Board Policy Governance Policies

Executive Summary

The Morton School District Board of Directors is formulating new policies designed to focus the district’s attention on student achievement results. The board will establish Ends policies that clearly delineate what students should know, understand, and be able to do upon exiting our schools. The board will also designate performance goals for schools and the district to work toward. These goals will be stated in terms of increased student achievement.

The board’s policies fall into four categories:

  1. Ends – What Morton School District graduates should know, understand, and be able to do.

  2. Governance Process – How the board will conduct its business. Specifically, the Governance Process policies call on the board to focus on strategic leadership, establishing vision and specifying desired results, rather than on administrative detail.

  3. Board/Superintendent Relations – These policies clarify the relationship between the board and the superintendent. The board delegates the day-to-day operations of the school district to the superintendent. The superintendent will be held accountable for leading the district’s personnel in moving toward accomplishment of the board’s identified Ends results while at the same time working within the framework established by the board. The board will monitor the district’s compliance with various policies throughout each year.

  4. Executive Limitations – Executive Limitations define the framework within which the superintendent and staff are to work. The superintendent is expected to devote her/his time to moving the district toward accomplishment of the Ends policies. S/he is authorized to make decisions and take actions within the framework provided by the board.

Table of Contents

I. Ends

E1 through E10

District Vision


District Mission


Academic Performance


Reading and Mathematics

Post-Secondary

PBIS

Extracurricular

Staffing

Financial

Facilities

II. Governance Process

GP1

Governance Commitment and Purpose

GP2

Governing Style

GP3

Board Job Description

GP4

Monitoring Board Governance Process & Board-Staff

GP5

Chair’s Role

GP6

Board Advisory Committee Principles

GP7

Advisory Committee Structure

GP8

Agenda Planning

GP8E

Annual Board Agenda

GP8E1

Three-Year Linkage Plan

GP9

Board Members’ Code of Conduct

GP10

Board Members’ Covenants

GP11

Board Members’ Conflict of Interest

GP12

Board Member Compensation and Expenses

GP13

Process for Addressing Board Member Violations

GP14

Memorialization of Facilities

III. Board/Superintendent Relations

BSR1

Board/Superintendent Connection

BSR2

The Board Acts as a Unit

BSR3

Accountability of the Superintendent

BSR4

Delegation to the Superintendent

BSR5

Monitoring Superintendent Performance

IV. Executive Limitations

EL1

Visionary Leadership – Advancing the District-Wide Vision for Learning

EL1M

Monitoring EL1

EL2

Instructional Leadership – Putting Student Learning at the Center

EL2M

Monitoring EL2

EL3

Instructional Leadership – Evaluation and Professional Development

EL3M

Monitoring EL3

EL4

Effective Management – Effectively and Efficiently Manage District Operations

EL4M

Monitoring EL4

EL5

Effective Management – Create a Safe and Humane Organizational Environment

EL5M

Monitoring EL5

EL6

Inclusive Practice – Collaborating with Families and Community Members

EL6M

Monitoring EL6

EL7

Inclusive Practice – Collaborating with and Responding to Diverse Communities

EL7M

Monitoring EL7

EL8

Ethical Leadership – Acting with Integrity, Fairness, and Courage in Upholding High Ethical Standards

EL8M

Monitoring EL8

EL9

Socio-Political Context – Understand and Influence the District’s Environment

EL9M

Monitoring EL9

EL10

Socio-Political Context – Work Effectively with the School District’s Board of Directors

EL10M

Monitoring EL10