CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – It’s been 20 years since the Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board adopted a governance model that delegated much of their authority to the director of schools. Now, a proposal is on the table that would return some of that authority to the board.
Under the “policy governance” model, the School Board has operated by voting on policies presented by the director of schools and their staff to achieve end goals that further the quality of education in CMCSS.
On Jan. 7, Mark Nolan, board attorney, presented the board with a copy of a new proposal. Executive Limitation 14, spearheaded by board member Aron Maberry, would return a sizeable chunk of policy authority to the elected board members.
What is policy governance?
In 2003, under Schools Director Sandra Husk, in an effort led by board member Jim Mann, the board scrapped its old procedures and adopted policy governance. The model was inspired by John Carver’s policy governance, which allows a board to focus on larger issues by delegating some of its authority to management entities in order to achieve the organization’s goals and fulfill the mission.
During the CMCSS Board retreat in October, it was explained that the CMCSS board “loosely” follows Carver’s model.
The CMCSS model entrusts the director with the authority to execute the decisions of the board without the board members getting “bogged down” in the details. In turn, CMCSS has 13 executive limitations, which are policies that set boundaries for how the director can operate.
The board is responsible for setting the policies that govern the district, developing the system budget and holding the director accountable for reaching the district’s goals. Some of the more recent items the board has been tasked with considering have been the approval of charter schools, rezoning districts, naming of schools, and the presence of age-appropriate materials.
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On Oct. 8, the board heard from TSBA representatives about the differences between the CMCSS policy governance model and what’s in place at other school boards across the state. CMCSS stands alone statewide in using the model, and the other boards have much more policy authority. It sparked some discussions that left many wondering if the board gave away too much of its authority 20 years ago.
EL-14 proposal
Maberry’s new proposal, Executive Limitation 14, would establish clear procedures for reviewing administrative policies by the board.
Under the proposal, the director must share any new or updated policies with the board at least 10 days before reviewing them with the leadership team. It would also give the board more control, as members can request that any policy be discussed in their study sessions, ensuring they have a say in any changes.
EL-14 could potentially slow down the implementation process since policies can’t be put into action until after the board has finished their review or officially approved them. It also allows for the board to make adjustments to its own rules on what the director can or can’t do:
“At the Study Session, the Board may discuss the policy or policies, and any member may present a motion to be voted on at the following formal session to add to or amend its Governance Policies to define the latitude of choice given to the Director of Schools. As such, the Director of Schools shall not implement any policies reviewed by the Board until after the Board has formally completed its review by either providing feedback or formally voting.”
EL-14 would also come with its own annual monitoring process, a report that would be delivered every June.
The School Board is expected to take up EL-14 at its next meeting, Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 6 p.m. at the Central Office board room, 621 Gracey Ave.
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