Anthony Strong had a message for board members attending his ethics training session during KSBA’s 2018 Annual Conference:
“When we think about ethics, a lot of times it’s not all black and white; it’s about what you can do and what you think is right to do.”
Strong, who is superintendent of Pendleton County Schools, taught a new session titled “The Ethical Edge: School board members and their constituents.”
When discussing constituent ethics, Strong said PR is an important aspect but “it’s not the PR you think about in terms of public relations.” Instead, PR deals with personal responsibility and positive relationships.
“You as a board member have a responsibility to your constituents to do and behave in an ethical manner in working with the public,” Strong said. “Along with that, it requires positive relationships as an elected official working with school superintendents and working with the community. We're charged somewhat to have those positive relationships. It doesn't mean that we have to agree with everybody and everything, but we should work at it in a positive way.”
Anthony Strong
School board members should be aware of three areas of constituent ethics: election campaigns, serving constituents during board meetings and serving constituents outside of board meetings.
Candidates for the school board should explain to voters the reason they are running for office and what experience they have that will help them be successful on the board. Candidates should also avoid making commitments during a campaign, including promising to get a new superintendent, to save a school or to not raise taxes, Strong said.
It is important for a board member to communicate with constituents not only during an election but also throughout their four-year term. “It you’re sharing as you go, people will have a better understanding of what’s going on with the board,” Strong said.
Board members also have an ethical responsibility to become part of a school board team. Once a decision is made the board should speak with one voice, even though some may have cast dissenting votes.
“Once the majority has spoken, there's an ethical responsibility to join the rest of the team; hold hands and move forward and do it,” Strong said. “I’m not saying you can't have that other opinion, not saying you can't share that other opinion with people in your community, but you don't want to create a situation where you're still getting people charged up about an issue or doing something that's going to take away from the school system and, more importantly, take away from instructional time for the children, because that's the reason you're there.”
Outside of board meetings, members should be visible within the community. “Parents want to see board members at events and, believe it or not, students do, too,” Strong said.
Board members also need to know the difference between hearing their constituents and listening to their constituents. Strong described hearing as “accidental, involuntary and effortless” while listening is “focused, voluntary and intentional.”
“Parents know when they come to you with a problem whether you're hearing or listening,” Strong said. “When you're listening, you're trying to find out what their issues are. You need to ask more questions to clarify what's going on. Don't be defensive.”
Board members should avoid telling constituents which way they plan to vote for an issue before hearing all sides of the issue at the meeting. Strong said it’s OK for board members to say which way they are leaning and why, but it is best to avoid making a commitment to vote one way or another because they might change their mind at the meeting.
When talking with a parent, board members should recognize the chain of command within schools and the district and encourage them to contact the right official.
“Be sure to say, upfront, these are the things I can do, here are the things I can't do, here's what I can do in the meantime to help your situation and be honest and upfront and do that,” Strong said. “Don't try to fix something that you can't fix because typically it gets you into more issues and problems down the road with your constituents.”