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BOARD RELATIONSHIPS

Board Relationships

Alexander W. LaForest

School of EDD: Administration and Supervision: Educational Leadership, Liberty University

EDAS743: Executive Leadership in Curriculum and Instruction

Dr. Janet Citty

June 19, 2022

Author Note

Alexander W. LaForest

I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Alexander LaForest. Email:

alaforest@liberty.edu
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BOARD RELATIONSHIPS
Board Relationships

As a leader of a school community maintaining an effective and ever-growing

relationship with the Board of Education is a priority. Being able to have an open dialogue about

the goals, endeavors, and potential issues is a must. If these channels were to not exist or become

damaged, then the relationship between the board and educational leadership would begin to

break down. In many of these circumstances the best action is prevention. To best prevent this

miscommunication of ideals it is good to discuss everything in an open format, where notes and

statements are published and can be revisited.

If I were to ever feel that the board was micromanaging my decisions, before even

approaching the board I would want to verify that my feelings are valid. I would look back into

past communications regarding what was said would be accomplished and how both the board

and I said this would be done. If my actions are aligned to the set timetable and steps that were

agreed upon, then I would bring this to the board privately. Coley (2006) writes, “An effective

administrator establishes healthy, productive working relationships with others involved in

school governance in order to maintain a harmonious school climate” (ch. 4). I believe that to

breed this harmonious climate an open dialogue must be prior existing. The purpose for bringing

concerns privately is to not build speculation. I would hope that through my actions of handling

this privately with the board that it would be able to be accomplished without fostering

insecurities in my staff. I believe that it is important whether existing or not, for the visual

relationship between the board and superintendent to be positive and productive. The discussions

and disagreements can happen behind closed doors, however if the dirty laundry is aired for

everyone to see, then this could lead to not only staff members feeling unsure about their

positions in district but families as well.

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BOARD RELATIONSHIPS
As stated, inconsistencies can breed concern when it comes to other stakeholders. When

interacting with the Board of Education it is important to have clear expectations. Additionally, it

is important to continually revisit and revise them (Johnson, 2017). Much like handling

micromanagement, I would first look inward to make sure that I have handled the task asked of

me with fidelity. If I have accomplished this, then the concerns would need to be brought to the

board. To ensure that no one’s time is wasted I would make sure to have a detailed account of the

issues at hand. Depending on issues and what is causing the miscommunication, revisions might

need to be made to provide clarity on communication and tasks that are being handled. Barring

the gravity of the situation, a letter from my office or the board would need to go out to address

and appease concerns. Personally, I believe that it is important for an open line of

communication between all stakeholders in education. Discourse surrounding inconsistencies in

communication and public concern should walk a tight rope to make sure to not besmirch

anyone’s title or leverage in the community, but to work towards repairing lost faith.

Much like many foundations of my leadership beliefs, I believe it is best done by

example. The same way that I look to interact with the Board of Education, I would like my

administration to work with me. Such as being able to establish workshops to address and

evaluate policy, create a set system of norms, agree on priorities, and working to maximize

delegation and minimize micromanagement (Harvey et al., 2013). These are methods I look to

implement in my relationship with the board, and I would hope my staff would implement with

myself. Harvey et al. (2013) additionally discuss the honeymoon phase, “the period when the

board members talk about what a great person they selected…you can do no wrong” (p. 82).

While it is true that you can indeed do wrong, there is an air of grace during the honeymoon

phase. During this time, all members are working to build-up another. However, if this
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honeymoon phase becomes overextended, this is where it becomes detrimental. Oftentimes the

pendulum swings in the opposite direction whereas a reaction then everything becomes bad.

Pendulums though will only swing reactively as far as they have been pulled. In leadership if we

stay positive with an air of grace and caution within bounds, we do not need to aggressively

swing to the negative. In this sweet spot we find the ecosystem for openness with our

administration. A mindset that can be used to help foster this is being solutions focused. By

doing so not only do we address the issue but are also actively looking for ways to implement

change.
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References

Coley, K. S. (2006). The helmsman: Leading with courage and Wisdom. Purposeful Design.

Harvey, J. S. J., Cambron-McCabe, N. H., Cunningham, L. L., & Koff, R. H. (2013). The

superintendent′s fieldbook : A guide for leaders of learning. SAGE Publications.

Johnson, R. (2017) Trust at the Top - Enhancing the Relationship Between the Head of School

and Board Chair. [Video].

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