As a district or county office of education board trustee, there are many dates and deadlines for the board to remember. Fortunately, there is an organizational tool that can be used to meet these deadlines and other obligations: a governance leadership calendar.

A governance calendar provides a framework for the board to keep track of the key responsibilities in the priority areas of the local educational agency. The tool documents critical timelines and allows staff and the board to accurately calendar and prepare for study sessions, progress reports and board action on important topics in a timely manner.

When reviewing this calendar, some of the critical questions to reflect on are:

1. How are we currently using our governance leadership calendar? What are ways we could use it more effectively?
2. How comprehensive is our calendar? In addition to tracking calendar items such as finance, facilities and collective bargaining, do we use it to track items related to student learning and achievement?
3. Does the calendar reflect the LEA’s strategic goals and priorities? If not, what needs to be added?
4. How do we use the governance leadership calendar to communicate the LEA’s goals and priorities to our community stakeholders?
5. Does the calendar include professional development for the board and identify when study sessions, training and the board self-evaluation will happen?
6. Does it include the superintendent’s evaluation and calendar periodic updates on the superintendent’s annual goals?
7. Does the calendar accurately document all key deadlines and requirements? If not, what is missing?
8. Do we have a current practice in which we review and update the governance leadership calendar annually? If not, when can we schedule a review and discussion of the calendar?

The mass array of deadlines that district/COE boards must meet can be overwhelming. When a governance leadership calendar is in place and used correctly, it can set the direction of the board meeting agendas for the year and take the guess work out of the yearly schedule. CSBA provides board members with important governance resources, including a sample governance calendar. To learn more, visit the Effective Governance tab at www.csba.org.