BOARD-SAVVY SUPERINTENDENT
Showing Respect to Your Meeting Visitors
By Brad Hughes/School Administrator, September 2015
Most superintendents with tenure beyond
initial contracts have seen board of education meetings reminiscent of a scene
from the original “Frankenstein” movie — the villagers assembled, armed with
torches and pitchforks, waiting for the opportunity to destroy the monster.
Over my career,
I’ve attended plenty of these board meetings, usually involving a highly
emotional subject — closing a school, altering attendance boundaries or firing
a popular employee. Ironically, the first school board meeting I attended was
in my hometown, where I was a student advocating for the board to grant tenure
for our band director.
One observation from
such meetings is that superintendents and board members who handle the passion
of the moment well are those who already were prepared to welcome their guests
just as they would in their homes. It’s no stretch to apply this analogy to a
school board meeting. The family is there — the board, superintendent and
staff. They all understand the rules of how meetings are conducted, what is
permissible, what is frowned upon and what is unacceptable.
Not so for many guests who show up at the board’s
“house,” often for the first time. Some don’t know there are rules. Others
don’t care. But in fairness to all, rules of the house need to be routinely
explained and, when necessary, reasonably enforced.
Proactive superintendents and their boards can be
ready for such meetings by having house rules in place — and shared — before
the villagers arrive.
Audience Protocol
In most states, Open Meetings Acts guarantee a place
for the public at sessions of government bodies. However, in Kentucky and other
places, nothing in the law gives citizens a right to speak. Observe and listen,
yes. Talk and interact, no. And people often don’t know this.
So the onus is on
the district leadership to determine its rules for public participation,
especially for visitors making speeches or posing questions. Some, but not all,
districts set time limits on participants. A few boards allow exchanges with
the audience throughout the meeting.
Some districts employ a meeting protocol flyer. It’s a
simple pamphlet that explains meeting functions, such as how action is taken,
if and when comments are accepted, and limitations. Copies can be placed on
seats for the audience or next to the sign-in sheet for those wishing to speak.
Districts requiring advance notice of intent to speak should make this document
available ahead of time, too.
At the very least,
a handout should provide notice that certain subjects — talking about specific
students or school personnel by name — are off limits. To a point,
superintendents are the exception. Questions, even polite criticism, go with
the job. But board chairs should be ready to step in and halt harangues
amounting to little more than a public tongue lashing. And remember that all
speakers — those who support you and those who oppose you — should have the
same opportunities and face the same restrictions when speaking.
Just as with guests in your home, visitors should
expect to adhere to the rules. If they don’t like comment limitations, they can
run for office. But even a taxpaying, student-enrolling “guest” can be welcomed
only so far. Removing an angry person from a meeting should be a last resort.
It probably will become a news story. The best advice in such cases is to be as
lenient and evenhanded as possible. And on those rare occasions when that
doesn’t get the job done, politely show the person to the door.
Emotional Restraint
High emotions can involve superintendents and board
members as well as visitors. It’s easy to get caught up in the heat of the
moment on a point of passion about children and their futures.
Districts with clearly defined, regularly explained
rules for public engagement set an expectation for meeting visitors. Leaders
who fairly manage participation send an appropriate message: You are welcome in
our house, but rules apply to all.
Brad Hughes is
the director of member support/communications services for the Kentucky School
Boards Association. E-mail: brad.hughes@ksba.org. Twitter: @ksbanews