001Again, I call this meeting to order. Roll call, please. M. Miss Miller. Miss Williams. Here. Miss Chzn here. Miss Karns here. Miss Lanning here. Mr. Moore here. Mr. Richmond here. I'll stand for the pledge of allegiance. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay. Approval of the agenda. Is there is there a motion? I'll make it. Thank you, Rhonda. Is there a second? Thank you, Jennifer. Would you call the vote, please? Mr. Richmond. Yes. Mr. Moore, yes. Miss Lanning, yep. Miss Karns, yes. Miss Chzn, yes. Miss Williams, yes. Miss Miller, yes. And the motion passes. 70. Good morning on this gorgeous day. I'm so glad to be here. I actually am. It's
002not like all sarcasm. I think it's been a long time coming and in all honesty, I wish I wish would have arranged everything in order, you know, to do this a little bit earlier, you know, but at least we're doing this now. Um, just a quick overview of the agenda. a majority of the day it will be learning it will be receiving a training you know from MSBA and then it will be learning information from um key members of the district and then this afternoon it will be learning information from us and kind of making a game plan about the board going forward and so if there's a question comment a concern at any time, get my attention and then I'll acknowledge you and then we'll move forward. But um I think it's going to
003be a good day. Guys, any questions right now so far? And if there are none, I'll turn it over to you ladies. Great. Um before I get started, I just want to share something um kind of random, but I want you to know. Uh so I have been working with boards for three years now and um I've started forcing boards to watch meetings like their own meetings as like a reflection piece and then I try to give them clips of how um a really good meeting should start. And I want you to know that I use you all as an example um of like a really good meeting. And so, um, for example, I love, and that this probably is your tech team, but one thing that you do really well that I suggest to
004others is just like you did today, you welcome everyone and like you actually smile. Um, you'd be surprised like how many board members don't think to do that. And so, I just really appreciate that. That's one of the things I point out that you do. Another thing is I love how at the beginning before your meetings, it's like the logo until you call the meeting to order and then the cameras go on. That's so nice and that's like props to you all over there. So, way to go. And then the other thing that I've showed with a lot of districts and they love it is how um at the beginning of your meetings, especially when there's awards or something to give out that you all come out from behind your seats and stand to like
005shake hands with everybody. That's a rarity, too. And so, I just want you to know that I use you all as an example. Um, and so if the views on your, you know, YouTube videos or whatever go up, it's because I'm forcing other board members to watch you all because how you all start your meetings is really impressive and really great and please just keep that up. So that's just random. Just an aside, but I wanted to share that. I appreciate it. Thank you. Positivity. Not going to lie, I was nervous when you said I use you guys as an example. I'm like, we're going to start the day off. All your faces were priceless. I'm ready for the other shooting. No, no, no, no. This it I mean it's real. I watched like 30
006districts trying to find really really good examples and you guys are the best example that I have found. So, thank you. Yeah. No, thank you all for doing such a good job and um showing such a positive light on on St. Joe. It's really really important. It starts at the top and you guys do it. Okay, that being said, um Katherine Harrison, so happy to be back. Um I know the majority of you It's nice to see the two new board members. This is so exciting. Um, and then I have Janette Howard with me, but most of you all worked with her, probably know her better than I do because of all of the long nights you had with her to get your amazing new superintendent. And so that's why we're here today. We're really
007excited to kind of start this governance team workshop with you all. Um, and so what I need from you all before we can get started is I have over here a note sheet. So everyone needs to grab a note sheet. Perfect. We have um everyone needs one piece of this big old sticky paper. I need you to grab a postit. They're one through eight. So, everyone needs to grab one except for Miss Donna. And then I have Sharpies. You might need one. And I have pins if you need a pen. So, if you guys can come up and grab those materials down and then we'll get started. Yeah. You just kind of peel it off. Yeah, I printed it out. I'm sorry. Almost every Did you get a big poster? That's good. I don't think
008you'll need your computers for a while, but you'll need some work space. So, you may want to just shut those down and set them aside and give yourself a little room to work there. I know they're always helpful, but they're always in the white. Just saying. All right. So, the postit is going to come in throughout the day. I'm going to put you in random groups or random pairings. So, make sure you hold on to that. Um, and then we'll go ahead and get started with this four quadrant activity, which is what your green or your green your orange piece of paper is for. Um, so you guys each have the flip chart paper. You guys hopefully each grabbed a marker. If you want more markers to get creative, go for it. If you could
009divide um your chart into four quadrants. And you can use your pen or you can use your marker. I know. I don't know if the orange on orange will work. We'll see. Okay. The hard part about this is not necessarily answering the questions. It's that you have to draw your responses to the questions. You can't write your answer. Okay. Um, so you can see the questions um, in each quadrant on the screen or on your note sheet. So top left, I'm really bad at right and left. Top left is what do you bring to this group? And you have to draw it. What do you bring to this group? Your top right quadrant is what do you need from the group? Top right is what do you need? bottom left is what do you see
010as the group's biggest challenges moving forward into the year? And then bottom right is what is one event that fundamentally shaped your life. Okay, I know. And I hope you're as good an artist as I am because I'm telling you, there's some amazing artwork I'm expecting to see here. This is going to be amazing. All right, so go ahead and get started. I'm going give you guys some time to work. You don't need to go crazy with this. Yeah. Don't make it too hard. Don't stress too much about this. Stick people are great. We love stick people. I never see mine. Yeah, that' be a great trip. almost like this and just freeze and then the perfectionist comes out. Now with some music I could do that for you. All right, you guys have about
011one more minute. Hey, don't pressure the new guy. Come on. We've talked about this. We call itation. Just so you can start mentally preparing, you're going to share in the order of postit that you picked. So, whoever's posted number one is going to go first. I feel good about it here. in reverse order. [Music] Oh, sorry. Are you ready? Yep. Okay, then let's do it. Will you go place yours up on this wall and and share with the group your drawings. Okay. All four of them. Okay. Number one, I bring a lot of education and experience. It's how I put the books and the diplomas. And then I drew lots of itty bitty people because I work with kids in underprivileged areas of the community and I look at myself a lot of times as
012their voice. Number two, what was the question again? What do I need from the group? Okay, what I need open communication, two-way communication. not only mean but like open and then if you notice I only put like two people in there. Well, because at times I need like a you and I conversation, a you and I conversation and I just need open communication at times, you know, from every member of the board. Um the challenges biggest challenges um I drew a person hands over the ears because a lot of times I noticed you know that we're not listening to each other person hands over the eyes well because we're not really really looking at each other really seeing each other as individuals and then as members of our I mean, and then I drew a
013person in their open mouth and a bunch of words coming out because at times all we do is we talk and we yell, "Okay, we're not looking at each other and listening to each other." What fundamentally shaped your life? After I realized education was my key out of my upbringing, out of my neighborhood, my background. I was a completely different person. Thank you. All right. Number two. I don't know why I chose number. Okay. It's all stick figures and I didn't get finished. Um was it? What do I bring to What do I bring to the group is um being on the PPA board and everything. I bring a strong parent aspect to it opinions. Um I've been in many board meetings over several years. So that's a good experience for me. Um what do
014you need from the group? Pretty much the same as Lanya. So just open communication um everybody's opinions at the table and to be able to express your opinion and have different opinions and keeping it here. Uh what do I see as challenges? I think that the ongoing ongoing community trust which puts back into open communication with us. Um and I think it's finished my last one the fundamentally one I think. Huh. Shaping your life. Yeah. I think for me it's changing my career uh midlife. So going from community patient care side to now behind a computer. Um different definitely different and change. Yeah. Absolutely. All right. Thanks. Number three. Okay. Let's see. Uh what do I bring? Um this is supposed to be a factory, so some business acumen. Maybe maybe specifically some problem solving.
015Okay. Uh let's see where we go next. What do I need from the group? Same same thing. Wow. Communication. That's a good looking phone, isn't it? Old timer. Old time phone. But, you know, if we have the kind of relationship between each other as individuals where something pops off or you hear something, I can just call up and say, "Hey, Ronda, what what are we doing?" And and we don't each other up with it, you know? And then and then and then challenge very similar. Here's the wall. Here's the brick wall. Here's the community. Here's us. And and you know, I I think it's both the board and the district really. I think there's something something disconnected there and uh event that fundamentally changed my life. So um I grew up as an only child
016and I have a lot of only child tendencies but it wasn't always true. I had a I had an older brother who was still born and I think about that all the time just how different it would have been if there would have been another sibling in my life. So anyway for sharing that thank you for sharing that. All right, number four. Mike, I think we're similar. So, what do I bring? I put positivity, but then also I put number one as number one are kids and number one's our CIP. So, just focus on the number ones and then what do you need from the group? Do you need what do I need from the group? Very similar communication. I have little stick people and they all look different and I think that's important that
017Even though they look different, everyone is equal, everyone's the same, but everyone matters. And I have students here, staff here. And I just think working, everyone working together in communication. Biggest challenge, you had the brick wall. I had division. Just a line of division. And you could call that board members. You could call that us in the community. You could call that us and staff. I think it's different depending on the situation, but I think we have some division. And then something that changed my life definitely be my upbringing. So my dad had a construction company and my sister and I had to work every Saturday morning and it just taught me the value of hard work and ethical behavior. And what is that thing? This is supposed to be my dad's work truck. Work
018truck. Okay. Listen, I see you don't judge because nobody talked about your little telephone. [Music] in the hog truck. I'm not going to lie, that looks a little Yeah, I get it. No, I got seeking first to understand. It was not a judgmental call. Okay. Okay. I think um the thing that I bring to the table that's fairly coincidental, it's just been my life is my teaching experience. Um, as I've sat here lots of times I think about people who have not been a teacher and all the um educational window that we use see and um so I I didn't have to learn that. I'm actually very lucky. I didn't have to learn all that and learn how to be a board member at the same time. I have communication too. um and communication uh
019between all of us so all of us are in the loop and know all the information that we need to know to make good decisions. I think for me the biggest challenge is our long range plan and how do we come to uh our two school plan and I know we're not going to make everyone happy that's not what I'm saying but how are we being good at listening to additional ideas other than just uh what what we have or what administration how are we really into the community. And then the fundamental thing that changed my life was the birth of my first grandchild. Um because I don't know, I just look at life totally different since Jay was born. Even though I have seven grandkids now, just um slowing down, what really matters in
020the scheme of life because when you slow down and you're not the mom, um it's really nice to think, okay, well, the dusting and the vacuuming and all that doesn't really matter. What matters is how fast kids grow and that I need to time and do that. So that's made me a slower person about life and really let a bunch of things go because I'm kind of type A and I was Yeah. So she helped me to move to a type B a little bit. So that's great. And I knew that was a baby. Good. Good. Good. Like little mine looks very similar to make it not look like a burrito. It's a swaddle blanket. It started looking comparing trash. That's right. I agree. So, I've worked in HR, finance, and curriculum instruction. Um, I
021need uh these are mountains, so to do hard things. Sometimes we have a good plan, but we don't actually get all the way there. Challenges is that we have a lot of new people, so it feels like sometimes we're starting back over every time. Um, the changed my life was becoming a mom. It's almost for me. What I bring to the group is a love for the community, for our staff, for our students, and it doesn't matter who they are, where they come from, I love them, and my desire is to do what's best for them here. What uh I need from the group is I think it matches communication where everyone gets to participate, everyone uh inclusive But it's just not here. It's including community in with us. Here is our biggest hurdle for
022me is respect among this group. Listening. Everybody gets an opportunity to express their perspective. But it can be also hearing it again from the community, listening to what they say like our surveys we put out. But it's it's listening and then coming to an agreement whether we like it or not. Whether it's ours or yours or whatever it is here, this fundamentally changed my life as a young person. I came to Christ and that totally changed a perspective for me from myself to somebody else to others. And I come from a big family so you really had to wrestle your place into the lineup. But he changed that so it wasn't about me, it was about somebody else. Okay, I an engineer, so I'm not an artist. Um, this is a picture of me. What
