The Art of School Boarding: What Every School Board Member Needs to Know

by Jim Burgett

Overview

School board rookies or veterans, superintendents, administrators, and the education-guiding citizenry are the reading targets for Jim Burgett’s newest K-12 book (of six). The Art of School Boarding should also be mandatory reading for candidates seeking school board election.

As Burgett explains in easy-reading detail, being a school board member is not a political position, nor one of royalty. It’s held in modest esteem. Board members deal with families, law, curricula, finances, mandates, athletics, the fine arts—the list goes on. No pay, tough issues, lots of controversy, much reading—oh yes, the future of the community is also in its hands.
“School Boarding” is an art. Boards have their own purpose, means, personality, process, and protocol. These pages discuss the basics of this particular boardsmanship, and school governance, the role of the board, its members, and the administration. It explains ethical expectations, a specific Code of Conduct, and how the board handles community concerns and builds relationships. Dozens of case studies also provide examples and insight from other, veteran board members and administrators.

The common sense of these straightforward, jargon-free pages explains what present or future board members must know.

Twelve words or phrases capture the core of The Art of School Boarding: leadership, superintendent selection, vision, morale standards, relationship building, trust, policy development, the law, ethics, educational support, setting expectations, and the chain-of-command.
This is the book’s table of contents:

1. Boarding Basics
What does a Board Member Do?
How much time is involved?
What are the pros and cons of Boarding?

2. Why Does Anyone Want to Board?
Know Why You Want to Serve
The School Boarding Questionnaire

3. The Foundational Principles of School Governance
The Board Clarifies the Purpose
The Board Connects with the Community
The Board as Employer
The Board as Delegator
The Board as Monitor
Fundamental Boarding Responsibilities

4. Board Roles and Superintendent Roles
What does the Board Do?
What does the Superintendent Do?
What is the Relationship?

5. Boarding Code of Conducts
Formal Codes
Common Sense Codes

6. Know the Chain of Command
Memorize the Organizational Chart
Direct Others to the Process

7. Learn the Art of Receiving and Responding to Complaints
Catching the Complaint
Throwing the Complaint

8. Never Forget Who Comes First
Rethink Your Reasons
Analyze Your Actions
Stabilize Your Center

9. Money Matters
Understand Your Role with Money
Know the Importance of Financial Stability

10. Programs and Growth
Understand the Fundamentals of Schooling
Understand Growth

11. Relationships

12. School Boarding at it’s Best
Characteristics of an Exemplary Board Member
Your Legacy

13. Expert Advice

14. Taking Care of You

15. The Ride

Jim Burgett regularly speaks nationwide to school administrators, teachers, and board members throughout the United States. He is also the author of Teachers Change Lives 24/7 and coauthor of Finding Middle Ground in K-12 Education, What Superintendent and Principal Needs to Know, and The Perfect School. For 40+ years Burgett has taught and served as principal and superintendent at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. He was twice named administrator of the year by his peers.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940045295253
Publisher:	Gordon Burgett
Publication date:	09/19/2013
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	789 KB

About the Author

Jim Burgett is a veteran educator, nationally recognized education speaker, and consultant. He was named the “Illinois Superintendent of the Year” by the American Association of School Administrators and "Administrator of the Year" by the Illinois Association for Educational Office Professionals. Burgett has received numerous honors and recognition for his leadership and skills as a motivator. Jim serves on many boards for the State of Illinois, various professional organizations, the Editorial Board for an educational publisher, and several community organizations.

He is the recipient of the Award of Excellence from the Illinois State Board of Education, was named a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International, and was a finalist for Teacher of the Year in Illinois.

After earning a B.S. degree in education, with a minor in chemistry, at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Jim earned his M.S. and C.A.S. degrees at Northern Illinois University. Jim has continued his educational training and currently writes and presents Administrative Academies for several states.

Education has been the cornerstone of his career. Jim has been a teacher of grades five through twelve and a principal of elementary, middle school, and high school. During his 38-year tenure, Jim has served as the Superintendent of the Elizabeth Community Unit School District, the River Ridge Community Unit School District, and the Highland Community Unit School District, all in Illinois. Jim retired from the Blue-Ribbon Highland District in 2004.

He has frequently published in professional journals, speaks across the country to a variety of organizations, and has keynoted most major educational conferences in Illinois.

Jim Burgett is known for his practical leadership. He consults many districts, leads strategic planning sessions, and has been a leader in such areas as school construction, administrative standards, and effective teaching strategies.

Jim Burgett's wife, Barbara, is a medical records specialist for a senior citizen service complex in Highland. Jim and Barb have three children and five grand children. Their oldest child is Stacey, is a nurse-administrator at an area hospital. She is married to Brian Zobrist, a medical technician. Stacey and Brian have three children, Rachel, Andrew, and Grace. The second daughter is Jennifer, a former high school Spanish teacher. Her husband Mike is a Regional Specialist for a communications hardware company. Jennifer and Mike have two children, Nick and Paige. The youngest Burgett child is Doug, recently graduated from the University of Illinois as a graphic artist in computers and media.

In addition to being a co-author, in 2003, of What Every Superintendent and Principal Needs to Know, Jim participated in the "Excellence in Education for Superintendents and Principals" report series by writing "How to Handle the Death of a Student, Faculty, or Staff Member" in 2004.

Jim participated in the revising and updating of the second edition of What Every Superintendent and Principal Needs to Know in 2007 and both co-authored the book The Perfect School (with Jim Rosborg and Max McGee) and wrote his own book, Teachers Change Lives 24/7: 150 ways to do it right, all in the same year!