School Board

SPRING GROVE AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT SCHOOL DIRECTOR POSITION DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE: School Director

SELECTED BY: Local Electors

RESPONSIBLE TO: The General Assembly of Pennsylvania, residents, taxpayers, parents, staff, and students.

MISSION:
To help discharge the constitutional responsibility of providing a thorough and efficient education system for students using local and state funds. To help plan, enact policy, and evaluate the results of those policies as one of nine members of the elected school board.

The board acts as a legislative body within the framework of state laws and regulations. The authority of the board is defined as what is explicitly authorized or what is necessarily implied by state law and regulations. Decision-making power is limited to group decisions exercised only at duly advertised public "sunshine" meetings. No board member has legal authority as an individual, outside of these public meetings, unless authorized by a vote or resolution of a majority of the board.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Represent the general public interest (the "common good") for all people within the community.
• Know enough to ask the right questions. Do your homework. Attend seminars and avail yourself of other learning opportunities.
• Hold public meetings at least once every two months.
• Spend as many hours as necessary per month on school board activities.
• Hire a superintendent and an administration who understand that their role is to carry out policies enacted by the board. Work harmoniously and honestly with them.
• Provide adequate and effective personnel for staffing the school program.
• Encourage improvement of the educational program through continuing staff and board development.
• Bargain with teachers and other groups of employees pursuant to Act 195 (1970) and Act 88 (1986) if they are unionized. Conduct Act 93 "meet and discuss" meetings with administrators.
• Provide direction to administrators through properly drawn policy statements
• Provide and maintain educationally efficient school facilities.
• Secure adequate financial resources and adopt a yearly budget.
• Approve textbooks between April and October of each year, as recommended by the superintendent.
• Ensure that disabled children receive a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment, pursuant to federal and state laws.
• Provide transportation for non-public students as far as 10 miles outside of district boundaries.
• Maintain two-way communications between the board and students, employees, parents, taxpayers, and the community-at-large.
• Locally file the state Ethics Act Financial Disclosure forms (but not amounts) of your individual income and indebtedness.

KEY PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES:

• Planning -- At least once a year, evaluate goals established the previous year. These goals should be consistent with the District's mission statement.
• Review, revise, and create policy.
• Evaluating -- The board evaluates the policies, programs, and the superintendent's performance. It also provides for adequate in-service and development programs. At least once a year, the board should engage in a self-evaluation activity. The superintendent evaluates the administration. The administration evaluates teachers and other employees.
• Work as an effective team member and help build teamwork.
• Keep the superintendent and fellow board members advised of community reaction to school policies.
• Encourage and support the superintendent to consult with staff and the community to seek opinions and recommendations for board consideration.
• Timely approval of the budget and operational plan.
• Attend all board meetings. 

Principles for Governance and Leadership

Pennsylvania School Boards are committed to providing EVERY student with the opportunity to grow and achieve, and the School Board members of the Spring Grove Area School District are no different. The actions taken by this Board of School Directors ultimately have both short and long-term impacts in the classroom.

In order to maintain the highest level of integrity in leadership and governance of our School District, school directors adopted School Board Policy #011, Board Governance Standards / Code of Conduct on March 17, 2014. These Standards and Code of Conduct are used as a framework surrounding decisions made by the board as a governing body.  

On January 10, 2022, school directors collectively reaffirmed the standards of Policy #011, in addition to the Principles for Governance and Leadership. When you attend a meeting of the nine-member Board of Directors of the Spring Grove Area School District, you can be assured that these standards and principles are providing the foundation upon which decisions of the members rest.