MISSION-BASED AND PURPOSEFUL MEETINGS

Office of Charter SchoolsJanuary 28, 2015

Why Do Meetings Matter?

Multi-Million Dollar Public Enterprises The Charter School Board of Directors has the public

trust to govern and appropriately expend the public funds allotted to the public charter school.

The business of the school must be discussed and decided in open board meetings.

Properly conducted board meetings are fundamental to effective school leadership.

Minutes of meetings become the legal documentation of the non-profit corporation’s decisions.

Charter Closure

Mismanagement in charter schools often occurs in a climate of inadequate board oversight (Carpenter, 2008)

Two-thirds of all charter school closures involve problems related to finances

Fiduciary responsibility rests solely with the Board of Directors

Charter Closure

Most charter school closures occur within the first five years (Credo Study Released January 2013) NC duration of all closed schools is 4.88 years 4 schools have closed in the middle of the last 2

years!!!

Warning Signs Late audits Limited oversight of administration Infrequent meetings (or frequent use of emergency

meetings) Draft meeting minutes for more than a year

Questions about Meetings….

How Often?

There are too many critical, policy-level decisions that need to be made, particularly in the first few years of the charter for the board to hold less than 10 meetings per year.Charter School Age How Often Should They

Meet

Start Up Meet every month (at least)

First Five Years 10-12 times Per Year*

Beyond Five 6-8 times Per year*

Too Busy To Meet Monthly?

Recruit members who will commit the time

Replace members who do not commit the time If you meet 10 times a year

for 2 hours each meeting, that is only 20 hours to run a multi-million dollar business.

What is the board’s purpose?

Focusing, with intensity, on the mission of the school

Developing its own governance capacity (Carpenter, 2007)

Evaluating Student Outcomes Monitoring management compliance with

policies Hiring and terminating employees Protecting taxpayer dollars Preserving the public trust

Board Meeting Content Dr. Brian Carpenter recommends a 30/30/30 model

First 30 minutes, How Well are the students performing? Curriculum, programs, professional

development, performance data. Second 30 minutes, Is everything occurring

appropriately? Finances, legal compliance, policies

Third 30 minutes, Board assessment and development. Evaluation, governance strengthening exercises

Board Meeting Content (Must pertain to board purpose, and nothing else)

Dr. Carpenter 80/20 principle Small percentage of inputs generates or

produces a large percentage of outcomes. Addressing only one or two issues will

produce extraordinary results

Every minute you spend engaged in the trivial many is a minute you failed to

spend discussing the vital few (Carpenter, 2007).

What do we discuss?

Age of charter

% of time in board meetings discussing

the future

% of time on oversight: The Here and Now

5 90% 10 %

4 80% 20%

3 60% 40%

2 40% 60%

1 20% 80%

Administrivia Examples(NC board meeting examples)

Uniform colors Font use in handbooks Purchasing Toilet Paper Classroom wall colors Chair styles for offices Overflow parking Traffic patterns at school Food in classrooms When daily “breaks” should be

** Remember the Board’s Role is asking “How well”

Purposeful Meetings-Avoid Administrivia!

ASSIGNMENT: At the next board meeting, fold a piece of paper in half and track time spent on finances, student achievement, and everything else. See what percentage of the meeting is spent on Administrivia!

Minutes Spent On: Minutes Spent On:

Student achievement, Fiscal viability Policies

Everything else

Highly Effective Boards

Outcomes Based Calendar

Focused Agendas

Strategic Discussion

Outcomes Based BoardCalendar

Collaboratively develop a strategic board calendar mapping the monthly topics: strategic improvement, program oversights, academic programs, fiscal vitality, policy review, and personnel decisions.

The Board’s role does not include:

Fundraising (though a board may if it wants) Advocating for faculty and staff Permitting control by a management company or group

of strong-willed founders Advising management on how to implement its policies Solving or resolving everyday operating challenges “Helping” the executive do his or her job (Carpenter, 2010)

Therefore, it does NOT belong on the agenda or need to be discussed during the board meeting.

Board Agenda (include time limits)

Who Sets the agenda? Lead Administrator/Board Chair

When is the agenda set? Day after previous meeting (draft) 2-3 weeks prior (draft sent to board for

comments) 2 weeks prior – Agenda Finalized 1 week prior – Committee reports finalized

and sent to board IN ADVANCE Board prepares for meeting by reading all

material

Board Meeting Materials

Board Meeting Packet What is in it?