023I bring is um experience, a good attitude, and old age. I recognize that cane. Yeah, thank you. I think you probably used it before. Um what I what I desire from us and I think it comes from the things that you guys said is the ability for us to um join hands. That's supposed to be a hand and then there's a different pen here with another hand. The ability to join hands and come to unity so that we can represent ourselves um to the outside community. the um the biggest challenge that I think is connecting our kids to our teachers and superintendent that's you Ashley and to the board and to the community. I think that um that's a goal of mine is is that we um we we do a good job and that
024in the midst of that um we change the narrative about um the public schools in in our community. And then um I appreciate him doing that because I felt pretty vulnerable. But in college um I became a Christian and um you know I I could have said I got married because that straightened out a lot of my life. I have a bunch of grandkids and that's a good thing. But the fundamental thing that impacted my life and continues to guide me is um is the faith that I put in the Lord and his guidance in my life. That's great. Thank you. This is kind of fun. I just like to see kind of what everyone says and I think this thread of communication is really interesting. Um, I wasn't anticipating basically every single one of
025you to say something about that, but that's something that I hope to weave into today is kind of talking through why do we feel like there isn't communication? Um, and then how do we change that? So, at some point we'll get there. Okay. But I want you to think of a time when you started a new job. Board members started a new job. What were some of the feelings and thoughts you had that first week or month on the job? and you can just share out. Um, almost eight years ago, I began my job at the Bartlett Center. Well, when I began my job, I was not like a teacher in the room, anything like that. I mean, I began as the new boss that nobody knew. And then I began it under kind of
026crazy in like a crazy way where nobody knew that they were getting a new boss. I just walked in. And so I mean I understand you know where you're coming I mean like coming in as a new boss up under a board who no one really ever knew me anything like that or didn't understand me. Um it was a little bit kind of difficult and I struggled in the beginning since I mean everyone was new and everybody did not like me. I won them I won them over eventually only I mean it is a little bit of like it is a learning curve and what I would have wanted was for my board and my staff you know to give me a little bit of a chance more of a chance and then what I
027wish that I would have done a little bit kind of differently was to ask more questions and listen to my board and my employees more since I mean I was new coming in you know so I think that's a good question thank you anybody else thoughts or feelings that you had starting a new job I became a principal in Guam and it's intimidating you get a whole new culture you get a language barrier you get all kinds of interesting perspective. So even though the common language was English in a new position, you have to learn how they speak it, how they speak their thoughts, how they live that out in a different culture. And so I I feel your pain because any job, even if you're confident, even if you're competent, it's intimidating because now
028it's on you to do the work of creating a common culture and a place that's welcoming and showing an interest in that community regardless because you want success. Right? That's your purpose is success and for the good of that community. Time was when I um was getting ready to retire from Little Kids and took on an adjunct job at the college, which I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Um they hired me on a Monday and I started the next Monday with this college class. Yeah. and um had no desire to go back to school and get my doctorate, not after retiring from teaching. Um and I remember the first night that I taught the class, I came home, I was so excited, no one interrupted me. They they all stayed in
029the chair. It was quite refreshing. But I realized there was so much I didn't know. And I think what the department at Missouri Western did that was really beneficial to me was they didn't treat me different than people who've been there for a while or um had doctorates and I didn't. We were all this one team working together bringing different things to the table and um so part of it for me was naivity which I don't think you have that Ashley. I think you're coming in because you've been in the district for a while. So I think that's a huge benefit. But I had to ask a lot of questions and um then kind of decide where those answers to those questions really fit me. So yeah, it was for me it was excitement because
030I was going from one career to a different career. So it was exciting for me but frightening all at the same time. Yeah. Anyone else? I think about a position I got the opportunity to have within a within a company where I've been I'm an like Tom I'm an engineer by training and um spent most of my career there but I did seven years in operations and so you know plant manager type stuff and I remember thinking going in there the first week that I'm going to I'm going to operationally fix this place. I'm going to engineer this thing and we're going to be rocking and rolling. And it became evident really, really quick that that job is a people job. It's all about the people. I think we have the same thing going on
031here. I mean, we have to talk operations, right? But one of our big roles is people, each other, and and and and the community. So, there you go. I'll I'll say one quick. I've started a new in 1981. It was um No, but that's really basically true. But I still remember vividly um as I walked in, I was the superintendent of a of an area that Mike later had, but where we were installing equipment on trucks. And I'd never been around trucks. I'm not really mechanical. I really didn't have any idea what I was doing. And I still remember Big Jim McDonald on my first day said, "Hey, I'd like for you to take a look at something." And I said, "Okay, I'll be happy to." He said, "Well, you're going to need a creeper
032here." So, I'd never been on a creeper. I um So, I get on that creeper and figure out how to go under the truck with him. And um he looks up and I look up and he says, "See what I'm talking about?" And I said, "Yeah, I do." Um, and he said, "What do you think we should do?" And I said, "Well, what do you think?" And he said, "I think we should try this." And I said, "Yeah, let's try that." Um, but what I'm saying on that story is um it's really mostly about relationships more than it is knowledge. And um if you show respect to one another and to other people and you communicate with Um there's not always a you're right perfect way to do it. It's about relationships and so um
033that's been important to me. Yeah, that's great. I've got one for you, Kevin. I I was in a district and became superintendent there and I'd worked the district and so I think the challenge was everybody thought that I already knew everything because I've been in the district and I put on brand new shoes when I got in that job and they're very different shoes because Before I wasn't answering to a board, I was answering to a boss. Just one up. And now I was answering to a board. And I quit being a specialist in what I was doing. And now I became a generalist. I had to know enough about everything so that I could kind of call BS on some stuff from time to time. You know, you had to do that. And I
034think it's so intimidating. And one of my great friends said, "Every time you change that job level, you always think, why aren't they doing this as a teacher?" I thought, why didn't the principal doing this? Then you became a principal. You went, oh, now I know why, that can't work. Then you know, why the district office do this? Then you went to district office, you went, oh gosh, yeah, I didn't know about that. And so that makes a difference. And so I think the challenge was always there was always a single answer here or here. And when you became this job, you had to be in the middle and take all of that from both sides and be that person. And so it's intimidating as it can be because the assumption is you know it
035all and you can do all these things and at the same time you're going you almost feel like you have imposter syndrome like I shouldn't be doing you know like I don't know just like you did totally imposter syndrome. You didn't know what you were doing but it's that part and and I was lucky enough to have a board that was gracious with me because trust me boy did I make mistakes but they help me learn through that and then they learn too. And so I thought it was really an interesting piece uh particularly being an internal candidate because of the assumptions that are made because we assume that even when we interview we assume we already know them and they've been working in a whole different world and a whole different venue. So this
036is brand new. This is a diff this gig is different than any other gig that's there is in in a school district. It's different. So yeah, it was tough. Yeah. And so just keeping that in the back of your mind all year and honestly I think personally it takes three years to really grasp any job. I mean I remember being a teacher and even the summer before this my third school year started having those nightmares before school started where you're just anxious or you you know can't get the kids under control or whatever. It just takes time to to get there. And I think sometimes especially when you hire an internal candidate people are like oh well you've been here forever. you're going to be fine starting day one, you know, month in, you're going
037to be comfortable in these shoes. And and I just don't think that's always the case. And just as a board remembering that and also reminding the community, yes, you know, Dr. McGinness has been here, that's great, but it's a totally new role. And now she doesn't have one boss, she has seven. And that's a whole other complicated factor on top of it as well. Yeah. Can we ask Ashley's 100% thoughts right now? Yeah, I love that. I mean, everybody else answered and were just like about Ashley, but Ashley wasn't a part of the conversation. So, I'm enjoying the listening. So, if any of the rest of the board members would like to chime in their experience, I I love hearing this, but I'd happily chime in, too. Anybody else? No, I'm good. Okay. Um, I
038would say a little bit of all of that. Yeah. Excitement. um couldn't sleep last night because I went to Gab's office yesterday and threw some things out and then I'm like, am I really going to need those papers from 2007 that were still in a binder? So, we need um but yeah, just a mixture of emotions. We've also moved personally, so moving our house and then also moving offices and just new jobs. a whole lot of change in a week. But I'm I'm so excited. I am grateful that I'm an internal because I feel like the relationship piece is at least established with a large number of the staff. Um but again with turnover as someone else mentioned, there's always relationship building is never ending. It's it's an ongoing process. But I I enjoy that
039part of the job. school finance is definitely a part of the where where my learning curve is going to be right off the bat. Um, yeah, excited more than anything right now just to get going and get focused. But I appreciate what you said too about slowing down and taking a little bit of time because I am kind of like or maybe Mike said that about just jumping in and and fixing some things and and getting processes lined out when I I I want to take time to and uh and do some team building with our new people. That's great. Okay. So, I've done this with a portion of the board. Yes, I did it with a portion of the board before you guys did your superintendent search, but I want to share it with
040the rest of the board and also just remind the people on the board just research about superintendent retention. Okay. Um, so that's something that a piece of what I'm studying with my doctoral program. Um, and so I found this really interesting study um, done in North Carolina where they found 12 superintendents who'd been in their district, so maybe in the superintendency role longer, but in their particular district for seven years or more. And they just ask them, why do you think you've been able to stay here for seven years or more? Because on average, superintendents stay two to three years and then they're out on average. Okay, so here are the things that um, basically the research showed. So recommendation number one, superintendent who engage their community in the district strategic planning process increase their
041own contextual awareness about what's happening in the community, how other people feel. Um, that's really important and that was a help in their longevity. The second is superintendents who listen, are visible and accessible and who are flexible in messaging are effective communicators. So huge about being a good communicator, being visible. Um, that's reason that they felt like maybe this is why I've been here such a long time. I think I'm good at this. But this third one was really interesting to me. Superintendent who build significant relationships with their board will gain support that will increase their capacity to successfully face challenges and lengthen their tenure. And so they recognized, yes, it's important to be out in the community and understand what the community is looking for. It's also important to be a good communicator um
042and be visible. But this last piece right here, I thought was interesting. that relationship with the board is so important. So I went to that section of the the dissertation actually it was um and they kind of had some things um that elaborated on this relationship between the board and superintendent. So all the superintendents in the study stress the importance of knowing the board's expectations of them and making sure it's the board's expectations, not the board members individually expectations. What does the board as a collective need for me so that I can make this happen? So that was number one is I need to know the board's expectations which means the board has to figure out what are our expectations and share them with the superintendent. I appreciate that that it's the board as a
043whole, not our individual. Yes, absolutely. The next is superintendent said that the most important factor in determining their longevity in a district was their relationship with their board. And the longer that I'm in this role at the Missouri School Boards Association, the more and more that I see this to be true. Um, yeah, the board's got to get along and the board's got to support their superintendent or else the superintendent can leave and they will. Um, Desessie is now talking about um, you know, how teachers were a critical position and now retired teachers can come back and get full pay because we're we have a shortage. Basically, they're thinking about doing the same thing with superintendent because there just aren't enough. Um, so making sure that we maintain that relationship because the more stable the
