Welcome, New Public School Academy Board Member
Saginaw Valley State University welcomes you as a new member of a Public School Academy Board of Directors. You are among the dedicated pioneers of innovation who are striving to improve education. As a board member, your contributions are vital to this effort and your willingness to serve is deeply appreciated.
Unlike traditional school systems, which have the structure for board and school operations in place, Public School Academy boards are often learning their duties while simultaneously overseeing the performance of a school often in the start-up phase.
Your main responsibilities as a board member are to:
- consistently serve the best interests of students and parents,
- set policy then delegate implementation of policy to school personnel,
- monitor the implementation of policy and procedures,
- assure the mission and goals of the school are being achieved,
- work as a team with other board members and the school staff, and
- monitor to see that contract obligations to SVSU are fulfilled.
The Saginaw Valley State University Board of Control authorizes Public School Academy charters and appoints board members to each of the schools. The board of the Public School Academy has a contract with SVSU that states the obligations to be fulfilled in order to operate. Once the school is in operation, the School/University Partnership Office ensures that the school complies with all state and federal regulations governing public schools. The Partnership Office also provides training for new board members.
As a new Public School Academy board member, it is important to remember that the school belongs to the school community. As such, you may see your personal ideas about education altered. Policies governing schools may slow what you hoped to accomplish. Individually, and as a group, the board may be the target of criticism from parents and/or staff. Mistakes are magnified in the eyes of the public and sometimes reported by the media. Sometimes being a board member can be a thankless job.
The board’s mission is to demonstrate leadership in service to the school. It achieves this by setting goals and by collaborating with each other, the parents, students, and staff. The rewards are great for board members who can embrace the challenges. You will experience extreme pride in seeing students learn and achieve, knowing you played a significant part in making it possible.
The purpose of this training manual is to assist you in carrying out your responsibilities as an effective board member.
Ron Schneider
Director