Board-Superintendent Relationship
The Board clarifies the manner in which it delegates authority to the Superintendent as well as how it evaluates superintendent performance on provisions of the Results and Operational Expectations.
- BSR-1 Global Governance-Superintendent Connection
- BSR-2 Unity of Control
- BSR-3 Accountability of the Superintendent
- BSR-4 Delegation to the Superintendent
- BSR-5 Monitoring Superintendent Performance
- BSR-5E Annual Summative Evaluation of the Superintendent
BSR-1 Global Governance-Superintendent Connection
BSR-1 Global Governance-Superintendent Connection
Policy Type: Board-Superintendent Relationship
The Board’s sole official connection to the operational organization, its achievements and conduct will be through a Chief Executive Officer, titled Superintendent.
December 14, 2005 – Adoption of Policy Governance
March 7, 2012 – Monitored, no changes
November 7, 2012 – Monitored, no changes
July 11, 2024 – Converted to Coherent Governance
BSR-2 Unity of Control
BSR-2 Unity of Control
Policy Type: Board-Superintendent Relationship
Only officially passed motions of the Board are binding on the Superintendent.
2.1 Directions or instructions of individual Board members, officers, or committees are not binding on the Superintendent except in rare instances when the Board has specifically authorized such exercise of authority.
2.2 Individual Board members or committees may, without Board authorization, request information or assistance from the Superintendent or designees as defined by the Superintendent. The Superintendent may, however, refuse such requests that are, in the Superintendent’s opinion, disruptive or require a significant amount of staff time or funds.
December 14, 2005 – Adoption of Policy Governance
March 7, 2012 – Monitored, no changes
November 7, 2012 – Monitored, revised
August 5, 2013 – Monitored, no changes
July 31, 2014 – Monitored, no changes
September 14, 2016 – Revised and approved
July 11, 2024 – Converted to Coherent Governance
BSR-3 Accountability of the Superintendent
BSR-3 Accountability of the Superintendent
Policy Type: Board-Superintendent Relationship
The Superintendent is the Board’s only link to the operations of the District. All staff members report directly or indirectly to the Superintendent.
3.1 The Board will never give direction to any employee other than the Superintendent.
3.2 The Board will not directly evaluate any staff member other than the Superintendent, formally or informally.
3.3 Organizational accomplishment of Results and operation according to Operational Expectations will be viewed as successful Superintendent performance.
3.4 Except as required by law and thus disposed of on the consent agenda, the Board will not participate in decisions or final action involving the hiring, evaluating, disciplining or dismissal of any employee other than the Superintendent.
3.5 The Board will expect the Superintendent to provide periodic training to staff that, in the absence of a Board Policy or District Regulation, staff are to act according to their best professional judgment, provided that such action shall not be in conflict with the general Board values and objectives of the district or with any local, state or national ordinances, statutes, regulations or directives. The training will also remind staff that, in the event there is doubt as to the appropriate course of action or if it is apparent that the consequences could be serious, the Superintendent expects the staff member to contact the Superintendent or another administrator who could provide appropriate assistance.
December 14, 2005 – Adoption of Policy Governance
March 7, 2012 – Monitored, no changes
November 7, 2012 –Monitored, no changes
August 5, 2013 – Monitored, no changes
July 31, 2014 – Monitored, no changes
November 18, 2015 – Monitored, revised
September 22, 2022 – Monitored, revised
July 11, 2024 – Converted to Coherent Governance
BSR-4 Delegation to the Superintendent
BSR-4 Delegation to the Superintendent
Policy Type: Board-Superintendent Relationship
The Board will provide direction to the Superintendent through written policies that define the organizational results to be achieved for students and define operational conditions and actions to be accomplished or avoided.
4.1 The Board will develop and monitor Results policies instructing the Superintendent to achieve defined results for the students served by the district.
4.2 The Board will develop and monitor Operational Expectations policies which express the Board's values about operational conditions and actions. Certain of these values will be expressed positively to ensure that the stated actions occur and the identified conditions exist and will be stated as directives. Certain other values represent actions and conditions that are to be avoided and will be stated prohibitively.
4.3 As long as the Superintendent uses any reasonable interpretation of the Board's Results and Operational Expectations policies, the Superintendent is authorized to establish any additional administrative policies or regulations, make any decisions, establish any practices and develop any activities the Superintendent deems appropriate to achieve the Board's Results policies. The Superintendent is not expected to seek Board approval or authority for any such decisions falling within the Superintendent's area of delegated authority.
4.4 The Board may change its Results and Operational Expectations policies at any time, and in so doing shift the boundary between Board and Superintendent areas of responsibility. The Board will respect and support any reasonable interpretation of its policies by the Superintendent, even though Superintendent decisions may not be the decisions the Board or its members may have made.
December 14, 2005 – Adoption of Policy Governance
March 7, 2012 – Monitored, no changes
November 7, 2012 – Monitored, revised
August 5, 2013 – Monitored, revised
August 27, 2014 – Monitored, revised
September 14, 2016 – Monitored, revised
September 22, 2022 – Monitored, revised
July 11, 2024 – Converted to Coherent Governance
BSR-5 Monitoring Superintendent Performance
BSR-5 Monitoring Superintendent Performance
Policy Type: Board-Superintendent Relationship
Systematic and rigorous monitoring of Superintendent job performance will be solely against the only expected Superintendent job outputs: reasonable progress toward accomplishing the Board’s Results policies and organizational operation according to the values expressed in the Board’s Operational Expectations policies.