044governance team is, which means the board and the superintendent, the more stable that team is, the more likely that children in the district are going to be successful and research backs that. The third is superintendent use their board chair um as either a liaison or sounding board when considering new ideas. So this relationship right here is very very very important um to maintaining you know their sanity in their role as well. And then building a healthy and positive relationship between the superintendent and board is the doorway to forming a deep and sustaining relationship with the full board. Um and so I like to start this off because I feel like this is why we do this workshop after a superintendent search. Um, we have to get off on the right foot so that all of
045these things can happen so that you do have longevity in the role of superintendent here in St. Joe. You guys have a lot of things it sounds like that need to happen over the next few years and to make sure you have one leader who can start that process and get you all to the finish line is so critically important. So that just is a little bit of background there. Um, and then the big thing is figuring out, especially these first couple years with a new superintendent, what is the balance between monitoring the superintendent and supporting the superintendent? Um, because we definitely have to do both. There have to be expectations. You have to hold Dr. McGinness to a level and make sure you know she's hitting these marks. Um, but there also has to
046be some level of support. This is your new hire. This is your new employee. What does onboarding look like? What does support look like? What do check-ins look like? How do you make sure she's okay? Um because this is going to be a hard year. It just is. It's just going to be a hard year. And so making sure you are, yes, monitoring, you know, making sure Dr. McInness is doing her job, but also supporting this is your one employee. How do you take care of her? Um and that's kind of what we want to get into today. All right. So, we're going to do two big chunks in our time today. The first is just roles and responsibilities. What are the roles and responsibilities of the board versus the superintendent? And then we're going
047to spend a lot of time on that communication and expectations piece, which I'm glad because it sounds like that's the big thing we want to talk about. And so I want to make sure we get to communications. Okay. So, I want to take a second. Um there's I love research, so sorry, I'm a little bit of a nerd. Um but there's been research done that say that if boards do these six things, there is a strong um correlation to student success. So they did this big study and they found really high performing districts and then they studied the boards of these high performing districts and they all had these six things in common. The board was always doing these six things. So I want you to write down what do you think those six roles
048of the board are that help impact positively student achievement. No treating I don't want to screw up my notes. My ideas All right. Like one more minute. Okay, I want to hear one idea from each board member just to see. So, Jennifer, I'm going to put you on the spot. Start with So, you want to know the roles of Just tell me one what do you think one role or responsibility of the board is? Uh, collaborating with all stakeholders. Okay. being transparent to our staff and okay district um finances and fudiciary responsibilities. Okay, Rhonda, I think um trust the superintendent to do their job. So, not a lot of micromanaging type things, but we chose her, so we need to trust her to do the job. Yeah. Okay. Uh focusing on governance, how how are
049we going to get things done? What structure, what people, what engagement? For sure. Yeah. I one of mine was to be an advocate. um for the initiatives that the superintendent wants to do particularly with um create and enforce policy. Yeah. So everything you all said falls into these six and I didn't expect anyone to be able to like perfectly say them all. Um okay so the first is connect with the community which is Jennifer I feel like kind of where you were going with that. Yep. So connecting with the community um is the first big role of the board of education. The second is clarifying district purpose and that ties back into your CESIP. What are the goals of the district? The third is monitoring district performance. And so that is looking at data, understanding
050the budget, looking at test scores, feeder patterns, all of that. Monitoring how the district is doing. Huge piece of the job. Delegates authority for district operations. So Rhonda, that's exactly what you were talking about. Hiring a superintendent and trusting them to do their job, delegating that role to them. You all just did this, but employs and evaluates the superintendent. We'll talk about superintendent evaluation a little bit later. And last but not least, and this one's my favorite one, which is why I've highlighted it. Takes responsibility for itself. The board has to take responsibility for itself. Can I ask a question about that? I mean, I think I know the answer. as your meeting itself like a thing that I always do like if a person asks me a question about a board member I say
051well us as a board because it's not only responsibility only you know for me it's everybody on the board is that correct yes absolutely it is which is actually a perfect transition to the next slide so I was going to kind of talk about because I I always boards. So, we have a board self-ealuation, which I feel like you all did maybe two or three years ago. Two years ago, last fall. Last fall. Okay. Um, you guys did a board self-evaluation and we um basically gauge how our board's doing on these six things. So, that's what this is what we create our evaluation around. Um, and so I always say, yeah, you have to connect with the community, take responsibility for yourself, all of these things. But when it really gets down to it, I
052ask boards, so what does it even mean? What does it mean to take responsibility for itself? And then once we figure out what it means, how do you actually do it? Um, take responsibility for itself is where I see boards struggle the most to be honest with you. Um, and I'll tell say why here in a second, but so what does this even mean? What does it mean for the board to take responsibility for itself? You kind of touched on it, but do any of the other board members have anything any thoughts about what does it mean to to do this? You know, I think about I think about the process of getting to some decision point and how we can all be different and all share our concerns or whatever. Um, but at the
053end of that, we have to leave the room supporting what the decision was rather than just going out continue to argue for our side of it, whatever that is. Yep. That's perfect. Well, I also think the community, however you want to define that, always says the board this, the board that, the board something else. And like it or not, we are all the board. So the the positive and the negative of whatever it is, we all get labeled with the board this and the board that. And so I think by choosing to run and and get this position, we also then all own each other's good and bad. And so sometimes I think that's kind of tricky, but at the end of the day, we are the Lord. Yeah. And I agree. Even when they
054say something before I came on here, I'm like it's still it's me now, too. So I mean, you just take that responsibility, good or bad. Yep. And like the community, some are more engaged than others, but I would say overall the community doesn't realize necessarily that the board right now looks different than the board did a year ago, looks different than the board did a year ago, looks different than the board did a year ago. It's still St. Joe's school board, right? You know, well, and a lot of times I know that I I get extra attention, negative or positive as the president of the board. Well, then a person will make a comment and in my mind I'm like, I didn't say that. That wasn't me. Well, and then I'm just like, okay, but
055I mean it it is me. Yep. Agreed. So the role, this is like the actual definition. Yeah. Well, I I think that if something is positive to accept, wow, what did we do right to help that be successful? But if something doesn't go well, I think we also have to do some introspection and say what what was our part in the failure of this process and what can we do differently and how do we go about that? Yeah, agreed. So the definition what does this role mean? It means the board collectively and also individually take full responsibility for board activity and board behavior. So, not only are you taking responsibility for your own actions as an individual board member, you have your vote, you know, you have your voice during discussions, all of that's true,
056but then once the decision's made, it's now the board's decision. Whether you liked it or not, the board decided, no matter what side you were on, the board decided. And so, it's time to then walk out of this room and support that board decision, which is hard. Not saying it's easy, but it is your job. It's your job to take responsibility for the board itself. So then how do you actually do this? And this is where it gets tricky. Board members are obligated to express their opinions and respect others opinions, but no matter what, the board has one clear voice, one clear decision. And that's hard when it's seven sometimes totally random strangers coming together trying to make these decisions and then you're having to back whatever the majority of the board says. But I
057think that's the purpose of having seven different voices. Speak for seven different parts of the community and it's okay to have different differing opinions. Yeah, it's the purpose. It doesn't make us dumber or smarter. It just makes us different. Yeah. I would say the other piece too keep remembering as a board is you're the most unstable part of the organization. I love what Whitney said, you know, feels like we keep changing. We're starting over. We start so Dr. McInness is going to start over every year with the board election and every time you change just two board members, you've changed the personality and the interactions within your board. So this board can change absolutely every year. So one of the sources, the board that hires you is not the one that hires you because change
058so much over time and those of you that have work for a board understand that but that is a challenge. So how do you maintain that continuity and how do you do those systems and those processes so you do have that continuity going forward because you do change every year sometimes you change two of you sometimes three of you and so those things are always happening and so keeping that in your mind I think the other piece here is not it's not one person speaking with a clear voice it's as a collective you're speaking with a clear voice so Mike said it earlier when you walk out the door you can't walk out Well, that wasn't my decision, but that's what the board said. You are the board. You are the board. So, you are
059elected to a board. You weren't elected to an individual position. You are elected to a board. Totally different ball game than someone's elected to go down to Jeff City. That's a different ball game. So, those are hard to keep part. And your community doesn't recognize that. They just don't do it. And boards have changed politically over the last three to five years greatly. And so how do you put those things to the site so that you are a collective group? And it's hard. It is hard. There's a some of them going through my mind. I probably won't do a reasonable job expressing this, but there there's also a responsibility that you take on as a member of the board um to in regarding your own individual expression. Certainly, we are I think we're all in
060agreement that the board's um expression is what we represent. But I think when I said the word advocate, I think that we take on a we take on a different role that we're not just um we're not just expressing our opinion even individually. um particularly in the community, we're we're expressing um um a positive message that um accentuates the things that are are good and right. And um I found that to be true in my own personal career. And that and what I also saw was the most successful people as they as they moved up, they they learned how to control their own expression and by controlling their own expression they gave confidence to the team and others around them about what was happening and so um I I think that there was an individual
061responsibility with this too. I'm not trying to get us off track but I think we're I think that's the case. I think individual opinions are good, but I think when we take this um position on the board, we we take a different mantle that we're not just making our own personal um voice louder. What we're doing is we're representing an entire school district. I I found that difficult during our forums for becoming a a board member for another term was that they they always want to know your individual opinion. So for me it was difficult to to say you know that was a board decision and I have to be in agreement with that or I am in agreement with that and nobody wants to hear that because they want to know well how what
062were your thoughts about it? Well, you know, again, it was a board decision, like it or not, and I just it's it was hard to do because I wasn't always in agreement, right, with some of these decisions but I felt like once they did, once we leave, I have to be that way. Agreed. And part of that is you helping train these people. That is that is the part of being a board. my individual does matter during the conversation, during the decision, but at the decision, love what you said, it's our job to advocate and to follow. And so our your role is to is to educate the community of what the role of the board is because that's your only employee sitting right there. Everybody else in this district is not your employee. So,
063I think we're also leaving out a little part like I love what you said about being I'm like a positive advocate. Well, okay. But then when all of us brand, we all mention transparency and honesty and at times things are not positive and the community knows that and at times things are not as good and the community knows that too. And when the board is not speaking openly about those issues, it makes us appear as if we're like hiding stuff. And I just look at it like I'm always open and transparent to a fault. Transparency is not always positive and good. I mean, at times it's kind of dirty and grimy. You know, I only if it's what all of us are agreeing, you know, to do. We need to be open and honest about
