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January 29, 2016

Presentation to the Ontario Public Supervisory Officers’ Association –

Leadership and Effective School Board Governance

Rachel Osborne & Lori Barnes Leadership Development & School Board Governance Branch

Ministry of EducationJanuary 29, 2016

Leadership and Governance Accountable & transparent governance supported by strong school and system

leadership are the hallmarks of an effective district school board.

In the renewed vision for Ontario education, leadership is defined as a supporting condition for the achievement of the government’s education priorities.

  Leadership is the exercise of influence to achieve common goals; leadership is

about inspiring and motivating others working with and guiding people in new directions integrity and trust achieving the most through positive interaction.

Governance is a process for the allocation of authority, decision-making, and accountability; governance is about

setting direction making policy and strategic decisions overseeing and monitoring organizational performance and ensuring overall accountability.

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Effective Leadership & Good Governance

Strong leadership, particularly at the system level (supervisory officers), helps support good governance.

The District Effectiveness Framework in the 2013 OLF identifies nine characteristics of strong districts that are successful at improving the learning of their students including:

Policy-oriented board of trustees Productive working relationships with staff and stakeholders

The OLF also identifies Personal Leadership Resources (PLRs) that effective leaders draw on:

Cognitive Resources (problem-solving expertise; systems thinking) Social Resources (perceive & manage emotions; act in emotionally appropriate

ways) Psychological Resources (optimism; self-efficacy; resilience; proactivity)

The PLRs are as relevant to elected board leaders as they are to school and system leaders.

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Governance Framework

In 2008, the government undertook a provincial review of school board governance. The purpose of the review was to engage the education community in a discussion on modernizing and clarifying in legislation the roles and responsibility of school boards.

That provincial review led to Bill 177 which was passed as the Student Achievement and School Board Governance Act (2009).

That Act amended the Education Act to establish governance roles and responsibilities of school boards, individual trustees, and directors of education.

Governance Framework

The board of trustees as a whole has legal authority and responsibilities under the Education Act and other legislation and regulations. Trustees as individuals do not have authority to make decisions or take actions on behalf of the board.

Individual trustees are required to: attend and participate in board and committee meetings consult with their communities and bring the concerns of their communities to the

board table uphold the implementation of any board resolution after it is passed comply with the board’s code of conduct entrust the day to day management of the board and its staff through the

director of education

Governance Framework

Chair of the board is required to meet all the obligation of individual trustees preside over board meetings act as the spokesperson for the board work with the director of education to establish agendas for board meetings provide leadership to the board in maintaining the board’s focus on it mission and

vision and focus on the multi-year plan

The director of education is responsible to the board of trustees and for the implementation of board policies sole employee who reports directly to the board of trustees chief executive officer, chief education officer, and secretary to the board advises the board on operational matters responsible for bringing to the board’s attention any act or omission that could

violate the Education Act or any regulation or policies monitoring of board policies and multi-year plan

Governance Framework School boards are responsible for:

student achievement and well-being, and a positive and accepting school climate

multi-year plan & annual review of the plan with the director of education

effective stewardship of resources

monitoring and evaluating the performance of the director of education

What does Good Governance Look Like? An effective board of trustees:

understands its roles and scope of responsibilities

has a clearly stated vision and multi-year plan

allocates its resources in support of the plan it has set

holds its system accountable through its director of education by regular monitoring of evidence of student achievement and well-being

engages with its constituents in the creation of policies that affect them and communicates its progress in raising student achievement and well-being

monitors its own performance and takes action to continually improve its governance processes

What Does Good Governance Look Like at Your Board?

Board planning processes that support the multi-year plan

Robust and inclusive school community engagement

Committee framework for decision making

Board by-laws, policies and procedures

Effective working relationships – trustees, superintendents, departments, school communities, Ministry of Education

What Does Good Governance Look Like at Your Board?

Information exchange among staff, trustees and the educational community to inform decision making

Balances local, municipal, regional and provincial perspectives

Meaningful consultation with stakeholders and clear and consistent communication with school communities

Important to understand and respect distinct roles and areas of authority for both senior staff and trustees

Balance of competing interests can sometimes be challenging

Your Role in Supporting Good GovernanceSuperintendents provide on-going support to trustees on a number of

fronts:

public meetings parent concerns delegation requests school council forums advisory committees negotiations policy writing staff development mentoring principals and managers board and committee reports

Presenting Board and Committee Reports• Where does the information go?

• What is the impact of this information on various audiences (staff, students, parents, media, school councils, trustees, etc.)?

• What do we want people to know – students, staff, trustees, school communities?

• What do we not want them to do?

• How will our trustees and their constituents react, and how are we helping them understand and communicate?

Building a Positive Working Relationship with your Trustees

student achievement and well being

system/operational knowledge

clear, consistent communication

honesty, respect, inclusivity, diversity

financial and business perspectives

factual knowledge

personal working styles

historical perspective

creative problem solving

regional perspective

political sensitivity

flexibility

timing

honoring local school community

Discussion

• You have to prepare and present a report to the board that recommends closing a school. Your local trustee lives in the area and is opposed to the school closure. What do you need to consider when drafting your report to the board and preparing your presentation?

Did You Consider….

Student achievement and well-being

Student, staff, community, union, trustee, municipal government perspectives

school councils, advisory committees

Evidence-informed data

Staffing implications and related costs

Long-term viability

Regional, municipal, provincial, Ministry perspective

Operational matters/practicality

Input of trusted colleagues

Personal bias (everyone’s)

Media reaction, communications plan

Financial, legal, political considerations

In Summary…

Your new landscape is still about …

students and families

effective working relationships

agility and flexibility

compromise, creative problem solving

students and families