By MEGHAN BRADBURY

news@breezenewspapers.com

More than a dozen characteristics of an “ideal board” were discussed during the School District of Lee County Master Board Training, which board members feel will strengthen them as a governance team.

Continuous Improvement Director Cindy McClung said last Wednesday, a Master Board Training was completed and, since not all board members were able to attend, a discussion was held during the board workshop on Aug. 7. The discussion was mainly a reflection of why they became board members, if they feel they have been successful and what areas should they work on, as well as characteristics that make an ideal board.

The ideal board, McClung said is a team that works together for a common purpose.

The characteristics that were brainstormed included:

• Is ethical

• Demonstrates courageous advocacy for the district

• Is focused on the business of the district

• Is committed to the plan

• Listens to understand

• Demonstrates respect for all

• Is prepared and engaged

• Positively represents the district in the community

• Utilizes contextual information (data/trends/research) to make decisions

• Keeps individual comments concise

• Follows protocols and processes

Board member Betsy Vaughan, who did not attend the training, asked if the characteristics are meant to be looked at as a board, or as individuals.

“I see it as both. The team is made of individual members. If the board as a whole needs to be prepared and engaged that means individual members need to be prepared and engaged,” McClung said.

Board Member Debbie Jordan said the board members spoke of their own personal selves and how they could improve things collectively as a board. She said it was important to share because the board is a team.

Another question was if the board ranked the characteristics, which McClung said no other than ethics, which the board thought should be at the top.

“We are mandated to take ethics training annually,” Board Chair Mary Fischer said. “I think partly because of that, and the fact that it is a basic characteristic expected of us, it goes to the top.”

During the Aug. 7 workshop, McClung took time to go through each characteristic.

The characteristic that generated quite a bit of discussion was “utilizes contextual information.” McClung said the feeling from the board is it is not all a black-and- white process. The board discussed where the emotional pieces come in while making decisions in connection with data.

The topic had a lot of discussion, especially with the ever changing COVID-19 pandemic and conflicting information.

Fischer said she enjoyed the discussion because it brought her to another place and made her realize where she stands personally.

“Data-driven gives me goose bumps. I’m more likely to look at the people and emotional part of it,” she said. “It was really an aha (moment), that was a piece that I need to work on,” she said.

The word courageous was added because sometimes it is hard to take a stand on things.

“When you look at the last three months some of the decision the board has made is not popular. We have a very divided community right now,” McClung said, adding that “taking that stand and being courageous for what the board believes is the right decision for the children.”

McClung said board members discussed what it meant to advocate for the district and how to speak to stakeholders about those priorities.

Board Member Gywn Gittens said part of demonstrating courageous advocacy for the district is communication, as well as all the information needed.

“We have to represent the district, what is coming from the district as a whole, and in turn represent the community back to the board,” she said, adding that communication and information has to be shared to benefit all.

The discussion also focused on working together, staying focused on the strategic plan and remaining focused on what is best for the students. McClung said it was important to the board members to understand the items brought before them.

The characteristic, listens to understand, was a reflection from board members who shared that sometimes they are distracted and do not make the full effort to listen to understand when all parties are talking.

Time was also a topic, which included board members being prepared by doing their homework and knowing what is coming before them while staying engaged with discussions and activities related to the strategic plan.

McClung said the discussion around “positively represents the district in the community” does not necessarily mean that board members are always saying the district is great and rosy because not everything is wonderful. Rather, she said, it’s about understanding where the district stands and being able to explain that in a positive manner.

Board members expressed that it was important to be able to speak with stakeholders and know the facts while being able to answer questions.

At the end of the discussion, board members, who attended the training, had a desire to have a commitment from each member that they would follow the characteristics to better serve the goals of the district.

Fischer said her impression at the conclusion of the training was that they identified the potential characteristics to strengthen the performance of the governance team.

“Each one of us identified what was personal to ourselves,” she said, adding that data-driven information to make decisions is her weakness, but for Board Member Cathleen Morgan it is her strength.

McClung said the characteristics of an ideal board was generated as a recommitment, not something brand new, but ideals that are worthwhile to pursue and agree to personally work and reach.

“Each of you have certainly agreed to these when elected,” she said, adding that they are only being brought forth again as ideals for the board to inspire to and recommit.

Jordan said she sees the characteristics as something very positive to help move them forward as a unit.

“We are sharing this information with you all because we thought it was important for us to do that,” she said to the other board members who did not attend.

Board Member Melisa Giovannelli said she is committed to the ideals, which she committed to four years ago. She said the board got off track because someone does not quite agree with another, or are like minded.

“We are supposed to be helping each other along and not singling each other out,” she said. “I think that is where we went off our paths as a board. It is important that we all bring each other along. I don’t feel like I was respected and no one wanted to bring me along and take my side. We need to respect everyone’s ideas and everyone has different ideas and we have to embrace that.”

The board will have another discussion at the Aug. 25 workshop regarding processes to consider during protocol review workshops. Those items include communications; goals, outcomes, evaluations for all meetings; parking lot for meetings; calendar/timeline for specific topics and consent agenda pulls.