064everything. I'm not saying just only mention about the bad. I believe, you know, that there's a lot good about the district and the organization, you know, that hardly anybody knows and we need, you know, to to get that out louder. You know, we also need to be open, honest, and transparent as we do so. And I I would say the same thing before I ran for the board. I felt like um that board was very well MSBA trained. all of these things that you're saying. Um, they gave a stock response and so it did feel like, hey, you have a fire in your house and you're just like, it's a little warm, but everything is fine. So, I think that there becomes a level of um like do they not know what's going on? like
065do they not know the struggles that the staff and the students are experiencing or are they just trying to be so blindly positive that you know you know which is it? So I mean I I understand what you guys are saying I I agree to a certain level but I also agree with what Lata said is that I think part of the reason why it's hard to pass a school bond is because we say we don't we don't really talk about how and I get that there's a balance there. You don't want to spook the heard, but they don't hear about how bad things are until we're trying to ask them for money and then they're like, "Well, where has this been? You you've been so so positive for us." So, I think there has
066to be some sort of balance there. Well, and I agree with you with me. I think um I had no idea what what I thought the school board role was. I don't even know what I thought it was now at this point. It's not what it is. But, um I I think our too is to I mean I have to do it even with my own brother of educating this is the reality this is not what you've heard because I feel like people in the community hear things and and I feel like when you're a board member you have a little bit more of an inside track of reality of what's going on and I think educating the public as much as we can we are not part of the city council we're our own
067thing you know those misconceptions that they have that there's pockets of money that have to be spent in a certain way. You can't just pay teachers more out of this and this unending thing. So, I think when we if we can figure out how to educate the community more on what our role is, um I think that I found that's what I I I'm glad that I learned a lot of the things that I've learned because I had misconceptions and I've been in education a long time. So, I think it's important that we help the community understand why we do some of the things that we do. Well, and to go along with that, I will have to say that last year Ashley, she's came to every PTA council meeting um offered to answer questions
068and I think if we go along that track, you communicating wherever we can, I think that would help. It's called building trust. Yeah, absolutely. And it's okay. Say sometimes the house is on fire. It's okay to say that because sometimes the house is on fire. It is and that's okay. But we've got a plan to address the house that's on fire. That should be the next part of the sentence because it is on fire and this is our plan or we don't have a plan, but we're investigating and we're working on a plan. What do you suggest we do to help? I think it's just the acknowledgment that there is that there are problems and again like the problems that we are having are not you know authentic to just school district public education across
069the state and country but when we're like we're trying like we're just smiling through it it's like are they aware like do they know what's going on you fight social media and that really has changed this whole dynamic about who do we trust and what communication process do we trust and so Building that trust is going to be key to the the district's success as you go. Social media is a pain. You know, it's an interesting it's an interesting opportunity that we have. Well, I love that. That's the posit that's the positive take on it. I think but it's an opportunity. It is an opportunity and it'll it'll either drive you crazy and it will or it can be one of the greatest tools that you use too, you know, to educate the community. Everybody's
070got an opinion right now. And everybody's opinion is valid right now. And every opinion and every ballot is your answer to what you need to be doing. Your job is how do we sort that out? And being able to recognize, I heard these opinions. I heard these thoughts, too. This is why we can do this. This is why we cannot do this. There's a reason why you choose to do what you do. You're smart people. You're a little crazy. Goes a long ways. Well, and I think too, I've been thinking about this a lot lately, we're we're all still human. All of us are, and what I when I was having a conversation with some people, what I wanted them to understand is we are really trying to do what's best. All eight of us
071are really trying to do what's best. And in the process of that, um, we may make some mistakes, but that is we are never going to intentionally do anything to be harmful to our children, to our to the teachers. We really are trying to do what's best for kids. And I really think the new administration also has that goal in mind. Um, and I think we may have a different opinion about how we do what's best for kids, but deep down our desire really is to do what's best for children or we wouldn't do this job for free. What? Sorry. Tom's like, "What did I sign up for? This is not the job description. Don't change your bank account even though it's the last bank day of the month. Well, I think now, sorry. I
072think now being on the board too, I try to educate with social media through facts, not opinion now because if I stay to the facts, then it doesn't come back as often. Facts, facts and policy are your friend. Very helpful. Yes. So, taking responsibility all comes down to collective authority. Um, and I was talking to um a district about collective authority and one board member says, "Well, I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to do collective authority." And I looked at the board member and I said, "Okay." Um, it's the law. So, I guess that's on you if you really want to. Um, but it is the law. Collective authority isn't just something that we say that you as a collective um can only be the ones to make the decision. You as
073an indiv individual cannot make decisions. as the collective has the authority to actually make decisions. Um, and this has been held up in court. Um, so this was back in 1996 actually just down the road. Center school district um went to court over this and lost. The board members were suing each other. So if you guys think you know it's tough, board members were suing one another. It was an uncomfortable situation. Um, but they they said like no, you can't as individuals be doing all of these things outside of board meetings. Like all these decisions you're making are null and void. Stop. Um, and I've heard superintendent say, which I think is really interesting, they'll um, let's say meet with a board member or get an email and say, "Hey, we need you to look
074into this." And they ask, "Is it the will of the board? Is this the will of the board?" If it is, 100%, I'll drop everything and go do that now. If it's the will of you, I don't have to. Is it the will of the board? If it's the will of the board, I'm down. Let's go. I appreciate that. Yeah. is your answer when you get this question. Why do we do this? Both. Yes, it's wall. Um, so collective authority definitely has its challenges and I'll just go through these quickly. The entire board may not agree and you might be in the minority which then just makes it uncomfortable but it's again the collective is who rules and so sometimes you know the votes four three and you're one of the three and it's a
075bummer. Um, but collective authority says those four say yes. Um, patrons voters believe you have individual authority. We just kind of spent some time talking about this and they get very confused. They come to you and say, "Hey, can you solve my problem?" And you said, "No, I actually can't. I cannot solve your problem." Um, and that's an uncomfortable conversation to have, but they don't understand. District staff also think you have individual authority and say, "Hey, can you solve my problem?" No, I actually cannot solve your problem. Um, and we'll talk about chain of command in a little bit. Um it is less it is difficult slash less efficient to act collectively than as an individual. Um it's really hard. You guys are all leaders in the community very clearly. Um and so you're used
076to doing things on your own and you know being able to make quick decisions and fix things. A lot of you are probably fixers. Um when you become part of a collective it slows everything down. But that's intentional. You know sometimes an emergency happens and so we're quick to make a decision and we've made the wrong decision. And the fact we have to wait a couple days, come together, make decisions as a group, I think helps make the best decisions in the long run, personally. Um, challenges is lack of teamwork or diplomacy skills amongst the group. So now we have a scenario. Um, and so I'm going to divide you guys up. If you have an orange post-it, will you go to actually a lot of green postits? I'll have green post-its go over here
077and then orange post-its go over here. I'm going to have you all discuss this scenario. I'll read it to you and then have you get up and move to answer the questions. So, scenario number one, board member Amy attends a school open house and is approached by a parent upset that their child was not selected for the gifted program. After hearing the story, the board member Amy tells the parent, "That doesn't sound right at all. I'll talk to the superintendent about it." Board member Amy then emails the superintendent that night asking them to look into the student's placement and reach out to the parent. Okay. So, green going to go over here, orange going to go over here. Here are the questions that I'm going to have you all discuss. Did Amy overstep her role
078as a board member? Um, what maybe could she have done instead if she did overstep? And then how might actions like this impact the superintendent and board relationship? Okay, green postit's over here, orange postit's over there. Get to discussing Yes. I would advise you guys to stand up for a lot of times your brain doesn't work as well. It's always good to stand up and have these discussions. Get your brain get your brain act. I agree. Yes. How my exact saying that doesn't sound right. I have 80 kids in the school district. People come to me every coffee. What they need to do is go to the also learn came to me about I'll just do it. And so also I think my teacher did you contact the All right, you guys have 30 more
079seconds. All right, if you guys want to head back to your seat, I want to kind of hear your thoughts on this. You guys can head back to your seat. I did. I saw on my phone that it was so All right. So, number one, did Amy overstep her role? We think so. Yes. Yes. Okay. So, then what should she have done instead? This is where it gets tricky. Something about change command. Get it to the right. I'll say manager. But that's interesting because is it is it is our path as a board member always through the soup in that regard? Yes. Okay. What do you I don't understand that question. Oh, as opposed to Hey, hey, well, I know who runs the gifted program, so I'm just gonna send you right straight to him.
080Oh, yeah. Right. But I see I think I think I mean there's just general confusion of that. So you want Okay. So I will admit if I know who they're so if they if this person were to contact me and say hey this happened. I would say oh you need to talk to your building principal or whoever you've been working with in the gifted program. You need to go back to them if you're not satisfied with that. Here's who's over the gifted program. Like move it along. If you have questions about who to go to along the way, I can help you with that until it gets to the superintendent. What I thought I just heard us also say is that we send it to the superintendent. Like it sounded like we both said those
081two things, which I don't I didn't say that. It sounded like I think there's a communication loop piece. You talked a lot about communication. So she doesn't know that there's a problem with the gifted programs. A great question is I saw Amy and they had a question. Who should I direct this to? And then they can have that and instead of you guys having to be the source of every person along the way really she can handle that and that way she's in the loop to know that there's some concerns about my gifted program. Yeah. And typically I think if you talk enough to that person if you know typically they're not going to be like I'm mad and then you don't ask any questions. Like if you to me if you hear that it's
082one person that's upset about their kid and their situation, push them back through. If it's somebody that's like all these people have been discharged from the gifted program and nobody knows where they're going, I would maybe send them but then also tell the superintendent, hey this is what's going on. or I'll text superintendent and be like, "This is the person that's over this gifted program, right?" And then I'll just shove them along. But then they typically know. But if we're only going, we're just I guess I just want to understand, are we saying how are we saying we should handle? As I mentioned earlier, I run a not for profofit agency like and there's about 80 kids in my program and they are kids in the district. almost every day I get like a question
083or like a concern. I'm not going, you know, to contact Ashley about every little thing every little day. What I normally do is I say, "Here's your steps that you should go through." Mhm. Well, and then if it's like a major issue, well, like I'll contact over to Ashley and I'll be like, "This occurred. Here's what I told him." And then I just leave it alone. Okay. But I never I've never contacted Gabe about every little thing or I would be contacting every single day. Well, then that's only the individuals in my program. I mean, I've got other individuals. Well, because a lot of times, I mean, a person only needs a start. Well, and because I'm the one that they're like around every day, I'm their start. Sure. Sure. And then I just need
084to get them on the right path. I mentioned earlier, if I'm ordering a drink and there's an issue in my drink, I don't contact to the board of Starbucks. Starbucks asking a question. I mean, I begin at the bottom and then I move up. But I think and so my thing was, you know, I talked to Gabe a lot to make sure that I'm giving them the right answer. And then if he's like, girl, you were totally wrong. What are you talking like? Sorry. Like, okay, I'll send them I sent them to the wrong person. But I think the other thing too is like if you know if it's a nursing issue and you can be like, okay, you talk to your school nurse, Tammy Smith, she is very nice. She's very reasonable. she can
085answer that question for you. So, you're also kind of giving them the stay calm, be cool, it'll be fine. But if we don't want to do it like that, I guess I don't think there's wrong with that at all. Do you guys ever feel that little twist in your gut? Sometimes you kind of go, "This could be bigger than I think it is." Yeah. Then, yeah, you should know that as a board. I mean, it's also like, well, like Gabe and I communicate a lot and stuff and it's my goal and my wish. and I are like that as well. It was an issue with the teacher um being inappropriate and I'm online a lot and I'm around a lot of kids a lot and I let Gabe know look the kids are saying this.
