Board Leadership: The good, the bad and the ugly

I was elected Vice Chair of my board last night, so this is top of mind for me today.

I've served in Board Leadership 4 times over the past 7 years: Vice Chair (2024) / Chair (2021 – 2022) / Co-Chair (2019 – 2020) / Vice Chair (2018 – 2019).

The role of President/Chair is no joke.

School Board is already underpaid and under-supported, but Board Leadership is the epitome of that reality.

Board Presidents/Chairs can easily spend 5-10 hours a week on this role, and the success of the entire board in elevating student outcomes often hinges on their ability to do the job well.

My colleague Ethan Ashley and I took some time to jot down some essential traits of a Board President/Chair earlier this year. What would you add?

A school board president plays a pivotal role in steering the ship of educational governance, requiring a unique set of qualities to navigate the complex landscape. Here are the top seven qualities that define an exceptional school board president:

1. Being an organizer extraordinaire:

? ?A proficient school board president excels in organization, adept at synthesizing the diverse perspectives of colleagues into a cohesive agenda. Identifying areas of collective action and individual board interests, while skillfully sidestepping potential disruptions, is essential. The ability to chart a strategic course that fosters unity and progress is a hallmark of effective leadership. The board president is the primary liaison between the board and the superintendent, and is also generally responsible for leading the superintendent hiring and annual evaluation process, as well as setting an annual board calendar and then planning each board agenda to meet the stated goals of the board each year.

2. Being a strategic vote counter and negotiator:

? ?Counting votes isn't just a numerical task; it's a strategic skill. A successful school board president comprehensively understands the positions of colleagues, leveraging this insight to negotiate effectively with the administration. By bridging gaps and garnering support where the board aligns, they ensure a harmonious working relationship that propels the institution forward. Being careful not to break open meeting laws or conduct serial meetings, while maintaining an open two-way flow of communication, takes skill and intention to ensure that there aren’t unnecessary surprises during board meetings. A skilled board president also understands and fosters healthy conflict (i.e. debate about policy issues or decisions), while managing and minimizing unhealthy conflict (i.e. debate about personality or ideology). Ideally the board president ensures that the voice of the minority is heard and considered while the will of the majority prevails, without regard for their own position on the matter.

3.?Being a unified spokesperson of the board:

? ?The school board president must be the unified voice of the board (both internally and externally), regardless of personal voting alignment. Serving as the spokesperson for collective decisions, this quality fosters consistency and clarity in communication, reinforcing the board's authority and commitment to its decisions. The school board president is the primary builder and maintainer of trust with the community being the primary spokesperson to the media, the board meeting facilitator, and the moderator of public comment. If the community does not feel that the board is transparent and trustworthy, then the board president isn’t successfully managing their role. Internally, the board president must help balance the needs and requests of the board with the time and capacity of the superintendent and cabinet. For example, the board president might need to push district staff to provide more and better data to the board, while also acknowledging that the data team has other stakeholders and responsibilities beyond the board. ?The board president must also balance pushing and holding the superintendent accountable, while also supporting them as a leader so that they can be successful and sustained.

4. Showing mastery of task management:

? ?Juggling myriad responsibilities, an effective president keeps a watchful eye on critical tasks, such as superintendent evaluations. Proactive follow-up on colleagues' queries demonstrates a commitment to collaboration. Simultaneously, a keen awareness of activities deviating from the board's goals enables them to preemptively address issues and provide constructive feedback to maintain organizational harmony. The board president typically also manages the board clerk, board lawyer, and any other support staff.

5. Holding a commitment to being present district-wite:

? ?A commitment to being present is non-negotiable. The board president must be willing to attend district meetings across diverse neighborhoods, embodying the board's accessibility and representation. This visible and engaged leadership fosters a sense of unity and inclusivity within the educational community.

6. Having a quarterback mentality:

? ?Adhering to the quarterback rule, an effective president attributes success to the collective efforts of colleagues and the administration. Conversely, they take responsibility for any shortcomings, acknowledging areas for improvement. This humility and accountability contribute to a culture of continuous growth and development.

7. Possessing governance expertise:

? ?A distinguished school board president possesses an in-depth understanding of the governance role, leveraging expertise to support colleagues and administration in achieving success. Mastery of Robert's Rules of Order is essential for conducting efficient and effective meetings. Beyond procedural acumen, the president ensures that board members operate within a robust governance model. In the absence of a defined model, they exhibit leadership by rallying colleagues around a framework aligned with the board's objectives, with a particular emphasis on student outcomes. This quality reinforces the president's role as a strategic architect, steering the board towards effective governance practices and ultimately advancing the overarching mission of the institution.

In addition, the board president ensures that the board codifies the way they will act, including: adopting a governance model, adopting communication norms across and between the board and superintendent, their goals and vision for the district, their annual calendar, their onboarding, their annual self-evaluation process, and more. A skilled president will codify these policies and processes so that future boards can seamlessly continue strong governance without having to recreate the wheel or take it off track. The board president helps new board members successfully transition from candidate to elected official through directly providing or outsourcing onboarding, coaching and support.

Finally, most school districts across the country have a student body that is diverse in a myriad of ways, and hopefully the board reflects the beautiful diversity of the community. Therefore, the board president must have cultural competency and be able to effectively lead across lines of difference that might include race and ethnicity, gender, age, economics, language, background, skills and priorities.

In essence, a successful school board president is a masterful organizer, adept negotiator, unified spokesperson, task-oriented leader, a visible face of the board, and a humble quarterback. These qualities collectively form the bedrock of effective educational governance, ensuring that the board thrives and evolves to meet the needs of the students and the community it serves.

What would you add? What makes an effective - or ineffective - Board President/Chair?

Carrie Douglass is the co-founder and co-CEO of School Board Partners and a twice-elected school board member in Bend, Oregon. Douglass is a former teacher, school leader, district administrator, education funder and nonprofit leader. She owns three small businesses with her husband and has two children in public schools in the district she represents. Ms. Douglass holds a BA in Education and an MBA in strategy and finance.