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Responsibilities of Local School BoardsÌý

The responsibilities of the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Board of Education include: a legal responsibility for the control of public schools as the only agency in their community with this responsibility; a civic responsibility as the controlling agency providing a basically essential service to the life of the community; a social responsibility toward all who look to the schools as centers of growth and development for children, youth, and adults; as economic responsibility since there is a direct relationship between good schools and business prosperity; a moral and ethical responsibility to function courageously and impartially to assure the greatest good to the greatest number at all time. In the strong conviction that the American system of public school education will best meet the needs of the citizenry if all local school Boards throughout the United States recognize and meet their full responsibilities, the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Board of Education supports the following principles:Ìý

I. School Boards shall function in a non-partisan, broadly representative, team- spirited manner.ÌýEvery member of the school Board shall represent open- mindedly the entire school district, and, in consequence, must let his or her consideration for the entire district take precedence over every form of partisan and special interest group-political, racial, religious, geographic, economic, social, civic, or other.Ìý

II. School Boards shall adopt clearly defined written policies, based on a thorough understanding of the education process.ÌýIn formulating the policies they shall consult individuals and groups affected by the policies, and, since changing conditions bring changing needs, shall maintain flexible policies. They shall recognize that while school Boards are policy-making bodies, they properly delegate the execution of policy to employed professional administrators and their staffs.Ìý

III. School Boards shall recognize that public schools belong to all the people, are supported by the people, and are designed to carry out the wishes of the people for the education of children and adults.ÌýThe Board shall conduct Board business in open session and endeavor by every reasonable means to inform the public concerning the schools.Ìý

IV. School Boards shall enlist citizen groups as needed to assist and counsel them, making certain that three principles are followed:Ìý

A. Citizen groups shall be broadly representative;Ìý

B. Recommendations shall be based on research and facts;Ìý

C. Recommendations shall be submitted to the school board which alone has the authority to act upon them.Ìý

V. School Boards shall plan and maintain a flexible program for the future, based on surveys and studies of population trends, possible economic changes, changing community attitudes, development in education, and all factors, which would affect their school systems.Ìý

VI. School Boards shall work to maintain and improve the professional status of the teaching profession, and shall encourage potential candidates for teaching who will exemplify the highest ideals.Ìý

VII. School Boards shall employ professional and non-professional personnel with competence and personal qualifications, which command community respect.Appropriate to the importance of their role in their communities, all personnel shall be adequately compensated to assure their economic security and their working conditions shall permit them to effectively exercise their skills and duties.Ìý

VIII. School Boards shall establish and use free channels of communication with all of their personnel so that decisions affecting their interests and welfare may be made only after careful Board consideration has been given to their views, recommendations, needs, and grievances.Ìý