086I know that you guys have kind of looked into it. Okay, but the kids are doing this. Is there any more that we can do? Well, kids were right. Well, and so I mean, I'm just like, if there like our things I think that you need to know, okay, well then, well, I'm going to let you know. If it's my kid ate a lunch and it was bad, okay, well, no. Okay. But if if there's like a post online and there's a group of people and they're saying our milk was spoiled, then that's a big issue, you know, that I think that you should know. Yeah. Well, and that's what I was going to get to and I'm glad you said this is first of all, we have to decipher what needs to go to
087the superintendent versus what doesn't need to go to the superintendent because not every complaint that you're going to get from a citizen or a student or a parent needs to then go to Ashley's desk. I mean, how many students are in this district? 10,500. Yeah, we don't have time. You all don't have time as board members. You don't get paid enough to deal with this and solve everybody's problem. Um, but you definitely don't have time to take every single complaint. That's why we have so many employees and so many people who are in place to sort a lot of this out for us. And so, I like the idea of deciphering and figuring out what needs to go to Dr. McInness and then where can I redirect people um so that it doesn't have to
088get to Dr. McInness and I'm not the one solving it because as a board member you can't solve it. Yeah. Exactly. And so figuring out and that takes time figuring out you know what is an emergency but it is it's like following your gut like is this more than I think it is. Um but something like this I don't think this is superintendent worthy. I think it's redirecting the parent saying I'm so sorry. here's someone that you can contact. Whoever's, you know, gifted in your building is where I would go first or the super or the principal of the building. Um, but until it gets to the board level, there's not really anything I can do. Good luck. So, it's okay. This actually occurred last year in our district. Oh, did it? Oh, yes. A
089person wasn't approved and they made like a post about it and it's kind of like an affluent individual in the community and so it went kind of viral and everything like that. And the only reason why I mentioned it was, okay, number one, I got tagged over and over again. And then I just inboxed her and I let her her know the steps and then because it went like extremely big and stuff, I just let Gabe know about it. Otherwise though, I wouldn't have said anything. Yeah. I'm curious. So when you guys get individual things from staff members, do you let the rest of the board know or do you let Lata know and she informs the How does that work? So, I think and I think we're are we going to get to like
090sunshine law because I feel like we have this issue kind of every It's later on. Okay. So, you want to know if we do what now? So, let's go back and say like you had someone reaching out to you concerned with the gifted program. Do you let Latana know that and she tells the rest of the board or do you let the rest of the board know if you feel like it's going to like you see something on social media and it's going to explode and it's there's lots of comments and things like that. I usually let the so last year I would let Lata and Mike and Gab know send an email and I would say this is what's going on just to keep an eye on it. I think you we get into
091issues when we start sending emails and then you send an email to these other people that becomes a sunshine issue. But I also think if we send it to the board leadership and the superintendent, then the superintendent or the board president can send an email out later that says, "We know that this is going on. We're addressing it." Correct. And that's what Gabe and I would normally do like about the bus accident and everything like that. Yeah. And then I would always include Donna on it as well since I mean I know that Gabe was not always as timed on his email and he'd be like I didn't see that and I'll be like I sent it you know and stuff. And so like as long as everyone is okay with emailing us three about
092it and then if it evolves into like a bigger thing that I can email everybody as a whole cuz in all honesty I mean everything isn't like I mean I know collective authority and like and forming and everything like that you know but I mean at times like if it's like a little Yeah. Can we role play this thing a little bit? We There is going to be role play later, but yes, if you want to. Well, what I'm thinking is like you get that thing where it's like, "Oh, hey, uh you know, my kid tripped over a uh you know, a piece of sidewalk at the school." Yep. And in that case, it would be appropriate to get them back to the building principal probably and Maybe for something like that, we don't even
093have to go to Ashley or the board with any Correct. That's it. Okay, that's good. Another scenario would be, oh, hey, uh, parent reported to me that that that there's a teacher that's leaving the classroom like just disappears, right? It's like that sounds pretty crazy. So, in that in that case, that might be Ashley and board leadership. You'll think that's building first still building principal first. Yeah. Because I think you also got to think about if you were the building principal and the first time you ever hear about it is from a board superintendent situation. No doubt. Wait, so we're saying that you as the board member would let the principal know? I would make the teacher go tell the board because I think some of this too is to tell the principal. Yeah. is
094like training the training the parent on you have to go like you have to use your words like it's hard but you have to and that part of that is also teaching them how to advocate for their own kids and how to have those conversations with their own kids okay in our group we were talking about you have to solve the problem at the lowest point that's where the that's where the relationship is and so that's what you're trying to do and when it has to keep coming up first off by the time you guys are involved you have broken the relationship It's it's probably pretty fractured by that time is would be my guess. So then another scenario so when the teachers and staff which their voices should be heard all the time but
095when they like to see something change in the district you would refer them to so we have a process for that. Correct. Yep. When we want a curriculum change we have a curriculum process. Have you talked to blah blah blah? Have you talked to the curriculum director about that? Right. And we do that if it's a safety issue we do. We have a process to do that. Let's make sure we have a process. But we have a process to do that. And so how do what is your complaint management process? Basically, that's probably the hardest part of mine and Cassie's job is that we get parents that will call and say, you know, I have this problem, you know, with my child going on at such and such school. And our first question is, have
096you talked to the teacher? You know, well, yeah, I've talked to the teacher. Have you talked to the principal? Well, I don't like that principal. I'm not going to talk to them. I'm sorry. You're going to have But nobody down here is going to talk to you until you talk to the principal. Once you talk to that principal, call me back. I do think we have to watch how we tell them that. Oh, yeah. Oh, yes. Say nobody's going to talk to you until because a lot of the times, I mean, we have a high level of kids in poverty. kids in poverty, generational poverty. Their parents didn't always have a great experience in education and so they're not used to speaking to the principle, a person of authority. They could get hotline, they, you
097know, all these different things. Um, and some of it's cultural. Oh, for sure. There's some cultural things. So, how do we help them culturally a lot of the times look at your look at your orchart? That's fine. You know, let us get it to the correct person and we'll have them call you back. I don't know. So, we know they are informed. I I think sometimes it's hard for them to maneuver the or like we don't have a great order chart. Like they don't they can't see building principles are approved by the director of you know what I mean? Like it's hard to find that unless you're kind of familiar with the website or y the district. That's a good note for as you're talking something that may be helpful is if if you have
098an issue with transportation and that would fall under director of student services. So that falls under Shannon Bolty but we can come up with that to where those different topics gifted program that falls under academic services but that would be Dr. just so that it's very clear in who handles what department. We have to put like a thing like that like online somewhere like like it's just an or it's an org chart. You know what I mean? It's like here's this person when you click on it shows the building levels and then it just but I mean at the same time if I'm the principal and there's a bus issue I don't want that parent to go to ny which is I'm like I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't have I could
099have resolved that very easily, but I didn't know about it. Yeah. And Lata and Ashley are going to be busy trying to keep you guys in the loop, but out of the week. Yeah. All right. It is a little after 10. I want to take a little bit of a break if that's okay. And then maybe we'll reconvene like 10 10:15 somewhere in there. We may have to skip a bunch of stuff because I want to get to the We want to get to communication. So, we're gonna Yeah, we can adjust. Yeah, adjust our lesson plan today. All right, take a break. Use the restroom, get more coffee, whatever you all need to do. Start back in. Good conversation. Good conversation. Get rolling again. All right, I skipped through a bunch of slides. um all
100of the delegating authority slides because I think it's time to get to the communication and expectations section. Um that's where you all felt like you needed the most work and so that's what I want to go ahead and get to. So I don't know what slide I skipped to slide 25 if you're following along on your notes. And so within this section are three big chunks that I think it's really important for us to talk through. So the first is making sure we have clear board meeting timelines. Um, I've started doing this with boards and it's been really insightful. So, I'm excited to do it with you all. Um, the second is clear communication expectations between the superintendent and board members. So, we'll talk about that for a while. And then the last is how
101to set clear expectations of the superintendent. And that's when I want to talk about superintendent evaluation. Okay. So, clear board meeting timelines. So um these are the steps that you all should be taking in order to prepare for a board meeting. So step number one is board members submit requests for items to be put on the agenda. Number two is open and close session agendas are developed by the board president and superintendent and obviously you'd include the sunshine law exceptions for those close session meetings. Step three is the superintendent works with their cabinet to develop the board packet. Step four is the agenda and board packet are shared with all board members. Five is board members review the agenda and all of the board packet resources. Seven is there is a consistent protocol that is
102used for answers to be shared with all members. Oh, sorry. Six board members submit questions about the agenda items and resources to who? We're going to talk about that. Great question. Take off. That's a great one. Sorry. things together definition of who is doing what. Yep, we'll talk about it. Seven is um a consistent protocol is used for answers to be then shared with all members of the board. So, for example, the superintendent could send an email with all the questions and responses in advance of the meeting. Eight is the agenda is posted to the public at least 24 hours before the meeting. And then the last is the actual board meeting date. So, what I want you to do right now just on your own is when is your all's next board meeting? July
10328th. July 28th. Perfect. So July 28th is what you're going to put down in the bottom. Well, let's I don't know if that's right. It is. Okay. And then I want you to work backwards. If July 28th is the next board meeting, then when are these other things going to be happening? So I want you to work individually right now to think through when would eight happen. Seven. This is when it does happen or when it should happen. When it when it does. When it does. When it does. Yeah. July 28th. Open closer to just time. the board. Well, me too small. Oh, don't worry. I can't wait. That's what we Okay. All right. So, let's think about this timeline. And first of all, see if we're even on the same page because a lot
104of times I have board members fill this out and like Jennifer will say, "Well, I think it's this date." And then Lata will say, "Well, actually, it's this date." Then the superintendent say, "Well, actually, we do it on this date." And it turns out the eight of us are not on the same page. Correct. And so, um, whether we're on the same page or not, this is the chance to get on the same page and say, "What does our schedule need to be? What makes sense for us as a governance team?" And this is a good thing to hang on for your new board member training when they come on because then you can share with them what the process is. Here's how we plan for meetings. Yes. As I'm looking at the list, I
105noticed a big major problem. Okay. Um cuz number one, I only know like three, four of those dates. And the timeline is really really honestly too tight. Yep. And then that makes our meetings longer. Yep. And we don't like that. And so I'm really excited about this. Yeah. So let's then make it the timeline that makes sense for us. We just did this last was it last month? Tuesday. Uhhuh. Yeah. And it was fascinating. There were board members around for years and had no clue. They were like, "What?" Another problem. Well, our agenda meetings are normally late on the Thursday before the board meeting. Yeah. Okay. And that gives no time. None. Yeah. Right. We're for the board, you know, to ask ask questions and then receive the answers. Okay. The problem is it used
106to be like a week prior to that and then the admin were like it was issues getting everything in time and we were always amending it later. Well, and then it was always getting kind of messed up anyway. And so I know I would appreciate your suggestions on you might always have an amendment or an addendum on HR. Just count on that. Yes, just count on that. But everything else you should know. Okay. So, what is the day of the week? Because that's really going to help me. So, it's a Thursday or Monday. It's a th So, the 28th is a Thursday. Monday. You guys meet on Monday. You guys meet on Mondays. One month. Once a month or twice a month. Well, twice a month, but we only have We're going to discuss that
107though. Okay. But this is only about the board meeting, right? Yes. But are do the work sessions then apply to the board meeting? Because I did this with another district and we realized we had to make a month-long process for them because the work session is when they were answering a lot of their questions. Correct. Yeah. So that's kind of what we're doing now. But I think couple weeks before the board meeting. Sure. Yeah. But are we interested in keeping that up and doing work session meeting work session meeting? I think we're interested in talking about committees. Yeah. Instead of a work session. Our work sessions were put in place because we disbanded some long-standing community committees. Okay. And we said, "Well, work session will be our place to kind of hash through that. The
108public can come." Uh, but it really hasn't worked. No, I feel like we're having two board meetings a month or go over the same thing twice a month. So, I agree. I think Well, well, I kind of disagree. I mean, I like the work sessions. It gives everybody a time, you know, to learn about things. Y prior to them being an action item on the agenda. Y and that's why I enjoyed it. I do understand about the committees though and wanting, you know, to bring those back. Okay. But I also liked giving everybody on the board and then everyone in the community, everybody knows what's going on and we're able, you know, to ask any and everything, right, at the work session. Exactly. And then their action items on the agenda at the meeting and
109then it just goes by faster. Yeah. But the meetings don't go any faster. However, we're still at a board meeting for three hours. Oh, I think part of that problem though is that we have But I think a part of that problem is that we have the we have the close session after. So you're having all of what [Music] all because our actual meeting is only about You're right. Because meeting might be an hour and a half. An hour and a half. I've been watching and it's only about an hour and a half. Got it. Got it. Got it. And that's like improved like a whole lot. Would you ever consider it's longer than an hour and a half? Would you ever consider doing um this is for you just just as thought. Would you
110ever consider a work session like a quarterly work session that was a lot maybe a little more indepth like it was all about your I don't know makes this is our C this is our CIP or this is our budget financials. We want to go in depth on where we are. this is our long range planning of facilities that you kind of do these bigger chunks that are timely as to you're getting ready for a bond issue. Then we really want to talk about facilities and finance and all that kind of stuff. But yeah, I don't know. Let's see what your Yeah, because it's almost as it's almost two board meetings and I like I appreciate the first read second read legally, please. And for your public, that's communication and that's you want that. Well,
111and for the it was another larger district that I was working with who has the work session every month and then the board meeting every month and they did it just because they had so much going on that it was so helpful to have that in-person time to ask questions and then the superintendent wasn't bombarded, you know, 48 hours before the meeting with 37 questions that they have then, you know, to drop everything to answer for the board. I did two board meetings a month. So, we did because we had to. We just couldn't get everything done. So, part of it is planning out what it is you're going to get done and thinking ahead what needs to get done at this these meetings. What's what's the time for me? And then I remember like
112a couple years ago in the past agendas would appear well and there's action items and people in the community are like, I don't even know what this is. I don't know what this is. And then as members of the boards, it's like I really don't know either. And then their action items. And so I mean I just like it's already out there and that everybody knows in advance. Why don't we go through the process for what's going to happen for this July meeting and then let's see how it overlays to your other processes. Is that fair enough? All right. So this is the board meeting on Monday. The agenda is posted to the public. I guess it's Friday. Thursday afternoon. Thursday afternoon. Thursday. So then what day is that? Seven 24th. 24. Yeah. Thursday or
11324th. 25. Okay. Um so let's then the submitting questions to the superintendent. So that's who you would submit questions to is to the superintendent or board president. I don't know. We can talk about that process. When does that usually happen? Questions are submitted to answered. Well, I'm going to be honest. During the week, um during the week, I'm busy. I get work and everything else. So, a lot of times, and this is where I feel bad, is I don't get my questions in till Sunday evening or Monday morning for So, we're going to have to figure that one. We're have to figure that one out and fix that one. Yeah, because that's not okay for either side. Let's go to when the board question. We at the same time the public does. Oh. Oh, well,
114we can fix that. That's that's that's one. That's one. Okay, there we go. Thank you very much. Yeah. So, that's definitely See what we've learned in these as we've done these. It's amazing. Okay. So, we need to fix this then. Um, okay. So, then do we need to go up here and think when does this stuff need to get delivered? I would start on board packet share. That happens at like the same day. You guys have your your board agenda meeting on a Thursday morning because by Thursday afternoon it's out. So that's the first time the rest of the board sees it. Right. Other president the public everybody sees it on the same day. Yeah. I usually I send out for meeting items just to the administration saying, you know, you got to have your
115items in by it's usually by Wednesday morning of the then before you put it out on Thursday. Oh, we're going to fix that, too. Yeah, we got to fix that. Let's Let's move that back. Okay. So, yeah. Okay, let's fix that. Okay, so it sounds like the board needs time with this. You guys work and have lives, right? I'm just checking right here. Okay, good. It sounds like it might be helpful if the board gets it a week before here. Yes, thank you at least because then we'd have the weekend and then it gives proper time for Dr. McInness to be able to answer questions and stuff and you guys can then sort out does anything from the agenda need to be moved to a different place or moved to maybe next month or whatever.
