The Board ensures creation of a shared vision that promotes student learning and success.

The Board adopts a vision that:

 * Keeps the district focused upon the present and future needs of all children;

 * Is based upon community beliefs;

 * Serves as a guide to all board deliberations, decisions and actions.

II.   STRUCTURE

The Board  provides guidance and direction for accomplishing the vision.  The Board:

 * Focuses its actions on policymaking, planning and evaluation;

 * Adopts a strategically-based planning and decision-making process which enables segments of the community to contribute meaningfully to achieving the district's vision;

 * Adopts an Educational Plan for Student Success and adopts policies that support the Plan; its vision, mission and goals.

 * Adopts a collaboratively developed budget to support the Educational Plan for Student  Success;

 * Oversees the management of the district by employing and evaluating a Superintendent.
 

The Board measures and communicates how well the vision is being accomplished through:

 * A systematic, timely and comprehensive review of achievement, effectiveness and efficiency  through  reports by the Superintendent;

 * Review of assessment tools measuring student achievement;

 * Annual review of district policies;

 * Progress reports to parents and community;

 * Annual evaluation of the Board.

The Board promotes the vision and its support for children by:

 * Clearly communicating the vision, mission and goals to the community.

 * Adopting a comprehensive Communications Plan ensuring an effective two-way communications system with students, employees, media and community;

 * Developing partnerships with community, business and governmental leaders;

 * Recognizing the achievements of students, staff and others;

 * Playing an active role in community leadership.

V.    TEAMWORK

The Board works with the Superintendent to lead the district toward its vision through:

 * Understanding of respective roles;

 * Board development/training;

 * Following policies, procedures and ethical standards;

 * Respecting the representative governance structure by supporting decisions of the board.

VI.     COMMITMENT

Board members admit that the most surprising discoveries about board service are:

*  The great amount of time and energy it takes to be an effective board member.

*  The tremendous variety of concerns with which the board deals.

*  The burden of board-related communications.

*  The abrupt change from "citizen" status to board member status.

*  That the roles, responsibilities and relationships of the board and administration in  operating the school district do not match initial assumptions.

Years ago when the role of the board member was perceived more as a "trustee" the current legal requirement of holding at least one regular board meeting per calendar month may have been realistic.  Today, however, most boards hold more than one meeting per month with some holding weekly meetings.  These may include:

  Regular Board Meetings
  Special or Emergency Board Meetings
  Work Study Sessions - open meetings with staff (issues, reports, etc.)
  Public Input Meetings - no decisions, only public comment
  Judicial Hearings - grievance/discipline matters.
  Planning Retreats, etc.

Individual board members will also be involved with Board Committees and certain advisory committees, spending hours on the phone with constituents, some of which will undoubtedly be employees and reading all the materials in preparation of meetings.

Board members can easily spend 15 hours per week on Board-related business.

The greatest need expressed by board members to NMSBA is that of training. 

The state statute 22-5-13 and Public Education Department regulations for required training are as follows.

By statute, board members are required to attend five (5) hours of training a year which will be monitored by NMSBA.

The New Mexico State Board of Education (now the PEC) approved that the following types of training receive credit for the state mandated training statute:

1. Public Education Department (PED) Workshops
a. Workshop for newly elected or newly appointed board members will be held at the Board Institute in
February or March (defined as having been on the board for fewer than 6 months)
b. Workshops such as the Spring Budget Workshop

2. NMSBA Conference Sessions (Breakouts and Approved General Training Sessions) to include Celebrating Educational Opportunities for Hispanic Students Conference.

3. Region Meetings (one hour training component)
Board members may receive more than two points for region meetings each year by attending meetings that have different training session topics.

4. Individual Board Trainings Sanctioned or Sponsored by NMSBA

Examples of Workshops that WOULD Count: Training on Roles and Responsibilities of Board Members, Superintendent Evaluation Workshop, Goals Development Sessions, Board Self-Evaluation Workshop, and Strategic Planning Sessions.

5. Other types of training approved by the Public Education Department and New Mexico School Boards Association such as points for conferences sponsored by National School Boards Association.

A sound code of conduct begins with a genuine commitment to striving for excellence in public education and a firm set of principles under which quality governance can be provided.