Over my eighteen years as superintendent, I worked with many individuals elected to the school board by their community. Most of them were committed to good governance that benefitted students; encouraged staff; held me accountable, which I welcomed; and honored community standards. They had a leadership quality I describe as “boardmanship.” What is “boardmanship” (inclusive of women and men)?
Webster defines a board as “a body of persons directing some activity,” and a boardman as “one who works at a board” (New Collegiate Dictionary). Both definitions suggest that board members are involved in the work of the board and with each other. Most school board members I knew described their involvement as a service. One element of boardmanship is the ability to serve.
Service on a school board is an acquired skill. Effective board members have learned either from experienced colleagues; by their own sometimes painful or embarrassing mistakes; or training offered by the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB). Many earned different levels of proficiency from the Certified Boardmember Awards Program (see www.masb.org). A second element of boardmanship is the ability to govern.
The school board has a specific leadership role, which is to govern the district. The board governs by establishing and overseeing policy. Policy clarifies the board’s vision for the district and enables the superintendent to manage the staff to achieve that vision. In order for the board to govern well, board members must work together. Collaboration is another element of boardmanship.
School board members should collaborate to achieve consensus in an environment of mutual trust and respect. There will be different points of view, different opinions, and even conflicts. If there are conflicts, then they should focus on issues not individuals. Once the board reaches consensus and adopts a course of action, then all board members must unite and support the decision. Board members will face many issues. One issue is how to provide the resources necessary to support teaching and learning. Providing resources is an important element of boardmanship.
The school board will rely on the superintendent to recommend a budget. Working with the superintendent, the board must decide how to align resources with its priorities expressed in its vision for the district. A well-developed budget process will enable the board to provide the necessary resources to achieve its vision.
So, what is boardmanship? I suggest boardmanship is the ability of elected officials to govern a school district by collaborating with each other and the superintendent to provide opportunities for teaching and learning.