116You'd have a full week to do that before That that happens a lot too. We'll start asking questions and then we'll realize, oh, we don't have all those answers and so then it has to be moved. So then the agenda has to be changed and and if that can be sorted out the week before here, the problem is because a lot of times our administrators do not have everything for the items they're putting on there and they're depending on other entities to get them the attachments and everything to put on there. So, could you get this and I get you've got a job. I understand all those things. But an packet was shared on I think even if you did on Tuesday before instead of Tuesday before here before it goes public on Thursday. If
117this was shared in fact it went out on Monday evening. Uhhuh. Because that gives them a chance to meet with their cabinet Monday morning to make sure everything is kind of Okay. So, okay. So, when's the agenda meeting? So, when when you say agenda meeting, tell me what you're talking about. Well, we normally will do the agenda meeting on the Thursday before. That's the president, vice president, and that's superendent, superintendent, and the assistant superending, right? Doing this. Everything happened. So the only two dates that we have that are related to the agenda are 7:24 and 7:28. On Thursday, everything happens and then on the 28th we have our meeting. Right. Right. Um well, are we able to do the agenda meeting on the Monday before the board meeting? That's what I'm thinking. Yes. it just
118but it is going to require like the staff and we we've surprisingly we've actually gotten a lot better at this in the last two years. Um because remember we used to post the agenda on a Thursday and then it would change a handful of times without anybody kind of really knowing because people would say I you know so we wouldn't so we wouldn't know. So by the time you're we're not going to harbor on that. Um so things have gotten better but I also think that it's going to requ require the administration to have a really clear idea of what happens when. Like there's some things that happen every single month. And then there's some things that contracts happen at the same time every single year. Yeah. So everybody's going to have to have a
119clue of what happens when. And then you know when I So when my staff when we were going to a board meeting and I had staff, I would just tell them like if you don't get it in by this date, it's not going to get approved. That is correct. And and that's a hard that's a pain because then you mess up all of operationally. It's a pain in the butt, but you have to be organized to get it in on time to give you time. Just asking. Just asking. Could this go out Friday at noon? Says what? Could this go out Friday at noon? I think we policy say I think it says you got a Monday meeting. So you got the whole weekend, but It doesn't you don't count the weekend. It doesn't count
120weekend hours. Say 24 hours. 24 hours, I think. So, it has to be Thursday. Doesn't say business days. Yes, it's business policy. It's business days. I trust policy. It says business days. But if you did Thursday, But if you did, that's okay. But if you did Friday, I'm just trying to find you some time here so that you can do it's just a thought process because on this board packet shared I guess once it's created here the requests are coming in and is developed um this needs to be shared in order to get out to this board so the board has chance to read it and it may be in the evening that they don't have a chance to read it until that evening I mean we need to kind of to realize that and
121then what time because they've got to get questions back to get questions answered if you're able to the agenda meeting on the Monday, right? Get the packet to the board Tuesday by noon, right? It could give the board a couple days in order, you know, to give over the questions and then the agenda can go out Friday by noon. You still have like Thursday and Friday. So when you say develop agenda, so when you show up for that meeting, is has the superintendent already put together an agenda for us? Okay, good. Okay, good. So you kind of know what it is. So this is just more of a review of what's on there. Yep. Got it. Okay. But we still sometimes have changes before we actually get to the meeting. Yeah. But the problem is
122it's already gone out to the public. Like it's gone out to everyone. Is this like an example of what what's changed? So like we had um at the this last meeting we had um HR policy job descriptions that there were so many questions that they were like oh what about this? What about this? Then the admin were like oh we need to retool all of this. So we we're going to take this off. Well by the time that happens you're going to have to it's already been posted to the public. So you're going to have to go to the meeting and amend the agenda. And I I mean there's going to be times where you know like somebody mentioned like you don't have the contract like I don't have the contract to look at in
123time. So you know and if it's a timely issue like a lot of those bond issues were like okay you put it on but that should be the exception. Dr. secrets always wanted it on Thursdays with the agenda review something with the finances payroll and stuff like that and always the one that's they're just trying to get it as late as I can which is on this board packet review with you guys or so really the agenda has been developed basically right and this has been created so this is really so this really could happen same day it does happen same So when so when so when Ashley meets with the president and the vice president and who else does do you meet with the assistant superintendent and myself? Okay. So when you finish that
124then what happens because you guys have previewed and had kind of an in-depth conversation around the agenda right then how do these other board members who are not a part of that how do you communicate with them what was in that because this is going to save you some time I'm just going to tell you so if you don't mind so if you don't mind at this point after you review this because you got two of them already there Do you have a treasur? Do you guys have a you have a that person is there finance? Oh, okay. It's that okay. But you have a board member that's titled that. Um that I would recommend you just pick up the phone. I picked up the phone and then I called the other. So I had
125three came in. Then I you call the other five and say, "Hey, I give them the same agenda. I just give it to them right then and say, "Here's the agenda. Here's what we talked about." And you don't have to hit every agenda item. Some of them are back. These are the highlights. These are the ones that I think you might have questions about. This is what we talked about. So everybody's on the same page. Now you go read it. That gives you the highlights. So you may get a phone call in the evening or whatever. Here's your chance to get your questions answered. And it it eliminates so much of this confusion because then all the board members are on the same page. Well, and that's that's the hard thing, too, is that when
126the rest of us get it at the same time as the public, I mean, and we got that what was the what was the long range plan? I was in TJ Maxx. Yeah. Max and my phone I could tell an email went out because I got five text messages about the long range plan. Five. And I'm in the dressing room like sure over my head and it's like bam bam. I'm like, oh, we all got it at the same time. I don't know what you're talking about. So, what would happen if you guys did that? Actually Dr. Yes. I'm sorry. If you would after this meeting, is this in the morning? I'm assuming. What time is this meeting? Whenever. No, usually they're meeting on this. Usually it's in the morning. Sometimes it's in the afternoon.
127Yeah. Standard time. It's always going to be at 7:30. I don't care. I'm making this up. It's always at 7:30. Just making this up. This is at 7:30. You guys are going to be finished by 8:30 because you got a job. It's usually an hour. And then when that's done, board members are going to get a call or a case like in Jennifer's case that she is working is not accessible at that time, then she will be reached that afternoon or something like that. So they all get a call and I always just sent them exactly what we just talked about. I just gave it to them. So Donna, the other board members all have access to the agenda at this like I can see it as it's a work in progress. Can all the
128board members see that? I'm not even able to see that. You're not? No. No. No. But you could I never see it until the agenda meeting. Okay. But after the agenda meeting and I just did a a quick overview of it. These are the big points. Yeah. It's just helpful because in the agenda review, that's when we typically have attachments and sometimes I will bring like here's portrait of a graduate and it's uploaded on assembly, but if they can't see it, helpful. I can talk to them about it, but I think it's helpful to have that visual so my board could see it once it after this agenda it was allowed to see it restrict attachments. It's going to be shown and actually give it to them if you're creating it on Monday and finishing
129up with your cabinet and everything on Monday. It's going to be posted to the board only. Monday evening because your board of officers can look at it before they get there. Save yourself some time. That would be helpful. That's terrific. So what so what day did you guys do you want to have this meeting this agenda develop meeting? That's there's no such thing. I think you know what I was meeting Monday morning. I'm thinking the Monday before the board meeting. Yeah. Okay. Can we do because we meet Sue's cabinet every Monday morning. So all of this all of this happened. So this just impacted your cabinet. We just impacted other people's lives. So we need to understand that. And so how are we going to communicate that? What's that going to look like? So and
130so you guys can decide. Is this Monday or is this Tuesday? I thought they were meeting on Tuesday. I'm meeting on Monday. No, they can get it on Monday because after after we have the agenda review meeting, I go back to my office, clean it up however they wanted it cleaned up and then it would be ready to go to. Normally, it would go to the public, right? This isn't a big deal. Yeah. So, this is going out. So, the board officers are meeting on Monday. That's yeah. So then that needs to be in the afternoon to give her team a chance on Monday morning to get some things cleaned up. So cabinet could meet Monday morning. Monday afternoon can be the finalized here's what we're thinking and then by Monday at some point the
131rest of the board gets it. Can you guys get that out yet? On Monday if you if you meet on the agenda. Yeah. Yeah. It's pretty much she's going to change your access though. You can change access to when she releases it to you and there's normally an outline. I mean, right, it looks like this as we get it at the meeting. That's exactly what you need. That's perfect. That's exactly perfect. So, you've already met with these people on Monday. I thought you're going to meet with these people on Tuesday morning to give you Ashley a little chance to get things in finance and HR. Give them as much time as possible. You met Tuesday morning and then but it went to the board Monday night. So, yeah, this does have to meet. My my
132bad. Sorry. be a thick Monday. Yep. Yep. Yep. Okay. So then the board would Okay. So then let's think about this question time frame. Um but hopefully I get these packets Monday evening. Okay. So let's put that on there. Um yeah. So Monday to all board, but it's and remember this is now not released to the public. So it's not for you to go out chair or anything else. And I would like at least if we're going to get it on Monday evening, if you can at least give us until midnight in order, you know, to look at it. Well, questions. If we could do Thursday and then by Friday morning, all your questions need to be in by Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning at the latest. Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Yeah, if
133your questions are in by Thursday morning, gives her a chance to answer those. That's why I was hoping this could go Friday at noon. Yeah. To give you guys, you need some breathing room. Well, because then by Thursday, if you realize something wrong and you need to change it, you can say, "Okay, then that email goes out to the whole board of here are all the questions because of these questions. These three things are getting taken off or table, you know, does that actually what does that?" Yep. I'm thinking specific time. If so, if we can put questions by Thursday morning at 8 am just so I can communicate that with our cabinet because some of these questions if it's specific about early learning. Good point. Well, this is Monday. If they're getting it Monday
134night or Monday evening, whatever. If they could have their questions to you by Wednesday at 5, no later than five on Wednesday. We have Are we able to get it Monday by 5:00? For sure. I would think by the end of the workday. You're not staying Monday night to con as you leave. Yeah. Yeah. That's that's easy. That's this that's not a big deal. That's really not a big deal because we know it's still a work in progress. Well, and then we get it and then if we're able to get the questions by Wednesday at 5 because you got to give her team a chance to respond. They got to be able to find whatever your answers are. They may not know. They may need to find something for you. So, Got it. My question,
135Whitney, did you just say that so they can communicate because of these questions? This is why we're changing the agenda. Is that what you just said? I said sometimes we ask questions and then they're like, "Oh, we don't have all of that. So, we need to move, we need to get more information or we need to do something different and then the agenda will change." So, all they do is just take that off that meetings and then move to your next meeting or whatever you need to do agenda. And I like that idea. And the only thing the only complaint I have is when we do get last minute changes and all they have on there per board members request or something like that. So that's what I'm saying. I'm like that would be a
136great idea. And we've talked about this. We talked about this last year and I think it was a source of um uh frustration amongst board members. Um if someone asks for and I don't know if in the past people didn't know as a board member you could ask for agenda items but a lot of the times and I I'm a frequent agenda requesttor um and sometimes they get approved and sometimes they don't. Um but if you ask for something then it will just say Whitney asked for this. Yes. and there's no attachment and there's no explanation and there's no and if it had gotten on the agenda, it's typically not just because Whitney asked for it. It's typically because there was some sort of conversation that precipitated putting it on for a discussion, but then
137there's no attachment. The the close session the information that needs to come to me and the reason on there is because that information and I'm not trying to I'm not trying to I'm not trying to blame anyone. I'm not that's not my point. But I think if it goes on the agenda, typically there's some sort of something that got it there. But yes, it is not have a process. I'm sorry. I'm such a process. We've never we've never talked about process process process. We've never talked about the process should be what is your process if a board member wants to add an agenda item. And so that could be a part of for example Tom brought this item up. He wants it to be considered for a board agenda item. That's a great discussion to
