Critical Issue: Leadership and Governance Issues
Overview
Governance refers to the method by which a school is organized, structured, and managed. It
includes the policies, procedures, lines of accountability, and traditions that have been
developed or that have evolved over a period of time. Good school leadership is reflected in
governance. The proper use of policy and procedure development, decision-making processes,
financial and facility management, and communication skills are essential to an effective,
quality school ministry.
The leadership of ________ Lutheran School operates using a policy-based governance model.
As a policy-oriented board, the Board of Directors delegates as much decision-making as
possible; the board primarily focuses on the vision and identity of the institution.
The ________ Lutheran School Executive Director is empowered to take all actions and make
all administrative decisions that are deemed necessary to attain the mission and vision of the
school. In doing so, he serves as the visionary, spiritual, relational, academic, and fiscal leader
for the association. The Executive Director, in turn, works with three school administrators
(middle, elementary, preschool) who are responsible for the daily operations of the respective
school programs.
The SSAC team makes no value judgment on the policy-based governance model or the school
administrative structure; effective school leadership can be achieved under the current format.
However, the focus groups participants and individuals interviewed during the visit
expressed concerns about the roles, relationships, communication, and effectiveness of the
school administration and Board of Directors.
As a result, the SSAC team recommends that the association work toward reviewing its
governance model and administrative structure to clarify roles, relationships, decisionmaking, and lines of communication.
Overview
While the leadership at ________ Lutheran Church and School see the changing community as
an opportunity for outreach, they have not been able to effectively coordinate a unified and
accepted plan to address the challenges and opportunities that the changing community poses
to ________ Lutheran Church and School. It is obvious to the leadership that the congregation
can not continue to financially support the school at current levels for the long term. They have
recently embarked upon a strategic planning process with Paul Brandt of the Pacific Southwest
District. It is their hope that the Diagnostic Visit will provide more information that will be
helpful in developing a strategic plan.
Governance refers to the method by which a school is organized, structured, and managed. It
includes the policies, procedures, lines of accountability, and traditions that have been
developed or that have evolved over a period of time. Good school leadership is reflected in
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Critical Issue: Leadership and Governance Issues
governance. The proper use of policy and procedure development, decision-making processes,
financial and facility management, and communication skills are essential to an effective,
quality school ministry.
The focus groups interviewed at ________ Lutheran Church and School have expressed serious
concerns about the overall leadership effectiveness of the administration and school board.
As a result, we express the following concerns and make the following recommendations.
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Critical Issue: Leadership and Governance Issues
Concerns and Recommendations
1. The governance roles and relationships between the Board of Directors, Executive
Director, and School Principals are unclear. There is general confusion and uncertainty as
to how the policy-based system is implemented and what adaptations of the governance
model are appropriate for use in the association.
Recommendation:
a. The Board of Directors will provide annual training and review for its board members
and Executive Director. Use a policy-based governance consultant (Ross Stueber, Robert
Fowls, John Dehne) that is familiar with its use in a Lutheran elementary school setting.
b. The Board of Directors, in consultation with the Executive Director, will ensure that
appropriate administrative time is allocated to the school administrative staff to
accomplish the duties and responsibilities of the respective positions.
c. The roles and relationships of the Board of Directors and Executive Director are clearly
defined in the Board Policy Manual. However, this information has not been effectively
communicated to staff, parents, and congregation members in a way that is easily
understood. To that end, the Board of Directors will:
1. Provide informational meetings for staff, parents and congregation members to
clearly describe and define the governance structure, including lines of
accountability.
2. Provide information on job descriptions and responsibilities so that staff, parents
and congregation members can understand and appreciate the unique dynamics of
the association and multiple-campus structure.
3. Use language and examples that are easily understood (not “policy” language).
4. In consultation with the Executive Director, include information on the decisionmaking process (i.e., finances, staffing) and how conflicts and grievances may be
resolved.
d. The Executive Director will meet with the School Principals on a regular (weekly) basis
for the purpose of sharing the “big picture” items, as well as addressing school-related
operational issues. Use this time for strategic and tactical planning. Mutual respect,
support, teamwork and collegiality can be fostered through open sharing and a
willingness to collaborate on sensitive and important issues.
e. The Executive Director will meet with the ________ Lutheran School Board of Directors
chairman on a regular (bi-weekly) basis for the purpose of reviewing board agenda
items, policy statement, and information-sharing on the school operational issues.
f. The Executive Director will schedule an all-staff meeting for the purpose of defining and
explaining the roles and relationships of the Board of Directors, Executive Director, and
School Principals.
1. Use language and examples that are easily understood (not “policy” language).
2. Use “real” examples of how past decision-making was and was not effective in the
current governance model. Be open to admit process-failure where and when
appropriate.
3. Use “real” examples on how staff questions and concerns can and should be handled
for resolution. Provide a framework for staff members to address parent concerns
without overusing the Matthew 18 “policy”.
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Critical Issue: Leadership and Governance Issues
4. Provide time during the all-staff meeting for the School Principals to convene with
their respective staffs for team-building and to address issues that may affect staff
morale.
2. Focus groups and individuals cited the lack of adequate teacher and staff supervision.
Recommendation:
The school principal should conduct formal evaluations of every staff member at least one
time during the school year, as well as provide periodic informal evaluations during the
year. Regular parent and student surveys would give additional input regarding job
performance. Keep in mind that evaluations should be used for improvement of
instruction. First year teachers and new teachers to the school will require additional
support and supervision.
The principal can:
a. Use a pre-observation form that identifies the components of the lesson to be filled out
by the teacher being evaluated.
b. Observe the lesson based on the components identified in the pre-observation forms.
c. Conduct a post-evaluation conference with the teacher that focuses on strengths and on
areas that need improvement.
d. Document any agreed upon improvement plans to address noted concerns.
e. Do informal evaluations weekly and monthly.
f. Enlist fellow teachers to evaluate their colleagues on a rotating basis.
g. Develop and use surveys with students and parents.
h. Report to the school board annually on the evaluations that have been done.
3. Job descriptions and role definitions are not well defined.
The current job descriptions for the principal, preschool director, faculty, and staff are not
clearly defined and updated.
Recommendation:
a. The School Board should coordinate the review, update, and documentation of all job
descriptions to ensure that all school staff (principal, teachers, aides, secretary, etc.) are
fully integrated to meet the ministry and support needs of the school. The job
descriptions should include, but are not limited to:
1. Qualifications
2. Performance standards
3. Evaluation procedures
4. Lines of accountability
b. The pastor’s role with the school should be clearly defined by the Board of Directors or
Elders, as is appropriate.
4. Annual evaluations of the administrative staff are not being done.
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Critical Issue: Leadership and Governance Issues
Recommendation:
The School Board should develop an evaluation tool to annually evaluate the principal and
preschool director. The evaluation should include:
b. A rating on each point in the administrator’s job description.
c. A formal interview of the administrator related to his/her specific job description.
d. Parent, teacher, and student surveys based on how the school year has gone.
5. Current policies are not adequate to properly govern the school.
Recommendation: The school board should establish a schedule for reviewing existing
policies and should identify areas of new policy to be written. School Board members are
encouraged to seek guidance and help with the great responsibility given them. Download
the School Board Policy Manual from the LCMS website (www.lcms.org) and/or contact
Rachel Klitzing, Pacific Southwest District, or Bill Cochran, LCMS School Ministry, to
conduct a training seminar for School Board members.
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