Board of Directors Meeting September 14, 2016

 14 September 2016, 5:30PM – 1160 N 645 West, Washington, Utah

Agenda Item	Presenter	Questions to answer	Time
Workshop Start	Chair		5:30
Review/Revise Policies	Chair	Board Member Code of Conduct Board Committee Principles Board Training Policy Head Lice
Strategy Discussion
Workshop End			6:25
Board Meeting Call to Order	Chair		6:30
Read Vision and Mission Statement	Chair
Approve Minutes from Previous Meeting	Secretary
Public Comment			6:35
Presentation on St. George Academy	St. George Academy	SGA would like to give our students preferred lottery placement in 8th grade. Is it a good match? Do we feel comfortable promoting them to our shareholders?	6:40
Director’s Report Short Celebration Average Daily Membership Classroom size Breakdown Staffing Academic Progress Report	Director		7:00
Closed Session to consider results from Background Checks	Chair		7:10
Finance Report Monthly Finance Statement· Draft Year-end Financials What is the Audit Status	Business Manager	How do actual expenses compare to the school’s budget?	7:15
Board Governance Policy Review	Chair	Are any changes to the reviewed policies needed?	7:25
Adjourn	Chair	What did you like about this meeting, what did you dislike, what needs to be changed for the next meeting?	7:30

 

 

Board Member Code of Conduct and Ethics

Board Approved 18 Mar 2014

The Board commits itself and its members to ethical, businesslike, and lawful conduct, including proper use of authority and appropriate decorum when acting as Board members.

1. Members must demonstrate loyalty to Dixie Montessori Academy, not conflicted by loyalties to staff, other organizations, or any personal interest.
2. Members must avoid conflict of interest with respect to their fiduciary responsibility.
   • There will be no self-dealing or business by a member with the organization.  Members will annually disclose their involvement with other organizations or with vendors and any associations that might be reasonably seen as representing a conflict of interest.
   • When the Board is to decide upon an issue about which a member has an unavoidable conflict of interest, that member shall withdraw without comment not only from the vote but also from the deliberation.
   • Board members will not use their Board position to obtain employment in the organization for themselves, family members, or close associates.  A Board member who applies for employment must first resign from the Board.
3. Board members may not attempt to exercise individual authority over the organization. Members’ interaction with the Director or with staff must recognize the lack of authority vested in individuals except when explicitly authorized by the Board.  Therefore, no individual board member, including the Board Chair, shall give any staff member of the school, including the Director, any directives or unsolicited suggestions.
   • Members’ interaction with the public, the press, or other entities must recognize the same limitation and inability of any Board member to speak for the Board except to repeat explicitly stated Board decisions.
   • Except for participation in Board deliberation about whether the Director has achieved any reasonable interpretation of Board policy, members will not express individual judgments of performance of staff or the Director.
   • The Board will respond as a whole to parent complaints only after the Director has addressed them or attempted to resolve them, as outlined in Board Policy.

4. Members will respect the confidentiality appropriate to issues of a sensitive nature.
5. Members will be properly prepared for Board deliberation.
6. Members will support the legitimacy and authority of the final determination of the Board on any matter, without regard to the member’s personal position on the issue.
7. Members will read and comply with Utah Code 67-16-1 through 15, also known as “Utah Public Officers’ and Employees’ Ethics Act”.

Board Committee Principles

Board Approved 18 Mar 2014

Board committees, when used, will be assigned so as to reinforce the wholeness of the Board’s job and so as never to interfere with delegation from Board to Director.

1. Board committees are to help the Board do its job, never to help or advise the staff.  Committees ordinarily will assist the Board by preparing policy alternatives and implications for Board deliberation.  In keeping with the Board’s broader focus, Board committees will not have direct dealings with current staff operations in an official capacity.
2. Board committees may not speak or act for the Board except when formally given such authority for specific and time-limited purposes.  Expectations and authority will be carefully stated in order to prevent conflict with authority delegated to the Director.
3. Board committees cannot exercise authority over staff.  The Director works for the full Board, and will therefore not be required to obtain the approval of a Board committee before an executive action.
4. Board committees are to avoid over-identification with organizational parts rather than the whole.  Therefore, a Board committee that has helped the Board create policy on some topic will not be used to monitor organizational performance on that same topic.
5. Committees will be used sparingly and ordinarily in an ad hoc capacity.
6. This policy applies to any group that is formed by Board action, whether or not it is called a committee and regardless of whether the group includes Board members.  It does not apply to committees formed under the authority of the Director.

Board Training Policy

Board Approved 18 Mar 2014

Because poor governance costs more than learning to govern well, the Board will invest in its governance capacity.

1. Board skills, methods, and supports will be sufficient to ensure governing with excellence.
   • Training and retraining will be used liberally to orient new members and candidates for membership, as well as to maintain and increase existing members’ skills and understandings.
   • Outside monitoring assistance will be arranged so that the Board can exercise confident control over organizational performance.  This includes, but is not limited to an annual financial audit.
   • Outreach mechanisms will be used as needed to ensure the Board’s ability to listen to stakeholder viewpoints and values.
2. Costs will be prudently incurred, though not at the expense of endangering the development and maintenance of superior capability.
   • Up to $5,000 per fiscal year for training, including attendance at conferences and workshops.
   • Up to $5,000 per fiscal year for audit and other third party monitoring of organizational performance.
3. The Board will establish its Cost of Governance budget for the next fiscal year during the month of February.

Head Lice Policy (Proposed)
DMA will adhere to the Guidelines of the Utah Health Department regarding lice. Administration will have procedures in place to communicate with families that may be affected when lice is discovered.