Reviews and Summaries Amendments Policies and Bylaws

When does it go out? No later than one week prior to the meeting date

Who prepares it? Committee Chair/Board Chair/Lead Administrator

Who receives it? All board members

Also make copies for public or make available on school website

Committee Reports Provided (7 days ahead)

Focused on Mission Based Outcomes Information should directly align with the

goals of organization as a whole: School (i.e. Operations, Student Performance,

Personnel) Board (Governance, Policies, Finances ,

Compliance) If it doesn’t inform the board on the Mission

Based Outcomes and support the board in achieving the organization goals…It should not be discussed in the board meeting.

Committee Reports EXPLAINED

Information – items are sent merely to keep the board informed. Not necessary to discuss at the meeting

or should have very limited time on the agenda

Discussion – the “deep dive” on the matter

Action – some final discussion and any comments that may have come in the previous 30 days before the vote

Four Essential Financial Reports Should be timely, accurate and comprehensible

The balance sheet Demonstrates current net worth of organization Assets, liabilities and equity

Cash flow statement Demonstrates all transactions for a period What comes in…and goes out

Income and expense statement Makes a miniature budget for the particular

period The budget versus the actual report

Demonstrates whether the school is meeting goals, making a profit (cumulative)

Signs of Ineffective Meetings

Lack of order during discussion Only a few members are actually working Excuses…“We are only volunteers” Poor time management Advanced materials do not relate to the

school’s or board’s goals Wrong people driving the bus Lead Administrator does the majority of

the talking

Key Components of Effective Meetings

Open and Transparent Behavior (Open Meeting Laws, Public Records)

Agenda Setting Advanced Board Materials (Strategic Plan) Meeting follows parliamentary procedures

Voting members clearly defined and participating.

Meetings focus on the key issues facing the school based on the Five-Year Strategic Plan)

Meeting is evaluated (Plus/Delta)

Purposeful Board Meetings (Staying on task)

ALL members should: Control interruptions and digressions Respectfully interrupt and redirect

rambling Know and follow the parliamentary

procedures identified in your bylaws Present motions when a topic

continues to stall a meeting

Purposeful Board Meetings(How Members Get Their Say)

Present Motions Second Motions Debate Motions Vote on Motions

**Remember, Board chair must restate the motion so all members of board and audience can hear the motion and all voting according to Open Meeting Laws must be completed in open session.

OPEN MEETINGS LAW

NC Charter School Boards of Directors’ Meetings are Subject to the Open Meetings Law

Open Meetings Law

Meetings must be open to the public and provide notice in advance of the meeting date, time, and location: Regular Meetings: Seven Days and Posted (web

site, and any other media approved by board) Special Meeting: 48 hours

o Including Subcommittee Meetings Emergency Meeting: Immediately after notice is

given to ALL board members

* Minutes approved monthly and kept in a location available to public

North Carolina Open Meetings LawClosed (Executive) Session

Must state purpose of going into closed session: One or more of the nine legal purposes

must be stated verbally. (Note purpose in the minutes)

Closed session discussion MUST be kept confidential

Minutes are minimal

OPEN MEETINGS LAWThe 9 Legal Reasons to Go Into Closed Session1. Privileged Information – General Statute 132 (Personnel, Student, Closed Session)2. Discuss Award or Scholarship3. Consult with attorney (not about general policy)4. Expansion: (Real estate/business negotiation)5. Negotiations: (terms of employment contracts)6. Personnel matters7. Investigate concerns of criminal matters8. Form emergency plans for response to School violence9. Briefings from law and safety (public safety issues or response to terrorism)

North Carolina Open Meetings Law Closed (Executive) Session

Come out of Closed Session to vote (Motion must restated so public understands what the vote is for)

Must come out of Closed Session to Adjourn Meeting

Boards/Committees are subject to Public Records

Public records are documentary materials made or received by government agencies in North Carolina in carrying on public business. Public records include materials written or created by the government and its employees.

Public records include both paper and electronic documents, emails, papers, letters, maps, books, photographs, films, sound recordings, magnetic or other tapes, electronic data-processing records, artifacts, or other documentary material, regardless of physical form or characteristics.

Board Meeting Minutes

Should not be transcriptions but topic sentences, strategic questions, and actions by the board.

Should align with the agenda Motions should be clearly stated along

with the individual who made the motion and seconded the motion.

The vote on motions should be clear

Additional Recommendations

Executives and board members should spend a day or two at a world-class school.

Focus on building a culture of high achievement.

Allocate time in every board meeting to evaluate how well the school is performing academically.

Human capital is everything. There is no substitute for the right board members, teachers, and CEO.

Additional Recommendations

It’s difficult to have a vision, if you have yet to open your eyes.