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Board Operating Norms

Protect, Conserve, and Advance Public Education's Progress

Through our commitment and work, the members of the Edina School Board will strive to provide an excellent public education that meets the needs of all students in our district. The academic excellence we expect is accomplished in partnership with our students, parents, teachers, administrators, non-licensed staff, and community members.

The purpose of this document is to provide governing expectations and consistency for the conduct of the school board. This document serves to supplement our policies, which exist to provide a code of ethics, structure, operating guidelines, general meeting parameters, and the basic roles and responsibilities of our school board. 

General Board Conduct

As a board, we will model the leadership and relationships we seek to build with others. How we run meetings, interact with each other, district staff, and the community sends clear signals about how we value the mission, values, and vision we have established for the Edina School District. Collaborative relationships based on trust, respect, and accountability will build credibility and inspire confidence in our leadership, our vision, and the work of Edina Public Schools.

In fulfilling our roles of the Edina School Board, we will:

  1. Make our decisions based on the available information, and in the best interest of all students. This obligation supersedes (a) any conflicting loyalty a member may have to advocacy or interest groups, (b) loyalty based upon membership on other boards or staff, and (c) conflicts based upon the personal interest of any Board member or any member of their family.
  2. Make every attempt to attend all board functions, including committee meetings, and remain informed of activities, programs, and incidents in the district within the board’s purview.
  3. Respect and remain mindful of the different roles within the school system, including, but not limited to, the School Board, the Superintendent, Administrators, Teachers, and Staff.
  4. Not publicly criticize an employee or other board member.
  5. Meet with district personnel only after notifying the Superintendent, and attend staff
    meetings, staff training, and other administrative events only upon invitation.
  6. Accept responsibility for all board decisions, regardless of the vote, and speak with one voice after a decision has been made.
  7. Take no private or public actions that will compromise the District.
  8. Participate, when possible, in opportunities that provide professional growth and commit to continuous improvement through annual self-evaluation.

Role of the School Board and Superintendent

The role of the School Board is to be the trustee of public education and to protect, conserve, and advance its progress. The role of the Superintendent is to lead district operations and to implement board policy and decisions. The Board recognizes the Superintendent as the chief executive officer and expects recommendations, proposals, and suggestions from the Superintendent on matters before the Board.

In order to honor the district roles of the Superintendent and Board:

  1. Staff interaction will be facilitated through the office of the Superintendent; as such, the board will meet with district personnel only after notifying the Superintendent, and attend staff meetings, staff training, and other administrative events only upon invitation.
  2. The board recognizes that only the board as a whole has power, and no individual board member has authority or power independently.
  3. The board will focus on strategic leadership rather than administrative details, observe clear distinction between board and superintendent responsibilities, and give direction through majority decisions of the full board rather than through individual decisions.

Meeting Protocols

We shall conduct business through a set agenda that advances district goals. The Board Chair and Superintendent will ensure the agenda is appropriately balanced to provide adequate time for deliberation of each issue. As a general practice, we will endeavor not to vote on a new issue in the same meeting in which the issue is presented. Items will be addressed in subsequent meetings through planned agenda items, unless it is determined by the Board Chair or Superintendent that it would be detrimental to delay the issue. (EPS Policy 203 Operation of the School Board)

While every board member has the right to request an agenda item or a change to an agenda at a board meeting, as best practice in preparing agendas and materials for Board meetings, we will strive to follow Policy 203, Section E.

As best practice when conducting board meetings and work sessions, we will strive to:

  1. Engage in meaningful, professional, focused, and open discussion.
  2. Start and end on time, utilize a timekeeper, and maintain a timed agenda with meeting objectives in order to have effective and efficient meetings.
  3. Invite input from all board members, be respectful of everyone’s thoughts and ideas, and allow an opportunity for board member input. Articulate clearly and concisely and on topic.
  4. Express our opinions and beliefs about issues. Board discussions will be open and candor encouraged. Honest disagreements are legitimate and have an appropriate place on the board; however, board members shall respect one another's opinions and shall not criticize one another in an inappropriate manner.
  5. Focus on issues rather than personalities.
  6. Come prepared by reading the packet before the board meetings and work session.
  7. Ask administrators to share only highlights of the meeting’s reports.
  8. Remain on the topic(s) communicated on the agenda posted before the meeting or work session.
  9. Refrain from the use of cell phones during board meetings and work sessions.

Board Committees

The Edina School Board uses committees to discuss issues related to policy, governance, teaching and learning, and finance and facilities. Board Committees are used to clarify issues, elicit board questions, and prepare for public presentation of policies, issues, and decision-making. As committees do not have a quorum, committees are in place to make the board work more efficiently and effectively. Committees do not have decision-making authority.

Communications

The Edina School Board will be planful and systematic in its communications to set
expectations, enhance understanding, and build support with each other and the community.

In Board communications, we will strive to:

  1. Have the Superintendent update the entire board on issues on a bi-weekly basis via email.
  2. Communicate with the community through regular board meetings, District Communications Office publications, meeting minutes, and public hearings or listening sessions.
  3. Board members will avoid expressing concerns and opinions regarding school and district issues in private social media pages.
  4. Board members will not use email as a substitute for deliberations and board meetings or for communications or business properly confined to board meetings.
  5. Board members should avoid reference to confidential information about employees, students or other matters in email because of the risk of improper disclosure.
  6. Speak and/or write in an official capacity outside the board room only when given specific authority from the Board.
  7. Communicate to the Board only through the Superintendent or Superintendent/Board Administrative Assistant. Board members will not send emails to a quorum of the Board.
  8. A designee of the Board will respond to community emails that warrant a response from the School Board via the School Board's group email; the entire board will be copied on the response. Certain issues will be sent to the Superintendent for the administration to review. Board members may respond to personal emails on substantive district or board information after coordinating with the Superintendent.

Information Request Procedures

The School Board and Administration will work together to identify the information and
data needed for board decision-making. The Board will be cognizant of the district’s limited resources and time when requesting action from staff.

When a Board member is seeking data or information, we will strive to:

  1. Recognize the distinction between “monitoring data” (data used by the school board to address accountability) and “management data” (data used by the staff for operations).
  2. Limit requests to information related to issues before the Board.
  3. Make all requests either to the full Board or to the Superintendent, who will review all information requests to determine if the information is readily available.
  4. If the information is readily available, the requested information shall be provided to the full Board in a public setting to comply with open meeting law.
  5. If the information is not readily available, the Superintendent will work with the Board Chair to present the request to the full Board to determine if the information is relevant, valuable, and a priority. The Superintendent will give an approximate date when the information will be available to the School Board.

Board Liaisons

Members of the Edina School Board, through regular, ongoing communication, participate and collaborate with various state, city, and district organizations that represent varied matters regarding the School District.

  1. Board liaisons represent the interests of the Edina School District and not themselves when they are serving in their liaison role.
  2. If a board liaison cannot make their liaison commitment, it is their responsibility to find a replacement.
  3. Board members are to report back to the board on a regular basis any pertinent topics that the rest of the board could benefit from.

The Board currently serves the following organizations in a liaison capacity:

  • Association of Metropolitan School Boards
  • Minnesota School Board Association
  • Edina Education Fund
  • Talent Development Advisory Committee
  • Student Voice Liaison
  • Cultural Liaison Representative
  • Special Education Advisory Committee
  • World’s Best Workforce
  • Meet and Confer
  • Community Education Services Advisory Committee
  • City-School District Committee
  • Elementary School Sites
  • Middle School Sites
  • High School Representative
  • Early Learning Center