To have the greatest impact, policy development needs to be a proactive, thoughtful process that invites broad input from district stakeholders and facilitates board discussion based on accurate information. “Board policies are essential to local control,” said Robert Tuerck, CSBA’s assistant executive director of Policy and Governance Technology Services. “It is important that the governance team works together to develop and maintain policies that are consistent with the law and reflect local practices and priorities.”

“Each district should establish a policy development process that meets its own needs,” explained Tuerck. “The process may vary across districts depending on staff resources, the size of the community or the extent of community involvement, but it is essential that every process includes a regular review to keep policies current.”

CSBA’s sample board bylaw BB 9310 – Board Policies, updated in July, recommends that an effective process include the following basic steps:

1. Identifying the need for a new policy or a revision of an existing policy. A policy may be developed in response to a recommendation from CSBA, a new law, best practices from educational research, a new district vision statement or goals, an incident that has arisen in the district or a request from a staff member, a parent or other interested person. Ideally, boards will be able to anticipate as well as respond to changing conditions and events in the schools.
2. Gathering background information. Depending on the issue, it may be helpful to review fiscal data, input from staff and district or school committees, related district policies, CSBA sample policies and other useful information.
3. Drafting the proposed policy. Typically, the superintendent or other staff drafts the proposed policy, requests legal review as appropriate and then recommends the policy to the board.
4. Holding discussions at a public board meeting. During the first reading of a policy, the board has an opportunity to hear the recommendation of the superintendent and staff, ask questions, receive input on the community’s expectations and engage in meaningful discussions regarding board goals.
5. Adopting the policy. Most policies are adopted following a second reading, although the second reading is generally not required by law and may be waived by the board.

County offices of education may have a somewhat different process depending on the established relationship between the county board and county superintendent of schools. Regardless of the process, each board should make sure that policy review is a routine part of their board meetings.

It is ultimately the responsibility of the board to ensure that policies remain focused on supporting student achievement and are aligned with district and county goals. The board should assess the potential impact of policy on student learning and well-being, governance, fiscal resources and operational efficiency. BB 9310, as well as CSBA’s new sample board policy BP 0415 – Equity, also encourage boards to make policy decisions with a deliberate awareness of equity issues in order to support our schools’ most marginalized learners.

“Policy development is not just about ensuring legal compliance, although that’s an important consideration,” Tuerck concluded. “Policies can drive the district forward on key issues identified as priorities of the board.”