138have over here for agenda development group. Not for this meeting this week, right? That's unfair. Because we're going to put in the no surprises. No surprises for her, no surprises for you. If it's that important, if it's that desperate, if it's an emergency, that's call 911 or something. But let's identify what that is and then let that they can decide is this what you said some report sometimes and said and then we just say hey and this will be a future agenda item you can let them know and it gives her team a chance to really give you the information that you're really looking for. What do you think about that? It's been excuse me. Um yeah I think that's fine my and I go back to that question that you said uh is it
139the will of the board and so If we have individuals saying and I know that's board policy that board members can do that. So if it's not the will of the board, then I'm I'm just thinking future if we're in the board meeting and then they have that opportunity to pull one item from the agenda if the majority of the board doesn't want to talk about No, you're are you talking about you're talking about the consent agenda because I know we had some there was some there's been back and forth about that too where or action items to the law recently changed so members can request items be added. All I'm asking is that let's put a process in for that and just you know how you and that's we need to finish this process
140first and then what's your process? Did you finish your comment? What the process has normally been up until now is that like board members will either contact either over you know to me or Gabe and then immediately If I receive a request, I contact over to Gabe immediately and vice versa. And then it's also discussed in the agenda meeting. We're on the same page. Y question is does that immediately go on this board meeting? The answer is no. It depends on what they what it is. Depends on what it is. I mean, at times it's been like a month later or whatever like that. And I don't I don't feel like it's always changed at that agenda setting meeting because nobody has seen it to know it needs to be changed until it goes out
141to everyone. So, I feel like there's still things that are changed on the agenda after it's been released to the public because that's when the board gets to see it as well. But this should fix that eliminate that fix it immediately because it's a new process for you all too. So we don't take give yourself a little grace here to get this kind of understood your new process which so if we're so many questions by five on Wednesday then she needs to have it answered back out to you pay attention to that. Yeah by Thursday afternoon. Is that right? That's why I was trying to get this Friday morning would probably be helpful just Friday morning Friday by 10 a.m. I'd even go No, I'm giving you a little I'm sorry. Things happen on Friday.
142You may not be there and you can't talk to them until Yeah, I was even going to say noon. I want clarity on something though Friday. Okay, so let's say Rhonda wants to add a holiday to the calendar and she wants that to be an agenda item on the board agenda. The rest of the board does not want that item on there. So she's a individual board member. We put it on the agenda. It's on there and the board can vote whether to add it as an agenda item at the next meeting or not. Y is that what we should be doing? So yeah, but that's also to not always. How do we know that the board isn't in favor of adding it as an agenda item if they've never discussed it? I think that
143so I since I'm the one that adds things so frequently, um I've always been under the understanding and I ask for a lot of stuff when I asked for something that that and um so I had asked board close session and I know you guys all had a conversation and Lata as a board president I think you were you in on that so you guys had to decide is that something that the whole so they have to have a decent idea of their board what they want and what they don't want and both of you and I think admin were like there's legal complications to that you're likely the only person that wants that so that never went any further um in I'll use paid parental leave paid parental I came to a work session
144and I said, "Hey, I think this might be something that we could look into. Does everybody okay with looking into this?" And there were kind of some nods, but there were no nos at that. So, I think that gave the um the communication to the board president and the superintendent like let's bring them information about this. So I've tried to do it in a way where you know the board president and the board vice president can have a conversation and say yes other people want this or no this is a oneoff and so it doesn't happen or the board president and the vice president say yeah this seems like something that is reasonable and we want to move forward. I think my questions I asked was first off does it align with our CEP? Yeah.
145Does it align with our CEP? How does it align with our CEP? match our goals is within what we're trying to do and what's important to us right now. So, we can't do everything because there's a million great ideas. We can only do a few. Our board policy states that the agenda is created by the superintendent in consultation with the board president and that's what you're doing. And the board president is the leazison of the board. Correct. So, it shouldn't be those two. It should be us. If you want to cut the vice president out, I don't really care. I'm sorry. I'm going back to that. It's not happening with the vice president right now anyway. So, I mean, we haven't had any conversations together. I mean, there's been some email, hey, this is going
146to happen, but we haven't done it. And there's nothing policy that I would think would say that I couldn't use board officers there. If it's just if it says only can be board president this then you need to follow that or your policy to say board officers. If you'd like to do that mine as always I'd rather have more voices at the table than less. I would too. And so if that's a board policy you need to look at then that's a good conversation to have to to look at how that works. I just think if the majority of the board if that's an item that they want to discuss then let's go for it. But if it's not then sometimes how do you figure our wheel? Yeah, that's gonna be my question. How are
147you going to figure out if the majority of the board wants to discuss it if you only have five days before the meeting? I mean here's anyway the week before but maybe that's something if it's a question in the agenda review. Yeah. And it's okay. you could in the interview and when you call out you can say hey by the way this came forward from Mike that he would like to talk about this do you have any thoughts on that and it gives you feedback that you can share so that you're not having a board meeting but you are getting feedback from your board members and that's why this phone call is great here too gives you a chance to say this came up just trying to see if if what the other board members
148feel about that and then the board officers and you guys can decide what your policy says of what that does. Does that make sense? Well, and I think that's what with the work session too is like we've had items that have just gone to the work session and people have said no, we don't want to go any further with that. I would follow the same process for both set but I don't care which which board meeting it is. So this is happening this week and the next week they've got a chance to you're always in board. Sorry Ashley, but you're always in development board. That's all you're doing. Uh but then you're getting ready for the next one. I would follow the exact same process for your next one. communication. We're not doing that for
149the work session because there's not an agenda meeting on the work session. See, I didn't know that. I thought you guys did have one. It creates the agenda for work sessions. We in Well, that's how it should be done, but pretty much everybody who has something to who needs approval. So, for example, the the grant a grant we have to have board approval for grant. So, I would take that to a work session and then that would go on the the consent agenda for our board meeting. Yeah, you almost have to do this exact same process every time. So, you think we should be having an agenda review for the work session as well? Yeah, I do. I have another question. I have lots of questions. But, um, but hang on. Let's Can we finish
150this out here? So, this is questions are answered. We went we gave you till noon on Friday because we never know who you can reach. And then that's lovely. And then this goes out Friday at noon. Can we change that? We change that to Friday at noon. Are you guys thumb? Are you good with that? Sideways down. I'm good with it. We good? Do we just need to look at policy to make sure? Look at policy to make sure that we're not missing something. But if this could also be Friday at noon, I think that'd be very helpful. Well, yeah, that would still meet the 24hour business day. And I guess the question for you would be when you say questions answered, you're going to shoot me for this one. What's your process for that?
151What does that look like? So, is this an email that goes to all board members that says, "I got these five questions and these are the responses that I have at this time." I would like that. So, the reason being is I've noticed at meetings a person will be like, "Do you get all of your questions answered, Jennifer?" I know nothing about those questions. I don't know. I don't even know what's going on. Okay. So, then let's go back here. How do we submit our questions? So, I have an idea. Okay. Um, if they could email those to board president, myself, vice president, I can put all of those questions on a Google doc, send that out to any of the people who need to be on that to answer the questions appropriately, and then
152copy that, send it all back to all board members. No responses needed. Talk to your legal counsel about using a difficult opt for that. Okay. Please um to make sure that you're keeping because these are questions um we're not trying to hide anything from the public at all, but I want to make sure we're feeding that transparency piece too, but I also want to respect their questions. Well, that so shooting an email to you that just says, "Hey, I had a question about over phone call." I don't care how they get it to you. You know, whatever that happens to be. They just need to get it to you by Wednesday, right? It may be a phone call because Jennifer's driving down the street and she's going, "I just got I had quick questions on
153this. Can you add this to the list?" The Google Doc would just be the purpose of putting all of the questions on one document, sending it out to all the staff who need to answer them. Then I would just copy and paste that to an email. I think your tool of how you do it is fine, right? It would be nice if on when we get the questions answered because you're not going to answer every single question and And and please please understand board members you're not going to get this dig the full board meeting right then. Yeah, you're going to get these are the high these are the bullets for this question of this is what and then so if you can get Friday if Friday at 12 if we can get here are
154your answers and here's the final agenda then anything else that you're like oh I don't quite understand that question then you can ask in the meeting right but you kind of have a basis of what's going on and everybody at the table has a basis of what's going on so my question is for you then for you then so like the last meeting I had when I was looking at the bills or financial stuff I look at who on the agenda is over that. So I just submit my questions to Dr. Seagris. So are you telling me I should have you? No, I would send those to Dr. Seagris and then CC me. Okay. So that's different than what we've been told to do in the past. So now we're just you and let you
155decide. Pipe down. Pipe down. I always made it to you. If you do one way, then she can determine she needs to send it to Dr. Se. At least send it to HR. She can to get her feed to get the information back. Again, I would just copy and I just always made it a practice. I just always contacted over to Gabe about everything. I never contacted a member of his staff. Correct. Individually, correct? Unless he said, "You have too many questions. Go talk to Ask Ashley yourself. Ask Robert yourself." I just look at that. Well, and because I work under a board and I would never want my board to contact to my employees unless unless I knew about it and approved it. And so like I never contacted a member of the staff
156unless I asked first or like you're like that's okay to do. And I would appreciate seeing everyone's questions because I don't want to ask the question that three other people have already asked so that it's not wasting people's time answering it three or four times and there somebody might ask the question that I never even thought to ask that question. That would be helpful if I could see their oh yeah I never thought about that and know before I get here to say I don't need to know that Tom as that question. I just knew the question was asked, right? Yeah. I don't care what you ask. I think that's another thing I was going to mention. Thanks for taking responsibility because I've noticed at times like like if you look on the agenda and
157it mentioned that you asked this question. I know that I've noticed a sense of oh my gosh, not Whitney asking a question or oh my gosh, it's always Whitney asking a question. like I think all it matters is that there was a question. It doesn't matter like who's requesting this. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. You all have Can I add one more part? If they do have follow-up questions, I would rather get them answered even if it is a Friday night or a Saturday or a Sunday. What? Well, your phone I'm I'm sorry, but starting tomorrow, it's on 24/7 365. Don't ever have another vacation until you retire. So that's just the fact but we want to retain you but we want to retain but and I also think that here's the deal if
158this comes out and there's something that's just burning question you want to call and here's something too it's okay to say you know what that's a great question Wendy will you bring that up at the board meeting so the public could hear that and that was that's exactly what I want to say too is that I think there has to be a balance between we want to be efficient and not take much time there has to be a balance with that in your discussions in the public eye like they they have to know. I mean there's some a 20-minute meeting might be nice but you're also not giving much information to the public. We don't want to be a rubber stamp board. Yeah. We want to be an informed board that's making good decisions but
159it's also being efficient with our time and being respectful of the people that are doing the work their time also. Okay. So I just want to make this clear because again like my questions are mostly like hey what does this mean or is what's this for or that's all good. So yes just before the meeting so I understand. So just to be clear if we're going to email questions we email you and you're going to give it out to the person. That sounds great or you you and you practice but I think that sounds great. Okay. Here's a consideration for you too. Just a consideration. You're going to have new board members possibly every year. So part of your new board member training might be it's okay to spend a half a day with Dr.
