Dealing with a vindictive board member.In a neighboring neigh·bor n. 1. One who lives near or next to another. 2. A person, place, or thing adjacent to or located near another. 3. A fellow human. 4. Used as a form of familiar address. v. school district near where I worked as superintendent, a parent became irate i·rate adj. 1. Extremely angry; enraged. See Synonyms at angry. 2. Characterized or occasioned by anger: an irate phone call. over his son's limited playing time on the football field, so the father decided to run for the board of education with a single-minded pledge to get rid of the varsity coach. He became a single-issue candidate and subsequently a vindictive board member. The superintendent became so occupied in trying to defend the football coach that the superintendent also became a target of the bull-headed board member. The issue became so publicly negative that ultimately the coach and the superintendent both lost their jobs. Vindictive board members usually seek an elected position of authority because they have had an unpleasant experience in the school system and they think the solution is to become a member of the board of education so they can seek to remove a specific employee or a program (sex education, social behavioral behavioral pertaining to behavior. behavioral disorders see vice. behavioral seizure see psychomotor seizure. teaching, etc.). Others target a single issue--limiting the school tax or changing attendance boundaries--with uncompromising annoyance or anger. During an election campaign, single-issue board members can become quite vocal about their personal gripe gripe v. To have sharp pains in the bowels. n. 1. gripes Sharp, spasmodic pains in the bowels. 2. A firm hold; a grasp. with the school district and express, verbally and in writing, exactly what they are going to do about it if elected to the board. Vindictive candidates often recruit others who've had some negative experiences with the school district to support their campaign. When that happens, the vindictive person begins to think he or she is the "voice of the people." An ego becomes inflated. Reaching Out Once a vindictive candidate is elected to the board of education, a superintendent may want to assist the difficult board member in becoming a valuable part of the school district's governance Governance makes decisions that define expectations, grant power, or verify performance. It consists either of a separate process or of a specific part of management or leadership processes. Sometimes people set up a government to administer these processes and systems. team without singling him or her out as an individual. * Majority rules. Help all board members understand that it is the will of the board, not the will of individuals, that provides the direction of the board. The vindictive board member usually has the notion that he or she can make sole decisions. Such a member does not (nor want to) understand that each board member has one vote and that only the majority of the full board has any power to make decisions. This is usually a difficult step to overcome as vindictive board members typically have made promises to followers followers see dairy herd. during the election campaign and now find themselves in a position where they cannot keep those promises. This disappointment in itself often leads to further disgruntlement dis·grun·tle tr.v. dis·grun·tled, dis·grun·tling, dis·grun·tles To make discontented. [dis- + gruntle, to grumble (from Middle English gruntelen; see and may lead to other concerns for the superintendent and other board members. * Decide as a full board. Initiate a decision-making decision-making, n the process of coming to a conclusion or making a judgment. decision-making, evidence-based, n a type of informal decision-making that combines clinical expertise, patient concerns, and evidence gathered from process that identifies differences in opinions and plan a course of action that includes the whole board. The process is usually very basic with each board member voicing a position on an issue before discussion, after discussion and prior to a vote. This will give single-issue board members a sense their opinions are being heard, but they also must listen to and value other board members' opinions before the board as a whole decides an issue. * Offer input. Anticipate the vindictive board member's position and provide input before any decisions are made. If it is known that the vindictive board member is causing a particular problem, such as telling a principal how to deal with a disciplinary matter, meet with him or her and discuss the situation, provide information and input, and stress the importance of dealing with the problem in a pro-active pro·ac·tive or pro-ac·tive adj. Acting in advance to deal with an expected difficulty; anticipatory: proactive steps to prevent terrorism. , positive way prior to a board meeting. * Institute a "no surprises" rule. The board should act to implement a rule that states no board member is allowed to bring up any new or controversial issue at a board meeting for the purpose of discussion in public, and the board president should enforce it. Exercising Ethics * Follow an ethics code. The board might adopt a code of ethics Code of Ethics can refer to:
n a technique used to encourage a desirable behavior. Also called positive feedback, in which the patient or subject receives encouraging and favorable communication from another person. of professionalism professionalism the upholding by individuals of the principles, laws, ethics and conventions of their profession. for the entire board and should be exercised when a single-issue board member's words or actions turn unprofessional. * Prevent the problem rather than cure it. The possibilities include running a workshop for all board candidates before an election. Then work with new board members as soon as they are elected by providing an in-service in-service In-service training adjective Referring to any form of on-the-job training noun In-service training of an employee program on roles and responsibilities conducted by the board's attorney. Board members need to know their actions (such as sharing executive session information with outside sources) may cause individual lawsuits and could lead to limiting their function as a board member. A discussion on board policies, contracts, etc., also is needed. Support in-service programs for new members, as well as the entire board. Ultimately, it's the role of the superintendent, hand in hand with the board president, to keep the board functioning as a team, a positive team at the top filters throughout the school system. Terre Davis, a former superintendent, is president of TD & Associates, 682 County Road 66, Westcliffe, CO 81252. E-mail: terredavis@aol.com |
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