201 Board Member Roles
201 Board Member Roles
I. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to define the job description for the NSCS Board of Directors and its members.
II. General Statement of Policy
The North Shore Community School Board is responsible to the members of NSCS, in accordance with the NSCS mission and bylaws. The NSCS Board and each of its members must look to the future and to the needs of all constituents, requiring a comprehensive perspective and long-range planning, in addition to attention to immediate problems. The board’s primary responsibility is to establish those programs and
procedures which determine and demand appropriate and excellent organizational performance to produce the educational achievement needed by NSCS students. The board is also charged with accomplishing the mission of the school while also being responsible for wise management of resources. It must carry out its functions openly, while seeking the involvement and contributions of all members of NSCS in its decision making processes.
III. Procedures
A. The board is responsible for:
1. Fulfilling the duties of a charter school board as stated and implied in statute.
2. Developing written governing policies which, at the broadest levels, address vision, mission and goals.
3. Monitoring core operating principles which guide the administrative processes.
4. Continuously improving its governance process including provisions for how the board conceives, carries out, and monitors its own work.
5. Maintaining an effective board-director relationship including how authority is delegated and its proper use monitored, the director’s role, authority and accountability.
6. Ensuring director performance through monitoring and annual evaluation.
7. Ensuring that the NSCS mission is the focus of organizational performance.
B. Board members commit themselves to ethical, businesslike, and lawful conduct, including proper use of authority and appropriate decorum when acting as board members.
C. Board members represent the interests of all members of North Shore Community School. This accountability to all members supersedes any conflicting loyalty a member may have to other groups or organizations, to staff or personal interests.
D. Board members will make every reasonable effort to attend all board and assigned board committee meetings.
E. Board members shall maintain the confidentiality appropriate to sensitive issues and information that otherwise may tend to compromise the integrity or legal standing of the board, especially those matters discussed in legally closed session.
F. New board members must complete the Minnesota Department of Education approved mandatory training sessions on the board’s roles and responsibilities, employment policies and practices, and fiscal management within the timeframe mandated by MN Statute 124D.10. Board members are also encouraged to attend additional training sessions sponsored by the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools or the Minnesota School Board Association.
G. All school board members are encouraged to participate in educational activities sponsored by local, state, and national associations and educational groups. A budget for such activities will be set annually.