Veteran trustees and newly elected board members alike can often feel somewhat confused, if not outright intimidated, with the part of their responsibility that includes developing, maintaining and evaluating policies. Seeking a clear understanding of the way board policies are tools at a board’s disposal can, in most cases, help address any confusion or concerns. The first steps to demystifying this essential duty include understanding the role of the board, identifying a clear process for policy development, and determining roles and responsibilities for staff.

That sense of deep understanding starts with knowing that there are, of course, many written documents that can generally be referred to as district “policies,” but that it is the district’s actual set of Board Policies (note the capitalization) that serve as the formal statements from the board to both the school community and the general public. It is those statements that illuminate and communicate about the local educational agency’s vision and priorities, as well as legal obligations and responsibilities of the board.

When considering how board policies provide guidance, ask these questions:

1. How do boards ensure that appropriate policy development processes reflect district priorities?
2. How does the board work collaboratively with staff to manage legislatively mandated policies?
3. What mechanisms and structures has the board put in place to make sure policies support student learning?
4. How can the board demonstrate community leadership in the way it communicates about policies to their staff and the public?
5. How does the board ensure that regular policy review and monitoring are intentionally in place?
6. What is the process for identifying, articulating and revising needed policy revisions?
7. How does the board manage the CSBA resource on policy updates and mandates?

CSBA has resources to assist governance teams with the ongoing task of policy management. CSBA staff update the Sample Policy Manual four times a year, and, in prioritizing which policies to update, focuses on changes to state and federal law and regulations, agency actions, high-profile issues, LEA requests, educational trends and research, reports, and most important, impact on student learning.

Navigating the complex but necessary task of managing Board Policies is made easier for the scores of LEAs who use CSBA’s GAMUT platform and other policy services. GAMUT includes a customizable suite of elements proven to help strengthen trustees’ understanding of the way policies help guide the work of the board. Details about this service, utilized by almost all the state’s approximately 1,000 school boards, are available at www.csba.org/policyservices.