BOE Retreat, Goal Setting

Our second BOE retreat is tonight and I think it’s particularly fitting considering that it’s School Board Recognition week as designated by Governor David Paterson. This is a wonderful time for us to recognize and commend school board members for their dedicated service to the children of the Randolph Central School District. What better way to recognize this service than through a BOE Retreat when our members can have a real voice in the course that we set?

We previously met for a BOE retreat in July and I blogged about it in this post on July 14, 2009. During that retreat we accomplished all that we set out to in the four hours scheduled. We talked about how we do business and clarified the open meetings law, the function and organization of our meetings, committees, and officers. It was a great opportunity for open dialogue and every BOE member offered much in the conversation.

At that time we determined that our next step is a retreat to work on district goal setting–from the “Big Idea” point of view to help direct all that we do within the district. I’m excited to meet with the BOE members and our facilitator, BOCES Assistant Superintendent Lynda Quick, because I believe this is one of the ways our School Board can make a real difference through their governance activities. I hope we can answer the following:

  1. Where is our district headed over the long run?
  2. Where is our district now?
  3. How is our district performing (educationally, administratively, financially)?

NYSCOSS, the NYS Council of School Superintendents,  defines three sure signs of a high quality governance team as,

  1. A school board that consistently produces high-impact governance defined through vision, strategic directives, long-range goals, and resource allocation.
  2. A school board that has a close, positive and productive Board-Superintendent working partnership.
  3. A school board that takes deep satisfaction in and feeling strong ownership of its governing work.

We’ll set out to strengthen those “three sure signs” in Randolph tonight.

2 Comments
  1. Speaking from a BOE members perspective on last nights retreat, it was highly worth my time and I was so glad that the entire board could be there. Linda is wonderful to work with.
    I am sure that Kim will share here what the outcomes were, and she writes much better than I, so I will gladly let her. I just wanted to say that as a volunteer board member, who already understands the importance of what we do and why we do it, that it was great to meet in this setting and really dig in to issues that we don’t have time to in a regular meeting. I think that anyone attending one of our meetings might be bored to death by some of what happens there, and really not understand why we do what we do. It is because we all are passionate about our kids, their education, safety, development, character..everything about them. And not just our own, but every child in our district. We all need to work together to give EVERY student that passes thru our doors the best education we possibly can provide. It takes professionals, it takes behind the scenes people, it takes volunteers,it takes safe buses and drivers, it takes community to make it happen. Thanks Kimberly for organizing this learning tool for me, and for appreciating my role as one of seven that are working to make a difference.
    Oh, and if you were thinking of attending a board meeting to see what happens, please don’t let my comment about being bored to death scare you away. I would invite anyone to come, it’s not that boring, really it’s not.

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