Board Committees

Per the Board of Education Policy Governance Book:

• Board committees, when used, will be assigned so as to reinforce the wholeness of the Board’s job and so as never to interfere with delegation from Board to Superintendent.
• Accordingly a committee is a Board committee only if its existence and charge come from the Board.
• Board committees are to help the Board do its job, not to help or advise the staff.
• Committees ordinarily will assist the Board by preparing policy alternatives and implications for Board deliberation.
• Board committees may not speak or act for the Board except when formally given such authority for specific and time-limited purposes.
• Expectations and authority will be carefully stated in order not to conflict with authority delegated to the Superintendent.
• When fulfilling his or her charge from the Board, a Board liaison may reasonably interpret relevant governance policies and relevant, specific Board decisions as evidenced by officially passed motions, making decisions or taking actions necessary to fulfill that charge, as long as those decisions or actions are reasonable interpretations of governance policies and specific Board decisions.
• Board committees cannot exercise authority over staff.
• Because the Superintendent works for the full Board, he or she will not be required to obtain approval of a Board committee before an executive action.
• Board committees are to avoid over-identification with organizational parts rather than the whole. Therefore, a Board committee that has helped the Board create policy on some topic will not usually be used to monitor organizational performance on that same subject.
• Unless legally required, committees will be used sparingly and ordinarily in an ad hoc capacity.

This policy applies to any group that is formed by Board action, whether or not it is called a committee and regardless of whether the group includes Board members even if a committee consists of one Board member, who may be referred to as a “liaison.” It does not apply to committees formed under the authority of the Superintendent. Board committees will have clear and specific goals, objectives and timelines.