District News
School Board approves procedure on relationship between Board and Superintendent
The Seattle School Board on Wednesday unanimously approved School Board Procedure 1620BP, which clarifies the roles and responsibilities of both the Board and the Superintendent.
Board members noted the collaboration among members, including at a recent Board retreat.
“I think we had a good conversation and a valuable part of the process was coming together as a group,” said Dir. Sherry Carr on Wednesday night. “Thank you for the energy and enthusiasm on this.”
To read the full procedure, see http://bit.ly/SPS1620BP
Board procedure 1620:
- Describes the working relationship between the Board and Superintendent.
- Creates a process by which Directors may request work of staff.
- Delegates the authority and responsibility for hiring and terminating employees to the Superintendent.
- The Board and Superintendent commit to maintaining a climate of mutual respect and civility at all times.
- Explains how the Superintendent will be held accountable for the areas of responsibility delegated to him or her.
“This was an opportunity to craft legislation we could all agree on to guide our work with our new superintendent and our interim superintendent, “ said Dir. Kay Smith-Blum. “We all came away with new knowledge about how to work together effectively as a group.”
Procedure 1620 clarifies Board Policy No. 1620 (http://bit.ly/SPSBoardPolicy1620) which was adopted by the Board on June 1, 2011. Board President Michael DeBell proposed the procedure in January. Directors discussed and made edits in several meetings, including an amendment from Dir. Sharon Peaslee Wednesday night, before voting 7-0 on the amended procedure.