Top 10 things I've learned being a School Trustee

When municipal and school board elections take place this October, I will have served as a School Trustee for 10 years. I have accumulated a lot of knowledge throughout my tenure, but when you are overseeing a $55 million budget, 4,000 students and over 600 staff, there is still a lot to learn. To encapsulate some of the most important things I've learned, I have created a Top 10 List:

1. Students are number one. Every decision we make as a Board comes down to the basic question: how will this affect students? Although parents, staff and our communities are equally important when making decisions, we are advocates for our students, and all of our students. Even though I am elected to Ward D and serve St. Paul South, once elected to a board, I am here for all students.

2. Policy is key. Trustees are elected to govern. And to govern, we need a set of guidelines, or policies, to assist us in our decision-making. I have been on the Board's Policy Committee for most of my 10 years on the board. I admit I am a policy geek and I believe a board cannot function without strong policy. Our Board reviews all of its policies every year and will add new ones where it sees fit. We only have 22 policies which can be found here. As governors, we should not be meddling in day-to-day affairs at our schools. We are here to govern our school division as a whole based on the policies we have created.

3. Communication is crucial. People want to know what is happening at our local schools. The local news media has always been very supportive is getting the word out to our communities, but it is important to have information and consultation with all audiences, internal and external. I have also been on the Board's Communications Committee throughout my trusteeship and have consistently stressed the importance of communications, not only with the public, but with our staff, parents and students. We follow a Communications Plan and we recently hired a part-time social media communications person to inform our communities in the digital world. Although we must legally protect privacy in some cases, our school division has all of its financial information, policies and, and day-to-day news on display, and we regularly consult parents, students, and staff to guide us in our decision-making.

4. You don't have to be an education expert. There are former educators on school boards across the province, and we have a former principal on our board, but the majority of trustees on our board are parents and community members who have a passion for education. As I mentioned earlier, when you are elected as a School Board Trustee, you are there for students and you are there to govern. You may already know about the education goals and strategies set out as a division, as well as the education philosophy of the Superintendent's office. There is a lot to learn as an elected official, but you don't need to know it all at the start.

5. You are a politician. Even though some trustees don't like to call themselves "politicians", that is what you are once you are elected. You are there to lobby the provincial government and to network with other trustees and elected officials, both locally and provincially. Some trustees are more into politics than others, but once you are a School Trustee, you are expected to take a political role to a certain extent.

6. You are responsible for a budget. Our school division operates a $55+ million budget with the majority of the money coming from the provincial government. About 80 per cent of that budget goes to staff wages and benefits, with the other 20 per cent going towards items such as technology, textbooks, transportation, building maintenance, and utilities. Although the Board approves a budget once a year, the numbers fluctuate and budgetary decisions are required throughout the year.

7. The Superintendent is your only employee. The Board hires its Superintendent and conducts annual evaluations set out in policy. The Superintendent oversees all of the 600+ staff across the division; therefore, the relationship between the Superintendent and the Board is vital. Our Board has a strong relationship with our current Superintendent's office and we believe that we are part of a team with our local principals.

8. Planning is important. A Board is responsible for setting division goals and conducting strategic planning via public consultation. Our Trustees regularly attend local school council meetings, we invite our Alberta Teachers Association reps to our monthly board meetings, and we sit in on monthly principals' meetings. We also rely on local and provincial survey information and feedback from our students, staff, parents, and communities. All of this information is used to create our division goals and our Three Year Plan that is submitted to Alberta Education each year.

9. Be prepared for a lot of reading. In order to make informed decisions, you will be doing a lot of reading as a trustee. Daily emails, reports, following news media, and general research will keep you busy.

10. It will take up more of your time than you think. Even though there are only two official board meetings per month, depending on the committees you select, and the daily email correspondence and communication with your communities, be prepared to be "on call" every day. There are also association conferences and business meetings throughout the year, so plan to be away from home from time to time. And don't expect to be paid a lot of money. You will receive an honorarium for meetings you attend, compensation for travel, and a small monthly stipend, but you have to be in it for the passion, not the paycheque.