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B/SR-1    Governance-Management Connection
The Board’s official connection to the operational organization is the Superintendent, functioning as the Chief Executive Officer.

To facilitate communication, the Superintendent may designate other senior administrators as Board contacts. These will be specified in Section X-A (Board/Superintendent Communication) of the Board Operating Procedures.

The internal auditor and/or the legal counsel are recognized as positions that serve both the Board and the Superintendent. In the event there are interests that conflict, of either a legal or ethical nature, between those of the Superintendent and the Board, the internal auditor and/or the legal counsel will serve the interests of the Board.

B/SR-2    Unity Of Control
Only decisions of the full Board acting as an entity are binding on the Superintendent. Accordingly:

2.1    Decisions or instructions of individual Board members, officers and committees are not binding on the Superintendent.

2.2    In the case of Board members or committees requesting information or assistance without Board authorization, the Superintendent may refuse such requests that, in the Superintendent’s opinion, require a material amount of staff time or resources or that are disruptive or unreasonable. In such cases, the Superintendent will redirect the request to the full Board for authorization.

B/SR-3    Accountability of the Superintendent
The Superintendent is the Board’s official link to the operational organization except in those instances when the Board may interact directly with the legal counsel and/or the internal auditor. All authority over and accountability of staff is considered to be the responsibility of the Superintendent. Accordingly:

3.1    The Board will never give direction to persons who report directly or indirectly to the Superintendent.

3.2    The Board will not evaluate any staff member other than the Superintendent, absent the request of the Superintendent.

3.3    Except as required by law, the Board will not participate in decisions or actions involving the hiring, evaluating, disciplining or dismissal of any employee other than the Superintendent.

B/SR-4    Delegation to the Superintendent
The Board will instruct the Superintendent through written policies that prescribe the organizational Results to be achieved and describe organizational conditions and actions to be avoided. The Board will support a reasonable interpretation of those policies by the Superintendent. Accordingly:

4.1    The Board will develop policies instructing the Superintendent to achieve defined end results for identified students, or subgroups of students, with a designated priority of time and resources. These policies will be developed systematically from the broadest, most general level to more defined levels, and will be called Results policies.

4.2    The Board will develop policies which limit the latitude the Superintendent may exercise in choosing the organizational means to achieve the Results. These policies will be developed systematically from the broadest, most general level to more defined levels, and they will be called Executive Limitation policies.

4.3    As long as the Superintendent uses a reasonable interpretation of the Board’s Results and Executive Limitation policies, the Superintendent is authorized to establish all further policies, make all decisions, establish all practices and develop all activities the Superintendent deems appropriate to achieve the Board’s Results policies.

4.4    The Board may change its Results and Executive Limitation policies at any time, thereby shifting the boundary between Board and Superintendent domains. By doing so, the Board changes the latitude of choice given to the Superintendent. However, as long as any Board-specified delegation of authority is in place, the Board will respect and support a reasonable interpretation of its policies, even though Superintendent choices may not be the choices the Board or its members may have made.

B/SR-5    Monitoring Superintendent Performance
The Board will view Superintendent performance as being identical to organizational performance. Superintendent job performance will be monitored systematically against only the Superintendent job expectations: reasonable progress toward organizational accomplishment of the Board’s Results policies, and organizational operation within the boundaries established in the Board’s Executive Limitation policies. Accordingly:

5.1    Monitoring determines the degree to which Board policies are being met. Information not formally presented as monitoring data and that does not contribute directly to this purpose is not considered monitoring data.

5.2    The Board will acquire monitoring data on Results and Executive Limitation policies by one or more of three methods:

5.2.a    By internal report, in which the Superintendent discloses information and certifies compliance to the Board;

5.2.b    By external report, in which an external, disinterested third party selected by the Board assesses compliance with Board policies;

5.2.c    By direct Board inspection, in which the whole Board formally assesses compliance with the appropriate policy criteria.

5.3    The consistent standard for compliance for Executive Limitation policies shall be whether the Superintendent has reasonably interpreted and acted within the scope of the Board policy being monitored; and for Results policies determination of whether reasonable progress is being made toward achieving the Board’s described Results. The Board will make the final determination as to whether Superintendent interpretation is reasonable and whether reasonable progress is being made.

5.4    All policies that instruct the Superintendent will be monitored on schedule and by a method chosen by the Board. The Board may monitor any policy at any time by any method, but as a rule will depend upon the schedule reflected on the Annual Agenda Planning Calendar and at the end of each individual policy.

5.5    Each January the Board will conduct a formal summative evaluation of the Superintendent. The summative evaluation will be based upon data collected during the year from the monitoring of Board policies on Results and Executive Limitations. A written evaluation document will be prepared by the Board. The Superintendent and the Board will review the document in executive session.

5.6    The evaluation document will consist of:

5.6.a    A summary of the data derived during the year from monitoring the Board’s policies on Results and Executive Limitations;

5.6.b    Conclusions based upon the Board’s prior action during the year relative to whether each result has been achieved or whether reasonable progress has been made toward its achievement;

5.6.c    Conclusions based upon the Board’s prior action during the year relative to whether the Superintendent has reasonably interpreted and operated properly within the boundaries established by the Executive Limitation policies;

5.6.d    A summary of the Superintendent’s strengths and weaknesses relative to achievement of the Results policies and operation within the boundaries established in the Executive Limitation policies. After the Board has met with the Superintendent to review the Annual Summative Evaluation, the Board and Superintendent will hold a press conference to provide a summary report on the Superintendent’s Evaluation. Nothing in this policy is intended to imply the establishment of any personal rights not explicitly established by statute, contract or Board policy. All employment decisions related to the Superintendent, including contract agreements, remain the sole discretion of the Board.

B/SR-6    Board/Superintendent Covenants
In order to build and maintain productive and effective relationships between the Board and the Superintendent, both the Board and the Superintendent will maintain a system of communication and interaction that builds upon mutual respect and trust. Accordingly, the Board and the Superintendent will:

6.1    Exercise honesty in all written and interpersonal interaction, avoiding misleading information.

6.2    Demonstrate respect for the opinions and comments of each other.

6.3    Focus on issues rather than on personalities.

6.4    Maintain focus on common goals.

6.5    Communicate with each other in a timely manner to avoid surprises.

6.6    Criticize privately, praise publicly.

6.7    Maintain appropriate confidentiality.

6.8    Openly share personal concerns, information knowledge and agendas.

6.9    Make every reasonable effort to protect the integrity and promote the positive image of the district and each other.

6.10    Respond in a timely manner to requests and inquiries from each other.