Good governance is much easier in theory than in practice. Knowing how something should be handled and who should handle it or where the decision-making power lies in a particular situation, for example, does not always translate into what we do and is further complicated by how well others in our communities understand the work. Yes, leadership in schools is fraught with dilemmas, ambiguities, and nuances, but good governance is transformative and fundamental to a school’s success in living into its mission and embodying its values. And, it is essential for the broader school community, especially parents, to understand good governance in practice.
During most of August and September, we travel across the network working with school boards and vestries on questions of governance. These training sessions provide an opportunity to reflect upon the essential work of a governing board versus the things that derail boards from their true purpose. The goal is to focus energy on what will yield the best possible impact on ensuring a sustainable, mission-centered school that is true to its values. It always comes back to the understanding of fiduciary, strategic, and generative work versus the operational items, which are the focus of the administrative team. Like so many things, the pandemic impacted governance in our schools and resulted in blurring our previously understood roles and responsibilities. Much of our focus now is helping to re-center the work of governing boards around the mission and values that define who we are as Episcopal schools.
What is also becoming clear to us as we partner with schools is the disconnection between what boards and parents understand about good governance. More often than not, our governing bodies and our school leadership understand a board of trustees’ role, and individual trustees also understand their role. However, we wonder how well we are bringing parents into the conversation about what is and what isn’t the appropriate governance work of the board. Further, how well are we explaining the connection between the board’s governing role and how that role advances the mission of the school consistent with its values?
It seems to us that there are myriad examples of school governance that simply do not reflect our model and contribute to the misunderstanding many of our schools are experiencing. Turn the TV to any public school board meeting and watch parents airing grievances about one element or another of their student’s experience directly to elected board members. No doubt, those board members will be reminded frequently that they are elected and therefore must be responsive to the specific parent’s request whatever it may be. As another example, in some faith-based schools, operational matters are dictated by the pastor or the lay leaders of the church. Everything from curriculum to the selection of faculty members is at the discretion of church leadership.
We know neither example reflects our model of governance in Episcopal schools. To use the words of our Principles of Good Practice for Governance, “The board works to ensure the future of the school and its continuing Episcopal identity.” It does this work through strategic planning, financial oversight, and the hiring and nurturing of the head of school.
So, the question remains, as we focus on re-centering the work of the board around mission and values and building partnerships with parents, how well are we describing our governance model and explaining the appropriate role of the board of trustees to create a shared understanding? To that end, we encourage our boards to consider the following questions:
1) What is our method for describing the appropriate role of the board versus the appropriate role of the school administration?
In the same way that new board members don’t arrive “pre-oriented,” we suggest that it is unfair to expect parents to understand our model without some training. If we want to be good partners and strengthen our relationships with parents, we should spend time in an appropriate format explaining the nuances of Episcopal school governance What is the role of the parish? What is the role of the board? How does this differ from other models of governance they have experienced? What does it mean to ensure the school’s continuing Episcopal identity? If we want a healthy partnership, we think it begins with authentically and respectfully building understanding around these governance fundamentals with all stakeholders.
2) What is the process for receiving and handling parent concerns and complaints?
Oftentimes, individual board members will get pulled into administrative issues for a simple reason: lack of a clear, well-communicated process for parents to bring forward their concerns. Any partnership must have a process for handling unmet expectations and concerns about how the partnership is unfolding. We’re not sure if we have a right to be upset with parents “picking off” board members if we also don’t have a clearly articulated way for those concerns to be brought to the administrative leadership of the school.
3) How well do we communicate the elements of our program that are “mission-centric and values-based”?
While all aspects of what we do are important, some programmatic elements are central to who we are as a school. Chapel tends to be one. Another might be a capstone experience. Long-standing curricular elements also tend to be central to how the community “does” school and embodies the school’s values. These are components that are mission-centric and are not the subject of discussion at the board level as they are “operational.” If that is the case, have these mission-centric components been identified and explained to the parent community as just that? Transparency about the values of the school is critical to any healthy parent partnership.
4) Are we clear on communicating that the Board of Trustees is never the “court of review” for decisions of the head of school?
Without ongoing education and considering the other models of school governance in our society, it is reasonable to think that the Board of Trustees is simply “one level up” for the escalation of a complaint. In every other aspect of life, many think that the approach is to simply continue “arguing up the chain of command” until you get what you want. Is the board communicating and demonstrating in its actions that the final decision on administrative matters rests with the head of school? Alternatively, do individual trustees sometimes fall into the trap of becoming the “ombudsman” for a specific segment of the community? Boards are certainly called upon to conduct a thorough and robust annual review of the head of school. However, that process should be well defined and clearly articulated and not the direct result of a parent complaint or disagreements about pedagogy and curriculum.
Our schools work hard to develop strong partnerships with parents. These partnerships are central to how we as Episcopal schools work with young people. We are all on the same team in wanting the best for the students we serve; our roles and responsibilities are complementary. We hope that we will explore how well we are explaining our model of governance to our most important stakeholders. Equally important is transparency about the values of the community that drive the work of the board and the school. This is the healthy foundation for all school-parent partnerships.
The Rev. David A. Madison, D.Min. is executive director and Monica M. Gillespie, Ph.D. is associate director of the National Association of Episcopal Schools.