be welcomed at Board meetings per the provisions of Clay County File: BCBLA, “Public Participation in Board Meetings.”

     The Board will regularly communicate with the public regarding important issues by other methods which may include surveys, participation in board meetings by invited individuals groups, formal linkages with certain groups as designated, forums, town meetings, communication through newsletters, news media, etc., and other means as deemed appropriate by the Board.

Reporting the State Board

     On or before the first day of August of each year, the county board of education shall review all policies dealing with promoting school board effectiveness, and may modify these policies as necessary. Copies of the policies must be on file with the West Virginia Board of Education. These policies may be modified as necessary, but shall be refilled with the State Board following each modification. Copies of these summaries of modifications to the policies and annual reports, together with any comments and recommendations to the legislative oversight commission on education accountability, no later than December 31 of each year.

Adopted:         November 2003