Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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(FOURTH DRAFT: FOR SECOND READING PREPARATION)
The manner in which the board members and superintendent conduct their business
becomes a model throughout the district for students, teachers, parents, and staff on
how problems are solved. The principles and traditions set forth here outline a
philosophy of
cooperative, collaborative, and consultative behavior that is agreed upon by the board
and superintendent in Everett Public Schools. The board governs at the policy level of
the district always striving to think strategically about the matters over which it
deliberates by respecting the distinction between organizational ends and means the
Everett School District as provided under Washington State law. The superintendent
manages the District as provided under Washington State Law. As
members of the leadership team the elected and appointed leaders of the District, they are
committed to upholding these principles.
Purpose
Students’ interests come first. After their safety, the board members and
superintendent value above all else their achievement. The board will represent the
needs and interests of each child in Everett Public Schools as its primary responsibility.
The five individual school directors have an equal voice in governing the school district,
each having been elected by the voters to serve the people. No one director shall be
entitled to special treatment or privilege regarding his or her office, and this includes the
office of Board President and Vice-President. The superintendent serves at the direction
of the board as a whole. The superintendent is ultimately responsible to the board, and the
board is ultimately responsible to the people.
As a leadership teamgoverning body, the board will make the following commitments to
minimize
misunderstandings and reduce conflict among board members by:
• Supporting each other constructively and courteously.
• Maintaining confidentiality.
• Focusing their discussions on issues, not personalities, keeping the tone and
demeanor of discussions professional by avoiding defensiveness and personalized
anger.
• Encouraging constructive disagreement.
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The board will give direction to the superintendent only as a total board through adopted
policies or action taken at a board meeting.Fewer than a quorum of the board shall not
give direction to the superintendent outside of an open public meeting, including agenda
setting meetings and informal gatherings.
The board will give the superintendent feedback on his/her performance on a regular
basis. That feedback may be oral, or in writing. An executive session to discuss
superintendent performance may be requested
by either the board or the superintendent. Board members shall refrain from making
evaluative comments about the superintendent’s performance except in an executive
session designated for the review of the performance of a public employee.
The superintendent will let the all board members know as soon as possible of any major
issue that may arise which could be problematic for the district, and will share
information with people anticipated to be affected in a timely manner. The team is
mutually committed to practicing a “no surprises” policy, which means making issues
known as soon as they arise, rather than waiting until a situation reaches the crisis point
or waiting for the nearing of an immenent deadline so as to force the board’s hand in a
time-constrained fashion. They consider The board-
superintendent team considers aA major issue to beis one in which student or staff
safety,
significant liability, or broad public concern could reasonably be attached by an objective
observer. The
superintendent shall consult with the board president regarding notification ofnotify the
entire
board about highly sensitive investigations. The superintendent shall also inform the
entire
board of any investigations resulting in Risk Management opening a pre-claim
investigation; any complaints about the District made to the state; and any situation
regarding students or staff wherein consulation with an attorney is being considered.
The board president will be the official spokesperson for the board when the board
wishes to have only the official spokesperson speak on its behalf., The superintendent
will be the official spokesperson for areas of district operation when the board wishes to
have the official spokesperson for areas of district operation speak on its behalf. and is
The board president is the only individual
director authorized to seek initiate contact with legal counsel on behalf of the board
individually. However, once legal counsel has been contacted about a particular matter,
and legal counsel’s advice has been shared with the full board, any individual director
may obtain clarification on the matter by way of submitting questions to that attorney via
email. If a situation arises where an individual director seeks attorney input on any other
matter, the director will send an email to the board president describing his or her reasons
for wanting to contact the attorney, with a copy of this communication sent to all other
board members. If the board president denies approval for the individual director to ask
questions of legal counsel, the matter will be taken up as an agenda action item at the
next regular board meeting, unless the individual director agrees to drop the matter. This
provision will ensure that individual directors have a means to get their legal questions
answered, and that the public will have a means to be kept informed of the activities of
their elected school officials and the decisions those elected officials make. The
superintendent
will be the official spokesperson for areas of district operation.
Communication between district staff and the boardboard members and district staff is
encouraged. Board members are encouraged to become familiar with staff and should
feel free to ask general operating questions of staff that any member of the public is able
to ask staff. However, for the purpose of scheduling visits, Board members
should call the school principal or stop in the office prior to visiting classes or the
campus as a courtesy measure.
In keeping a strong commitment to avoid the appearance of violating the Open Public
Meetings Act (OPMA), whether letter or in spirit, all directors board members will:
• Send all communications from one director to two or more other directors through
the superintendent’s office; the superintendent will be responsible for distribution and
for communicating with all directors in the event he or she determines forwarding an
item of communication may violate the Act, and referring the communication to the
board president. Refrain from replying to any email that has been sent by one director to
two or more directors.
