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Latest (March 10):  School board members could be out under bill

Legislative 2010 Session Update (March 8)

Provided by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce:  Senate Bill 84 would improve Georgia schools by ensuring effective school board governance.  Based on recommendations made by the Commission for School Board Excellence, the bill passed the Senate in 2009 and was approved by the House of Representatives today. The Senate will either need to agree to the changes made by the House or reconcile them in a conference committee before it can go to the governor for signature.

The 2009 General Assembly closed without passing Senate Bill 84.  In an Op-Ed piece to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Commission Co-Chair John Rice responded.  Click here to read the letter.

Governor Perdue commenting on the renewed accreditation for the Clayton County School System, pledges his continuing support for SB 84.

Georgia Trend Magazine's June 2009 edition looks at the issue in their "Holding School Boards Accountable" article.

Business to Business Magazine's March/April 2009 edition contained an article authored by Commission co-chairs, John Rice, Gary Price and Phil Jacobs urging support for SB 84.

Here's background on the Commission's work over the past year.

Recommendations:

  • Accountability  -  Allow boards to self-govern, but if this is unsuccessful - board members fail to perform, meet standards or comply with a code of ethics - allow the State Board of Education to intervene.  The State Board of Education becomes the temporary governance body of last resort.
  • Ethics  -  Create a code of ethics and conflict-of-interest policies for all school boards.  Require candidates to agree to a code of ethics and conflict-of-interest policies in order to qualify for election.
  • Roles and responsibilities  -  Clarify the law relating to board and superintendent roles and responsibilities.
  • Candidacy and elections  -  Require minimum qualifications for candidates.  Call for non-partisan, staggered elections for 4-year terms.  Require board size limited to 5-7 members.
  • Training and proficiency  -  Require capacity-building education and training for board members.  Create periodic assessments of board members' ability to serve.

The Commission recommended the following key areas that would not require state legislation:

  • Decisions made by school boards and superintendents should focus on student success.
  • School boards should have a strategic plan.
  • School systems and boards should plan succession for superintendents and board members.
  • School boards shoud have a policy for public comment and input at public board meetings.
  • Superintendents and board members should create a system for handling citizen requests/problems - and responses should be communicated to all board members.
  • Entire board training and board-superintendent training should be required.
  • The business community and others should engage to recruit candidates for boards.

Representing the Georgia Partnership at the afternoon press conference was board member Ann Cramer, director, North America, IBM Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs.  She emphasized three key areas from the Partnership's perspective that the commission identified if success is to be realized: the selection and training of Board members and accountability for their actions.  She explained, "We need to identify the best candidates to run for election; we must train them to proficiency levels - appropriate for their important roles; and we must have a fair expeditious process to remove board members or boards if they prove to be low performing, dysfunctional or unethical."

For the initial press release announcing the conclusion of the Commission's work, visit the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

Background:  The Georgia State Board of Education at their April 3 meeting unanimously passed a resolution asking the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, and AdvancED to put together an advisory panel on the issue of local school board governance.  This panel will work with education advocates and support groups to research best practices and policies for school board operations. The state board asked for a report in 90 days.

Wanda Barrs, chair of the State Board, said, “The State Board of Education members thought it was an appropriate time to ask our business partners to work with us on this issue.”  She added, “Businesses understand the link between strong boards and successful businesses. Many of these same principles can be applied to school board governance.”

State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox praised the state board’s decision to start a conversation about the subject.  “We want Georgia to be a model state for local school board governance, and I’m very pleased that our state’s business leaders have stepped up to the plate to offer assistance and expertise,” Superintendent Cox said. “Working together we can pull together proven strategies and effective policies from the business and education worlds that will best serve our students, our educators and the community at large.”

In accepting the invitation, Gary Price, managing partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers and chair of the regional education policy committee for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, said “We applaud the State Board of Education for its leadership in working to strengthen Georgia’s school boards.”   He added, “Our work will be guided by the understanding that good boards create and sustain good organizations, both public and private. Ultimately, good school boards create good schools that develop the talented work force our state needs to remain competitive.”

Ed Heys, deputy managing partner of Deloitte, chair of the education committee for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and a Georgia Partnership Board member, echoed Price’s comments. “We happily accept the board’s invitation to study the best practices of school boards across the nation and to recommend ways to put those ideas to work in Georgia.”

He continued, “We recognize that school boards play a vital role in school performance. They appoint superintendents, approve budgets and establish policies that directly affect how Georgia’s students compete in the global marketplace.”