ABSTRACT
Under typical state statutes, board members are limited in authority to act and do what they do when they meet as a group. Individually, board members are not "on the clock" in terms of their power and authority. Difference Makers know that decisions through board consensus are more likely to be enacted by leadership with the tools to implement them directly. The best model for school board and thus for school district governance is when boards of education hire, evaluate, and at times dismiss their superintendents, set policies and budgets, reflect and pass along community sentiment. Boards and superintendents should not operate on whims, emotionally. Superintendents trust their boards to reflect what the community wants of their schools; boards trust superintendents to do "just that." Board presidents provide assurances to superintendents that they can lead without micromanagement; superintendents provide assurances to board presidents that they are open to questions and inquiries.
