By John P. Klassen
Thankfully I was not asked to write this article in my first two years as a trustee; my lack of awareness of a trustee’s role would have been glaring. Now, after 10+ years, I feel I can offer at least some assistance to those who may consider running someday or those who wonder what it is that we, as trustees, do.
While campaigning during the last election, a well-meaning citizen expressed how glad she was that her father served as a trustee. She told me how he had immediately altered bus routes to the great advantage of her and her siblings. Though I expressed it kindly, I indicated that this was not my understanding of a trustee’s role. We are not elected to seek preferential treatment for our family and friends. We are elected to support education for all the students within our division. As our mission statement says, “Creating an environment where everyone is inspired to reach their full potential as learners and citizens.”
A second misconception regarding our role, a learning curve for many trustees, is that we are a board that manages the day-to-day operations of our schools (we hire and fire, we determine curriculum, we shape school cultures, etc.). This is not the case. A school board is a governance board that seeks to empower and support the incredible staff that is hired to be the “doers”. An image we sometimes use is that we, as a board, lay the tracks and supply resources, but we do not play with the trains.
Improving student achievement is one of our primary roles, but we do not do so by walking the halls of our schools or focusing our attention on what’s happening in individual classrooms. Our role, alongside Senior Administration, is to create strategic plans that establish high learning expectations for all students, ensure that policies and resources are in place so that these expectations are possible, and regularly monitor and receive reports on student achievement. We are responsible for budget allocations, for hiring a Superintendent and assisting our Superintendent in hiring senior administrators and principals, and expecting and enabling professional development for all staff.
Second, we nurture an environment where students and staff experience personal wholeness and well-being. Again, we do not work directly with students or even staff, but rather, we set goals and expectations for mental health and wellness, resource these goals, and monitor progress by receiving regular reports from our administrative team. Believing that trusting relationships and safe (physically, emotionally, relationally) school settings are key to creating a learning environment where persons can reach their full potential as learners and citizens, our role is to promote wellness goals alongside our student achievement goals.
Since the community elected us to represent them, a third significant role is community engagement. We do so by seeking to keep the community informed about what is happening in our schools, by offering the context and reasoning behind decisions we make, and by creating mechanisms or channels that allow us to hear all the voices of our community (those who express concerns and those who celebrate what we are accomplishing). We deliberately reach out to groups who may be less familiar with the school system. This requires the ability to listen to concerns non-judgementally, to balance the voices of those who protest with the less vocal voices of those who affirm, and to remember always that we are elected to serve and care for all students and staff who are part of GVSD.
Though this summary of the role of a trustee is abbreviated, I hope it provides at least a glimpse of the wide range of possibilities and responsibilities entrusted to trustees. Perhaps, it also dispels another misconception. We don’t only meet once a month (maybe twice), as I was told when I was invited to consider running for the Board; most months, our task involves numerous meetings and other engagements or projects (like writing this article 😊).
To enhance the picture of the role of trustees, I wish to add a final set of thoughts for those considering the possibility of letting your name stand for election in two years. These thoughts, offered in bullet form, address the question: “What are the characteristics of a good trustee?” (These are adapted from an MSBA article entitled “School Board and Trusteeship in Manitoba.”)
Effective trustees are characterized by:
- The ability to work as members of a team. We work with our fellow trustees and Senior Administration to achieve our divisional goals.
- Knowing that authority rests with the board as a corporate body, not with individual trustees. I don’t speak for the division; the Board does. (All the board members will even proof this article before it is posted.)
- Maintaining open minds and having the ability to engage in give-and-take to arrive at a decision. We don’t always agree with one another, but when we arrive at a decision, we all own it.
- A willingness to spend time to become informed and do the homework needed to effectively contribute at meetings.
- A strong desire to serve our community and a strong belief in the value of public schools.
- An understanding that the school division is one of the largest businesses in our community and that the board is responsible for sound business and financial management. Our annual budget is between 55 and 60 million dollars.