5.1 Monitoring determines compliance with Operational Expectations or reasonable progress toward the achievement of Results. Information not formally presented as monitoring data and that does not contribute directly to this purpose is not considered monitoring data.
5.2 The Board will acquire monitoring data on Results and Operational Expectations policies by one or more of three methods:
a. By internal report, in which the Superintendent discloses information and certifies compliance or reasonable progress to the Board along with his/her justification for the reasonableness of interpretation
b. By external report, in which an external, objective third party agreed to by the Board assesses compliance or reasonable progress with Board policies
c. By direct Board inspection, in which the whole Board, a Board committee, or a designated member or members duly charged by the Board, formally assesses compliance with or reasonable progress on the appropriate policy criteria, augmented with the Superintendent’s justification for the reasonableness of his/her interpretation.
5.3 The consistent performance standard for Operational Expectations policies shall be whether the Superintendent has:
a. Reasonably interpreted the policy and its subparts
b. Complied with the provisions of the Board policy.
5.4 The consistent performance standard for Results shall be whether the Superintendent has:
a. Reasonably interpreted the policy and its subparts
b. Achieved reasonable progress, as determined by a consensus of the Board, toward achieving the Board’s described Results policies.
5.5 The Board will make the final determination as to whether the Superintendent interpretation is reasonable, whether the Superintendent is in compliance and whether reasonable progress is being made. In doing so, the Board will apply the “reasonable person” standard.
5.6 Superintendent contract extensions and remuneration will be decided after review of monitoring reports submitted during the superintendent’s contract year.
5.7 All policies that instruct the Superintendent will be monitored at a frequency and by a method chosen by the Board in its annual work plan (GC-4E, Monitoring Calendar). The Board, by official action, may monitor any policy at any time by any method.
5.8 By July 1 of each year, the Board will conduct a formal summative evaluation of the Superintendent. The summative evaluation will be based upon data collected during the year from the monitoring of Results and Operational Expectations policies. The Board will prepare a written evaluation document consisting of:
a. A summary based on the data derived during the year from monitoring the Board’s Results and Operational Expectations policies
b. Conclusions based upon the Board’s prior action during the year relative to the Superintendent’s reasonable interpretation of each Results policy and whether reasonable progress has been made toward its achievement
c. Conclusions based upon the Board’s prior action during the year relative to whether the Superintendent has reasonably interpreted and operated according to the provisions established by the Operational Expectations policies.
5.9 Nothing in this policy is intended to imply the establishment of any personal rights not explicitly established by statute, contract or Board policy. All employment decisions related to the Superintendent remain the sole discretion of the Board.
December 14, 2005 – Adoption of Policy Governance
March 7, 2012 – Monitored, no changes
November 7, 2012 –Monitored, no changes
August 5, 2013 – Monitored, no changes
July 31, 2014 – Monitored, no changes
May 9, 2018 – Revised and approved
July 11, 2024 – Converted to Coherent Governance
BSR-5E Annual Summative Evaluation of the Superintendent
BSR-5E Annual Summative Evaluation of the Superintendent
Policy Type: Board-Superintendent Relationship
The Board’s Policy BSR-5 #8 provides that:
By July 1 of each year, the Board will conduct a formal summative evaluation of the Superintendent. The summative evaluation will be based upon data collected during the year from the monitoring of Results and Operational Expectations policies. The Board will prepare a written evaluation document.
The purpose of the annual evaluation of the Superintendent is to summarize the actions previously taken by the Board as it monitored Results and Operational Expectations policies during the year, and to draw conclusions on that basis.
Operational Expectation Policy:
| Policy | Date Monitored | Board Disposition |
|---|---|---|
| OE-1 Global Operational Expectation | ||
| OE-2 Treatment of People | ||
| OE-3 Personnel Administration | ||
| OE-4 Financial Planning and Budgeting | ||
| OE-5 Financial Administration | ||
| OE-6 Asset Protection | ||
| OE-7 Emergency Superintendent Succession | ||
| OE-8 Communication/Support to Board | ||
| OE-9 Communicating with the Public | ||
| OE-10 Structure of Schools | ||
| OE-11 Student Discipline | ||
| OE-12 Learning Environment | ||
| OE-13 Facilities | ||
| OE-14 Instructional Program | ||
| OE-15 Technology | ||
| OE-16 Equity |
Results Policies:
| Policy | Date Monitored | Board Disposition |
|---|---|---|
| R-1 Mission Statement | ||
| R-2 Academics and Foundations | ||
| R-3 Civic Engagement | ||
| R-4 Life Management and Personal Awareness |
Based upon the Board’s prior acceptance of these reports and the on-going monitoring of the District’s and the Superintendent’s performance during the preceding year, the Board reaches the following conclusions relative to Superintendent performance:
Based upon the foregoing conclusions, the Board makes the following recommendations and decisions for the coming year:
Signed: ____________________________
Date: ____________
President of the Board
Signed: ____________________________
Date: ____________
Superintendent
December 14, 2005 – Adoption of Policy Governance
March 7, 2012 – Monitored, no changes
November 7, 2012 – Monitored, no changes
August 5, 2013 – Monitored, no changes
July 31, 2014 – Monitored, no changes
May 9, 2018 – Revised and approved
June 26, 2019 – Revised and approved
September 22, 2022 – Monitored, revised
July 11, 2024 – Converted to Coherent Governance