Project designed to give future board of directors' candidates a clear picture of duties and expectations
The KSBA Board of Directors has embarked on an extensive project that will result in a set of “profiles,” spelling out the duties and tasks involved in serving in any elected leadership role for the association’s 872 members.
During its annual strategic planning retreat March 30-31 at Dale Hollow State Park, the KSBA board agreed to a series of special meetings between now and late June to identify the critical duties, responsibilities and tasks involved in serving on the association’s leadership body.
“The goal is to detail what is involved in effectively serving as an officer, a director-at-large and a regional chairperson,” said Kerri Schelling, KSBA’s director of Board Team Development and the lead staff person on the initiative. Shelling oversaw the development two years ago of a “profile” of what is involved in general school board service in Kentucky.
“You signed up for a lot of work when you ran for the KSBA board, and the people who follow after you need to understand the job, what can be gained by their service and what they are expected to contribute,” she said. “The profile also may help potential board candidates avoid signing up for something they really aren’t interested in.”
Over the next three months, KSBA board members will travel to Frankfort for 1 ½-day sessions to spell out areas like training needs for newly-elected representatives, the their role as ambassadors for KSBA and public education in general, and especially the “criticality” of specific responsibilities a local board member accepts upon agreeing to serve on the association’s board.
KSBA Executive Director Bill Scott said he was not aware of another school boards association in the country that has undertaken such an initiative.
“In the past several years, we’ve seen a marked increase in the interest among members to serve on the board of directors,” Scott said. “We’ve had multiple candidates seeking board seats at the state and regional levels. That’s marvelous as an indication of how our members see the importance of this body as well as their willingness to share their uncompensated time to improve public schools across the state.”
Schelling said she hopes that the set of board of directors’ “profiles” can be ready for the full board’s consideration by its June or September meeting.
Photo above: KSBA Board Team Development Director Kerri Schelling spells out the process for developing a series of "profiles" on the various board positions to members of the association's board of directors March 31 at Dale Hollow State Park.