• Not discuss official business with two or more directors via email, including board
procedural matters.
• Use only district email accounts provided for official business in order to conduct
official business, unless the director’s district email account becomes incapacitated,
compromised or inoperable, or the director is in a situation where the director does not
have access to the District’s web-based email system; the superintendent and other
district staff are not expected to The superintendent and district staff, however, will be
expected to respond to any email sent by a director, regardless from the account the email
was sent.
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respond to emails from directors when sent from accounts other than the district-
provided accounts.
• Direct questions or communications between administrative staff and directors that
will require significant staff time or effort through the
superintendent’s office, or through other staff as designated by the superintendent.
• Attend and receive, in addition to the superintendent’s cabinet members, training
annuallyannulal training on the OMPA and the Public Record Act (PRA) by a variety of
individuals to be chosen by the board including: private attorneys; the Attorney General’s
Office; and the Washington Coalition for Open Goverment.
• Expect the superintendent to ensure that emails sent to the entire board via the
district website will not be forwarded by an “autorule”; the superintendent will provide
for forwarding of email items that in his or her judgment do not violate the OPMAThere
is an expectations that board members will familiarize themselves with open government
law. The board does not delegate authority to the superintendent to determine or gatekeep
for the board what communications from a single board member will be delivered or
forwarded to other board members. The board, not the superintendent, will determine
whether to seek further information from legal counsel or other government source if
there is a question on the legality of an OPMA communication, so as not to give the
public the appearance that the superintendent controls the board.
The superintendent shall decide whether he wishes to exchange emails with board
members on weekends. If the superintendent determines he will not send or receive email
on the weekend, except under emergency circumstances, the superintendent will not send
emails to board members on weekends, nor will the superintendent be expected to
respond to emails on weekends. However, if the superintendent does occasionally send
board members emails or text messages or phone calls on weekends, this provision will
be nullified. The superintendent cannot perpetually selectively determine whether or not
to respond or send emails on the weekend.The superintendent or a designee shall
acknowledge receipt of board member emails
requesting information or action within 24 business hours or within one business day
following the weekend. The superintendent may consult the board president or vice-
president and choose to refer the email request to the entire board at its next meeting.
The superintendent’s vacations shall not be interrupted by board communication with
the exception of a district emergency.This premise also pertains to vacations of the
superintendent with the caveat that the superintendent must state before going on
vacation whether he will respond to emails. If he determines he will not be responding to
emails, he will be held to this standard, and the acting superintendent or superintendent’s
designee will be the one in charge – no exceptions.
Decision Making
The identification and evaluation of alternatives, an awareness of short- and long-term
consequences, and an appreciation for the needs of the group, as well as individuals,
and sensitivity toward collective action are essential to the decision-making process.
In order to formulate and execute sound decisions, the board and superintendent agree
to:
• Resolve problems as close to the point of origin as possible.
• Provide for input from all concerned when possible.
• Use a decision-making style appropriate to the situation.
• Reevaluate the effectiveness of the decision when appropriate.
• Clearly communicate decisions that are made.
• Manage agreement with positive attention to assumptions in order to avoid making
decisions based on false assumptions.
• Guard against creating the impression that any single board member decides in
place of the whole board; board decisions are made by the whole, not individuals. This
includes allowing one or more board members to be privy to information that other board
members are not – for any reason.
• Once a board decision has been reached, all board members support will accept the
outcome, but they will not be expected to publicly support that outcome.
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The superintendent is responsible for following up with the board members to ensure
each is aware of the response provided by the administration. However, the
superintendent will never respond on behalf of the board without first consulting with the
full board. The superintendent does not have the authority to speak for the board on any
matter without prior full board approval of such statement or communication.
Board Meetings
1. The public will have clearly defined opportunities for input to the board of directors
at study sessions and public comment section of regular board meetings.
Comments will be limited to a time period established by board policy.
A. Study session public comments will be held at the end of board discussion
and before the conclusion of the meetingstudy session.
B. At regular board meetings, there will be a public comment section at the
beginning of the meeting.
C. Members of the audience may comment on “Action” items listed on the
agenda and may also comment on policies at both the first and second
readings.
2. During the times set aside for public comment, in order to promote a welcoming
atmosphere for speakers, the board president will ensure that board members and
staff will not debate or argue with the public during board meetings. If the board is
questioned by the public during the public comment section, the board president
may do the following:
A. If the question is concerning district policy: Ask the superintendent to take
note and answer the person later after consulting with the president for
direction if needed. The superintendent will provide a brief summary of the
eventual resolution to the board.
B. If the question is concerning areas of district operation: Ask the
superintendent to address the issue with the person at a later time. The
superintendent will provide a brief summary of the eventual resolution to the
board.
C. Thank the public for making comments to the board without follow-up
comment by the president.
