Investments
Governance

School Board Member Training Initiative

As part of our commitment to building strong governance systems, SchoolSmartKC has invested in the production of a comprehensive training program, made available to all school board members. This training program comprises of 24 unique virtual training modules, split between three categories: Finance, Law, and Leadership.

These training sessions are designed to be taken non-sequentially, with school board members able to dive in on specific issues that are relevant to their own personal interest or experience. Our goal is that 90% of new charter school board members will complete all 24 tutorials in 2022, and the 50% of existing board members will do the same.

Academie Lafayette school kids

The investment in and production of these web tutorials marks an important step in SSKC’s work to ensure our school boards demonstrate highly effective and efficient governance practices.

In addition to the web-tutorials, SSKC has also developed a system of self-assessment and evaluation to show board maturity, assist with creating tools and processes to improve board meetings, and other systems to support basic compliance functions. We are also hosting regular convenings and outreach to ensure board members are supported. A full list of training sessions is as follows:

Overview

  • Board and School Scenario

Finance

  • The Path of Public Funds
  • The Role of Private Funds
  • Fiduciaries and Futurists
  • Effective Fiscal Policies
  • Equity, Education and Resources

Law

  • Foundations of Charter School Law
  • Five Legal Musts
  • Governing Proactively to Avoid Risk
  • Protecting Student and Staff Rights
  • Using the Law to Support Equity
  • Board Meetings and the Law

Leadership

  • The Current National Charter School Landscape
  • Equity: How a Board Listens
  • Understanding Student Achievement Measures
  • A Healthy, Professional Board-CEO Relationship
  • Growth and Development of the board
  • History and the Impact of Race and our Education System
  • Equity: Assets and Barriers to Success
  • Equity: The Value of Partnerships and Other Resources
  • Linking Student Outcomes and Resources
  • Equity: Achievement Within the Student Population
  • An Annual Board Calendar that Ensures Focus
  • Board Time on Outcomes

    Related Content