OFFICIAL: BOARD MUST STRIKE BALANCE BETWEEN RESPONSIVENESS, LEADERSHIP

ST. LOUIS -- The Cape Girardeau Board of Education must strike a balance between responsiveness and leadership when dealing with issues, said an official with the Missouri School Boards Association.

The official, Carter Ward, spoke with school board members Friday at the board's annual retreat in St. Louis. The meeting concludes today. Evaluation of Superintendent Neyland Clark's performance is on today's agenda.

School boards have a volatile job because they deal with people's children and people's pocketbooks, Ward said. Both generate lots of interest and strong feelings.

But he warned against giving special interest groups too much power in decision making. School boards must do what they believe is best in educating children, Ward said.

Boards work on a continuum with responsiveness on one end and leadership on the other, Ward said. Each board must strike a balance.

"Be sure to listen to these constituents. Be polite. Get them into the system," he said. "But you are looking at a lot bigger picture."

School boards face eroding local control and fast-changing state and national legislation. Locally, board members said, they face issues of redistricting and discipline.

At the same time, they must deal with community complaints over the superintendent's and board's performance.

The board came to the retreat with signatures of just over 1,000 patrons expressing a desire that the superintendent's contract not be extended.

"Are 50 or 100 or 1,000 people `the community?'" Ward asked. "I don't think so."

Several board members echoed the belief that they have a responsibility to make decisions they believe to be in the best interest of children, even if the decisions don't match community wishes.

Board member Lyle Davis said, "I think the community elects seven people to become educated about the issues and to vote accordingly." Generally, he said, people want school board members to take care of business.

Trouble arises when the board's goals aren't the same as community goals, said board member Pat Ruopp.

Ward agreed. "People have an expectation of board action that is not the same as good boardsmanship," he said. For example, Ward said a parent might expect a board member to intervene on behalf of their child with a teacher, not something a board member should do.

Good boardsmanship, Ward said, comes from building teams, setting goals and then working toward those goals.

Ward talked about the importance of the board speaking with one voice. Before a decision is made, board members should voice their differing opinions, but once a vote has been taken board members should support the decision, even if they dissented.

"Have you ever seen a team win anything if individuals are calling their own plays?" he asked.

In addition to a closed session today to evaluate Clark, the board is scheduled to hear reports from district administrators in open session.