This Just In ...

Is the Franklin School Board planning to abdicate its responsibility?

Posted by Kevin Fischer on May 4, 2011

The following is from a very astute and concerned This Just In reader:


Have you ever heard of “Policy Governance?”  http://www.carvergovernance.com/model.htm

Debbie Larson, Franklin School Board President and Dr. Patz bring up implementing Policy Governance during the April 6th School Board meeting (http://youtu.be/c-tNNnGvT0k).  

When I heard about this, I did a quick internet search and found these articles:

http://tinyurl.com/6fxkpbd - from Nevada where 10 years of Policy Governance “makes us look ridiculous”

http://www.uiowa.edu/~cyberlaw/governance/ - this details the implementation and problems of Policy Governance starting in 1999.

http://www.fwps.org/info/board/governance/ - this is from a Washington State’s school system with their website being used to sell the concept. We are expected to believe that this new policy somehow empowers the school board to be more effective and better focused.

1.       The school board “sets the Vision for the District” – AREN’T OUR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS ALREADY SUPPOSED TO DO THIS?

2.       The school board “determines the ENDS they want the schools to achieve” – ISN’T THIS WHAT WE ELECTED THEM TO DO?

3.       The school board has 2 major roles: Set Policy and Hire/Review Superintendent Performance meeting those policies – See #1

4.       Governance allows delegation to district staff operational details so Board doesn’t get bogged down – See #1 again.

5.       What deep rooted problems do we have in Franklin that justify this measure?

This policy shift is already in use in Wisconsin at: Racine Unified, Burlington South and Oshkosh School Districts.

I encourage everyone to email their Board Member and tell them that “We the People” do not want them spending tax money on this Policy Governance scheme.  Reading the info I found, this is what implementing Policy Governance will bring:

1.       School Board members loosing individual voices to speak out on issues (the board must speak with “one voice”).

2.       Complaining Citizens have to Petition the school board to get heard then the board votes to determine IF the board will hear the complaint.

3.       Policy creation allow School Board members get to abandon their responsibility to act in the public interest as stewards of the school district.

4.       School District Superintendent are allowed to usurp responsibility from the school board and assume duties not specifically granted.

5.       School District Superintendent acting as some sort of “CEO of the School District” with these new assumed powers.

6.       What problems do our schools have that this expense will solve… dropout rates, low ACT scores, lack of championship sports?

The idea of “Policy Governance” is usurping local control and permits the elected the School Board members to give more power to an unelected head (read that as District Superintendent) of the schools.  The ugly fact is that this is handing over our school budget to the administrators, plain and simple.

If the District and Board President push for implementing this type of governance – it will require hiring a “Consultant” and  “BLITZ Training” plus continuing training which will all come at an expense to the taxpayers.  Overall, this will result in less citizen involvement and reduced local control of our schools.

Based on what I’ve found and read, there is simply no need to implement this program, to create a new expense now and not deep underlying problem in Franklin Schools that warrants this move.

In researching this, I found examples nationwide where districts implemented this program and found themselves in financial troubles or policy trouble which resulted in abandoning this after just one to four years.  This is a waste of tax dollars with no real benefit.