160Cris and we're going to walk through and this is the things you're going to see in our agendas. This is what school finance looks like a little bit and he's a really smart man. Yes. And he's going to be able to say this is this bucket. This is why it goes here. You're going to see this. When you see bills, this is what you're going to see. And I think you can answer a lot of those questions up front because part of it is just learning a new system in a new organization. I agree. So just having a sit down with a superintendent, Dr. Seagris and the two new board members is a great way to do that. It could be about I don't understand something in academics. Sitting down with your academic assistant suit
161and saying let's address this specific thing particularly for your new board members trying to get through that first year that understanding of the rotation of here comes an audit. What does that mean? Those type of things. So it might be helpful and save you time and also let your board be more informed and feel more informed. Perfect. And then there's also the training that um you guys listed online, you know, that the board president does with the new members of the board. Just information about the district and everything like that. And we have not um scheduled that yet. I brought my calendar in order to do that. So like it will also like answer a lot of those little bitty things too as well as true. You also may want your new board members to
162sit down with the legal because there's legal matters that are out there pending. They've just come on and they don't know the background. So, let's give them a little background. It makes your executive sessions more efficient also. So then you're not reinventing a wheel every time every time you meet. So some of those would be helpful to you. I think that would be good information for you too. This was helpful. Oh, can we go over this? It's extremely helpful and it disseminates the information to all of us way ahead of time and just better prepares us. It's cramming a bunch of homework in in two days a I love this. I love this. So, it just gives you some opportunity and again give yourself a little grace. You need to do this several times just
163to try to understand your rhythm. You'll get a rhythm to this, too. Yeah. And you may look at and go, "Oh, we need to adjust this." Like, I don't have enough time here or here. But as a board member now, you know, I'm getting this Monday night and I have until 5:00 on Monday at least or Wednesday, I'm sorry, to scan and understand and see what's kind of going on. Is somebody documenting this? So, actually, you're live. Everyone can see it. Well, I know that, but yeah, you'll read back. It'll be online soon. She's probably a lot of people on this. I was going to shut my mouth here, but he stands, things like that. It's things that are out of our control on the purchasing side. Sometimes those happen. I would encourage you to
164give grace to people in operations and the business side when some of those things happen to add those things to the agenda because if you don't, you're looking at a full month later before that change order can be approved and you have a lot of projects going on right now and that may mess up some timelines on the completions of those. So, I'm just asking to consider that for business and operations, it's academic services, too. So, for example, Desi sometimes doesn't open up the window to submit your AMI plan, you know, you know what I mean? And so, oh, they do it when they feel like it. Do you do any action items on your work sessions? Well, that's what were we going to also talk about work sessions? Because I think sometimes, so I
165guess my question would be on that. Sometimes if you have these things if you have those things coming up that are just make it a special we have on occasion we have very work session we have voting you would know in an information session like in this work session you would know in this session we've got this coming up and board I want you to be aware that we may have to we may have some change orders coming in that we're working with operations or we've got some kind of curriculum if we have to I want you to know that that may be an item coming But don't you still want a first and second read on those? Sometimes we're in a time crunch, but those should be emergencies. Something that we do, academic services,
166business and operations, HR, they all send out a weekly report and so we inform the board weekly on things like that. So I can submit, hey, here's the AMI the board, but also we need to inform the public because it's a public. So we want the public to what's going on. We want to make sure the public is aware on these things. You talked about the trans I thought, you know, you guys have all talked about communication. Y and so that's part of just making sure it's out there so people So you're you're saying I just want for my own clarity most items should beformational items and then a vote unless it's emergencies like a change order, things like that. Absolutely. And I think though if each I think I had shared this with Donna
167after I had first been on the board. If you have an a calendar of events that each department kind of has and have them put on, we know every April or May we're going to have this happening. So we need to make sure that in March or February we have that ready to go. If if we don't have it, it's not like the end of the world, but it's keeping everybody on the same page of, you know, a lot of stuff happens at the same time every year and then we can live my executive benefit system. We kept we kept a Excel file. Everything's better on Excel, right? And so, uh, but it kept just that. What was policy that we needed to review? What was the information items that needed to go out? what
168was what if this is the audit coming up this is when it's going to be happening the nice thing though I because these things are schools are pretty you know what it usually starts in the fall we usually get out in the spring we usually have summer school at a certain time we're pretty predictable and the the the world kind of falls around that predictability frankly and you can also an easy so I always had like the annual and annual schedule and then on a separate spreadsheet here were the items that we had on each agenda so then you can put in when did we do that. I know we did that. And then you just search and it'll go you did that in March. Okay. Then we can go look it all up. So
169we don't need let's don't need the whole horse today. Let's just take a few elephant. Let's just bite or two. So first bite is going to be can we do this? Yeah. I think we've talked about a way for to communicate get that back and we've also talked about a way we have agenda items what we're going to try to do and we're going to flex a little bit. It's okay. Let's see what we are. But we're going to try not to have emergencies. But when you are doing infrastructure projects, totally agree those things happen. Water lines break. Sorry. But there should be things. When I'm thinking academics, there's not a whole lot academically. AMI days. We should know bestie. We understand that one. But overall, we should pretty much know what our schedule is
170coming up. We should be organized enough to know that because when the first of the school year starts, I'm I was already on the next school year. So you need to be thinking ahead. That's that's visionary and having that part. So getting that organization. But I think first step is this. Let's just get the board and you on the same page. An agenda requests are going to come to me. Is that correct? President. Okay. Do we have a date that we want them by? They can come in any time, but you're only going to talk about it when you have this meeting. any time before that. It's just constant. This is just constantly rotating through. So, email. So, if Whitney sends something in, she knows that they're not going to discuss it until you guys
171meet as a team. She knows that. Okay. She does know that. She knows that. And she feel like you should have a deadline on there because we're going to have the agenda review. So, I always I always sent mine the So, I knew you guys would meet Thursday morning. So I will always send them by Thursday morning. Well, we were meeting Monday at 5. Yeah, Monday at noon. I don't going out Monday at 5:00 p.m. Oh, it's going to be early afternoon. You need to have like the Friday I mean typically if you know I mean I mean even Monday morning I was I was okay with Monday morning like if it's Monday morning and we're meeting in the afternoon at like 1:00. Thank you. Think that's I would always request please please please are
172you are you car copying the board second are you copying Donna on this copy Donna on everything copy Donna because Ashley's not always going to be in the office sitting there awaiting your your email she's I know she's just not and that way Donna can reach out to her and say hey this came by I want you to be aware she can call her knows where she is she's going to be in building she's going to be in meetings she's going to be doing other things besides doing board agendas. So then there's no last minute add-ons on the same meeting unless it's an emergency or it can be because what the law says is that a board member can bring something up and if they want to then the board would have to vote add
173it at that time. But here's the deal on that one. I hope that doesn't happen because part of this is they your administrative team is not able to answer you at that time because they weren't anticipating that they need to be prepared for that. They've been prepared for all of this a job in and of itself is a massive job besides everything else we're doing. So I'm hoping that but I hope that's it can happen but that's the process for it does happen. But that's a good time to do this. Well, and I think now that we're giving ourselves more time, yes, that I think is going to eliminate some of that last minute stuff because we're not getting it on Thursday, whatever, and looking at it on Saturday or whatever. Now, we're going to
174have the public's getting it for when you said that, I was like, "Oh my god, I'm so glad we're doing this." So, let's take some stress off of the board, too. Can we talk briefly about I think there's been um like with the consent agenda. So like if I there are times where there are things in the consent agenda that I want to either ask questions about or I just want to vote against and I think in the past that's been seen as amending the agenda when it's just a procedural I just want to take it out so I can abstain from it or I can you know it actually isn't once the agenda's been approved. So when you start like today we started and you guys approved the agenda once the agenda has been
175approved if you want to pull something then I would talk to your legal counsel about the proper way to do that but I think you want that pulled then first then you would approve the amended agenda and I don't we've done it a couple different ways I'm not sure but there's sometimes where it's in the agenda I mean I know there was one time we we're this was two boards ago a while ago talk to talk to your local council and let them give you a process for And then I think you can handle that when it feels and I think you can be pretty standard on whatever usually bills we've talked about work session. It could it could be policy. It could be contracts. My legal team viewed all contracts and they were just
176in there. So you know those are pretty standard. You got a contract with the YMCA to do this every year. And I think like so I think one time I just voted against the whole consent agenda because it was a contract that I had like helped write or something like that. It's like well I didn't need to do the whole thing. I just need to do that one thing. Yeah. Yeah. It's just Yeah. But it's like I didn't want to vote against all of it. You ever had but I've had to do that for like a donation that was associated with my company or whatever. I just like a little bit better from the whole which is weird. Yeah. But maybe some of that can come up here. That's what I was going to say.
177I wonder you get So they can say, "Hey, I've got an issue with this one. I'm going to have to abstain on this now more time." That'd be awesome. Yeah. Now you can do that. So you're you're so much more efficient with your time. Yeah. Agreed. So how would you just pull that earlier? You mean is that what you're saying? Like if there's an item that might he's involved, you would pull it down a just pull it and then when it comes down to the Yeah. Just move it earlier instead of the consent agenda, right? Make sense? Yes. I just wanted to make sure we're all the same attorney, but we still need my family, but anyway. Yeah. Like if we can find out because if you get to the meeting and you're like, "Oh,
178I didn't catch that. I need to abstain from that or I have I mean, for sure." You could do that at the beginning before you approve, right? But let's make sure that's my experience with boards is you um you say does anybody want to pull something from send right and um and then if you if there is somebody that wants to do that that's that's generally honored but again I'm hoping that's conversation is happening over here even before you get there so that you can be as efficient with your time and as respectful to one another possible that work again. Kind of a work in progress. Sorry. That's good. But this is a conversation that always I can tell needs to happen. And so I'm really glad that we sorted some of this out. Me
179too. Yeah. Because everyone just does what they've always done. You know what I mean? They don't realize like, oh, there's other ways or more efficient ways that we could do this. And it's like, yeah, there definitely are. I love Good. I'm so glad. Yay. That's right. Okay. So, I need some guidance from you all because it is 11:20 and we were supposed to grab at 11 and I know Dr. Seagris is here and he wants to retire. Um, that's all we hear about. And so, so what what is the plan? Do you want to do a working lunch? What do you want us to do here? I would like a working lunch. I don't want to stop now. And we still have um questions and issues, but How much more time do we need? Would
180you rather complete everything now or let him go first and then you complete it? Whatever you guys you guys do whatever you don't worry about. So the bigger issue is I have another workshop later today in Kansas City. So I think I have a hard stop at probably 12:30. Okay. 1:00. Yeah, I know. I'm pushing at 12:30. Yeah, let's do Okay, let's do yours. Yeah. Can you have 10 minute break in order to grab some food and then let's keep going. Okay, that sounds good. It's ready. So