D. Agree to another board member’s request to ask clarifying questions of a
speaker.
3. Changes on minutes will be called to the attention of the superintendent’s
secretary or the superintendent, and in most cases, will not be addressed at
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meetings. All board members with changes will call or email the district
superintendent’s office prior to the board agenda setting meeting. An updated
copy of the minutes will be given provided to each the board member and to the
public via BoardDocs at the scheduled meeting.
4. Board agendas will be developed as a partnership between the board president or
designee and the superintendentby the board, with input sought from the superintendent
or other staff as needed. The board president and any other interested board member(s)
and the superintendent will
review the agenda in detail prior to the board meeting. Agenda-setting meetings
will typically include one other board member, normally the vice-president, but any other
board member may attend if desired. Agenda setting meetings are vehicles for the entire
board, not just the President and Vice-President. Board
members requesting items for the agenda will contact the superintendent or board
president with the items.
5. Board meeting agenda and background material on agenda items will be provided
by the superintendent to all board members at least two three days before regular board
meetings. This way board members will have two full business days to obtain
clarification in advance of the day of the meeting.
6. Board members will review all material provided and seek clarification or additional
information as needed prior to the board meeting. When possible, board members
will discuss proposals they have concerns about with the superintendent and/or
board president prior to the board meeting. Because it is known that board
meetings are most productive when all board members are prepared and present,
the board commits to attending meetings in their entirety and absenting
themselves on the infrequent occasion when an absence is unavoidable.
7. Board members requesting information from staff at board meetings will do so
through the superintendent if the information will involve a significant amount of work
and not just a verbal response. All items addressed to the board for action or
discussion by staff will be given in an objective fashion explaining both the positive
and negative aspects of the decisions. If board members feel “rushed” or feel they
do not have enough information, the board member will request a “table” or
postponement until such time as adequate information is presented.
8. Open and honest discussion of issues, ideas and positions on proposals is
encouraged. The board debates issues, not one another. Board members agree
to avoid any words and actions that cast negative impressions on another board
member, the superintendent, or on any other individual. Debate and differing
perspectives are encouraged while exercising care and respect for others. To
these ends, directors will adhere to the following practices to maintain decorum:
A. Speech Limits in Debate: Board members may only speak twice on any
debatable motion or amendment in the same meeting; each time a board
member may speak for up to five minutes. A board member who has already
spoken twice or used up the allotted time may ask of the chair to speak again
or be given additional time. The chair will ask if there is any objection from
the other board members, if there is no objection the member shall be given
an additional five-minutes opportunity to speak. If there is an objection, a
majority of the board may grant additional opportunity or time.There shall be no speech
limits in debate per se. However, if it becomes apparent that an issue is being belabored,
any board member may obtain the floor and call for the previous question to be voted on
by the board, thus putting an end to the debate.
B. Order of Speaking: The maker of the motion has the one time right to
preference in speaking about it. The chair should recognize the first person
requesting to speak. Someone who has not yet spoken has preference over
someone who has spoken. If possible the chair should alternate between
speakers who favor and speakers who oppose a proposal being debated.
C. Remarks must be Germane: A board members speech must relate to the
motion under discussion. Remarks must have a bearing on whether a motion
should or should not be adopted. If there is debate over whether remarks are germane, the
specific remark will submitted to the board chair for a ruling.
D. Debate Issues Not Personalities: The proposal, not the member, is the
subject of debate. Debate must not be allowed to include personal attacks.
Bullying behavior will not be tolerated. Under no circumstances may a board
member attack or question the motives of another board member. If there is debate over
whether remarks are bullying or are of a personal nature, the specific remark will be
submitted to the chair for a ruling.
Condescending head shaking, faces, or other belittling gestures have no
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Requests for information from the board and its members are intended to advance
these priorities established by the board. The superintendent and his/her staff face
many challenges in the day-to-day operations of the district, while at the same time
providing support for new initiatives. The board prioritizes in order to be clear on the
most important strategies and actions for the district. The goals established are
ambitious and require extensive focus and attention from the superintendent and his/her
staff. Therefore the board seeks to focus its board requests on the goals adopted by
the board.
Board Request
This is a request for information or action submitted to the superintendent by the board
through concurrence of at least three board members. A board request occurs during a
board meeting, whether regular or special, open or closed. In the absence of a board
meeting, unless otherwise specified the board president is presumed to make requests
on behalf of the board, provided the board president has made known to the other board
members the nature of that request.
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Board members accept the challenge of pursuing a common intent through a review of
opinion and fact, to an end that is understood and defensible by all. Once a final
decision is reached, each member will endeavor to support the decision and aid in its
implementation, although no board member will be required to support the decision or
aid in its implementation if that board member so objects.
The Everett Public Schools Board-Superintendent Operating Protocol was reviewed and
adopted on September 7, 2010.