The document discusses the top 6 questions that school board members should ask their superintendents to develop a high-performance governance culture. The questions focus on strategic planning, student achievement, accountability, equity, building community support, and fiscal responsibility. Effective school boards collaborate with the superintendent, set bold goals, and monitor key indicators to ensure all students achieve at grade level.
1. simply get more done
The Super Six: The Top 6 Questions
School Board Members Should be
Asking their Superintendents
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Dr. Gene Bottoms, Senior Vice President - Southern Regional Education Board (SREB)
Valarie Wilson, Executive Director – Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA)
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Webinar
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Session Protocol
3. Dr. Gene Bottoms
www.simbli.com
● Senior Vice President, Southern
Regional Education Board
● Executive Director, American
Vocational Association
● Director of Education Improvement,
Georgia Department of Education
● University of Georgia - Distinguished
Alumnus, UGA Graduate School
4. Valarie Wilson
www.simbli.com
● Executive Director, Georgia School
Boards Association
● Board President, Georgia School
Boards Association
● Board Chair, Decatur City Schools
● Executive Director, Atlanta BeltLine
Partnership, Inc.
● Director of the Human Services
Department, Fulton County
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Common Hurdles
Board
Challenges
● Absence of bold and
courageous goals
● Unhealthy team dynamics
● Ineffective communication
● Impaired access to
information
● Poor policy management
and oversight
7. The average tenure
of superintendents
in the largest urban
districts dipped to
3.2 years in 2016.
(Council of the Great City Schools, 2016)
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Developing a
High-Performance
Governance
Culture
“Effective school boards lead
as a united team with the
superintendent, each from
their respective roles, with
strong collaboration and
mutual trust.”
(Eight characteristics of effective school
boards, Center for Public Education, 2011)
9. www.simbli.com
Developing a High-Performance Culture
of directors on the most
effective boards say there is a culture
of trust and respect in the boardroom,
compared to only 39 percent of those
on ineffective boards.
88%
Source: “Toward a Value-Creating Board,” McKinsey
and Company, 2016
Key Attributes
1. Trust
2. Teamwork
3. Collaboration
4. Ethics
5. Communication
10. www.simbli.com
How do we get there? What are the
questions we should be asking to
help frame the discussion?
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Strategic
Planning
How do we create a
community and district-wide
culture of continuous
improvement, plan
strategically, and align our
operating plans to achieve
strategic outcomes?
1
The Super Six: The Top 6 Questions School Board Members
Should be Asking their Superintendents
12. Student Achievement
2
How are we monitoring
leading critical indicators to
support all of our students
achieving at grade level or above,
and how are we communicating
that information?
The Super Six: The Top 6 Questions School Board Members
Should be Asking their Superintendents
13. simply get more done
Accountability
3
The Super Six: The Top 6 Questions School Board Members
Should be Asking their Superintendents
How do we hold personnel
accountable for developing
and implementing school
improvement plans at each
school?
14. Equity
4
What policy recommendations,
practices, and data indicators
are we utilizing to ensure we
are meeting every child where
they are?
The Super Six: The Top 6 Questions School Board Members
Should be Asking their Superintendents
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Building
Community
Support
5
The Super Six: The Top 6 Questions School Board Members
Should be Asking their Superintendents
How are we engaging,
soliciting, and responding to
our key stakeholders, parents,
and business leaders to
enhance student learning?
16. Fiscal Responsibility
6
How do we ensure that we are
being fiscally responsible with our
financial resources and how do we
communicate that to our board
and community stakeholders?
The Super Six: The Top 6 Questions School Board Members
Should be Asking their Superintendents
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What’s Next
Thank You for
Attending!
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20. simply get more done
The Super Six: The Top 6 Questions
School Board Members Should be
Asking their Superintendents
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Dr. Gene Bottoms, Senior Vice President - Southern Regional Education Board (SREB)
Valarie Wilson, Executive Director – Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA)