The CMCSS School Board will review and compare the current school board model during the retreat

CLARKSVILLE, TN (NOW CLARKSVILLE) – As conversations about the current governance model When the Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board began work earlier this month, all seven board members met for their annual retreat and discussed the model in depth.

After the Oct. 8 study session, one lingering question seemed to remain: Did the board give away too much of its authority when it adopted the model 20 years ago?

On October 29, the second day of the retreat, board members met to discuss the model.

What does it mean to loosely follow the model?

After eliminating their old procedures in 2003, the CMCSS school board adopted them political governance, A model that gives the principal the authority to implement the board’s decisions without board members getting “stuck” in the details.

Anthony Johnson, CMCSS Chief Communications Officer, explained the model inspired by John Carver Policy Governance for the Board on Tuesday evening. Due to various legal requirements, the school board’s model does not strictly correspond to Carver’s model. Johnson explained: “The principles of the model are completely flexible to design a governance structure that works best for the organization.”

Johnson explained that state law usually prescribes responsibility through language such as “the LEA (Local Education Authority) shall, the board shall” or even “the principal shall.”

“All in all, there is nothing wrong with saying we follow these principles loosely,” Johnson told the board. “Because at the end of the day, as a board, you decide, without following or being bound by any particular guide, how you want to develop your policy governance manual to then implement those key principles.”

Carver’s model can be applied to the CMCSS model in four ways:

1. Stability: sets “can do” and “can’t do” expectations for the director and staff. Additionally, allowing board members to change every two years prevents established policies and procedures from constantly changing due to personal or political beliefs.
2. Efficiency: Daily decisions are made in real time as laws and best practices change, rather than waiting weeks for the board to review or approve new policies or other decisions.
3. Innovation: The Director and his staff are considered experts in the field of education or its operational areas and are “empowered” to use their expertise and experience to pursue innovative methods to meet the expectations set by the Board.
4. Tax responsibility: Instead of the board hiring an outside firm, the director and his staff do so within the scope of their existing duties.

Criticism of delegation

A major concern that arose was the idea that the board was “abdicating” its duties by handing everything over to the school principal, Dr. Jean Luna-Vedder delegated.

Johnson acknowledged the criticism and told the board that they may abandon their duties if they do not provide adequate oversight and careful monitoring to ensure the director achieves intended results through due diligence.

Policy governance, Johnson explained, does not give more or less authority, but rather means that the board sets expectations, goals and constraints for the district through its policies and then holds the principal and her staff accountable for meeting those expectations.

This allows the board to focus on the “big picture” rather than focusing on day-to-day tasks and bureaucracy and regulatory compliance that can bog down board members and “increase board liability.”

What CAN the board do?

The CMCSS School Board is responsible for establishing the policies that govern the district, developing the system budget, and holding the principal accountable for achieving the district’s goals.

Some of the more recent items addressed to the board included charter school approval, redistricting, school naming and age-appropriate materials.

Board member Aron Maberry spoke up and shared his experience trying to initiate a review of several library books upon his election, but being told it was not possible. School board attorney Mark Nolan explained that the school board did not have a policy on age-appropriate materials at the time because there was no state law.

On July 1, the Tennessee Legislature shifted final approval authority for age-appropriate materials challenged by a student, parent/guardian, or employee from a school’s library collection to the school board.

“School authorities do not run the schools”

According to the Tennessee School Boards Association, a board exercises its power by adopting policies, and the superintendent (principal) determines how, who, where, and when those policies will be administered.

Before turning the meeting over to board discussion, Johnson shared a quote from the TSBA website that states, “The school board does not run the schools; It shows that they are well managed.”

Carol Berry told the newly elected board members: “I was green as an onion, even though I taught for 35 years,” she said. “As soon as I got elected, people started calling and I tried to solve the problem because I didn’t know what my role was.”

Berry explained that she spent six hours a day talking to people and solving problems until CMCSS staff told her that the problems she was trying to solve were not her job. “I’m not a social worker, I’m not a psychologist… my life changed when I went to orientation at TSBA. I learned what my role is as a board member.”

“We have an employee,” board member Jimmy Garland said, pointing to Dr. Luna Vedder. “The other 6,000 are hers.”