3 Keys to Running a Successful Charter School Board

When Managing Your Board Feels like a Chore…

Your school board meeting kicks off in 30 minutes, and you are frantically copying & pasting together an agenda after an exhausting workday. You’re sharing results from Q1’s fundraising efforts and feeling frustrated by the board's lack of involvement. Your treasurer will mention how you need to recruit more board members (like he always does) to help with fundraising, but your last addition took months to onboard and has yet to contribute anything to the organization. Meanwhile, your phone is getting blown up by a disgruntled parent as your DFO knocks on your door to share financials. You don’t have time for this.

Sound familiar? Many school leaders describe their boards more like a liability to their schedules than a boost to their organization. Don’t give up hope. A well-managed board can free up your time and take your organization to a level where you cannot lead it alone. You just need some tools to tame the chaos. Here are three keys to running a successful board with some helpful templates!

KEY 1:
Recruit & Onboard The Right Members

As a school leader, you work diligently to hire the best teachers and staff members, but when it comes to your board it feels like you are haphazardly fishing for volunteers. Recruiting board members with the same integrity and intensity as you do staff will have an outsized impact on your organization.

First, consult your 2-3 year vision and determine what skills/expertise you will need to get there. Look for gaps in your current team that a new member could fill. Charter schools commonly need experts in finance, real estate, law, education, HR & community to grow and develop.

Second, reach out to notable local businesses or institutions to find professionals who align with your needs and who may be willing to serve. Don’t hesitate to tap your current board members and staff for recommendations as well.

Third, interview the candidates. You’re not just looking for members who are industry experts, you’re also looking for people who resonate with your school’s mission. The National Charter School Center has put together great interview questions. 

Once you’ve recruited and voted in your superstars, you need a seamless onboarding process to check all the legal boxes and allow your new members to become active contributors. We’ve put together a New Board Member Onboarding Checklist, New Member Survey, and a welcome email template to help you get started on the right foot.

KEY 2:
Use Templates to Tame Your Meeting Management

Now that you’ve got the right people around the table, you need to streamline your board meetings. The simplest solution is to use effective templates so that you are not burning time creating documents every month.

We recommend using a template for your annual meeting schedule, email meeting reminders, agendas, meeting minutes, and board resolutions.

By creating these templates, you will save time, become a more reputable school leader, increase board participation, and remain in good standing with the law. To skip the busy work, download CheckBox Pro’s Board Management Templates. Update the templates with your school’s name, logo, and any state requirements and you’ll be ready to run your first meeting.

KEY 3:
Roll-Off Board Members with Purpose

Board limit terms are a double-edged sword for school leaders. On one hand, it’s an opportunity to recruit fresh talent to serve your school during a new season. On the other hand, you could be losing a valuable, mission-aligned player from your team. Because of your bi-laws, board terms should not come as a surprise, giving you plenty of time to plan ahead. Here are some tips to turn roll-offs into an opportunity rather than a headache:

Invite board members to help replace their positions

If you’re losing an excellent team player with important industry knowledge, ask them at least 6 months in advance to help recruit for the position within their network. If they are in finance, for example, there’s a good chance they have colleagues who are aware of your school and who have similar skills. 

Encourage Ongoing Philanthropy

Just because your board member has fulfilled their term of service, doesn’t mean they can’t be involved in the work of the school moving forward. Keep past board members in your donor database for future efforts.

Update Internal & External Collateral

It’s important to keep internal and external information accurate. Having a past board still listed on your website or email list is confusing and unprofessional. Click here to access our Board Roll-Off Checklist to make sure you are keeping things up to date.

Save Time. Improve Effectiveness.

In essence, if you take the time to recruit and onboard the right board members, use templates for yourself to stay organized, and roll off board members by purpose, then you can dramatically save time and improve the effectiveness of your school’s governing body.