As the school year comes to a close, the Hawaiʻi Board of Education is committing to higher standards of communication and transparency with its community.
Two board members attended the National School Boards Association conference in Texas last month, which focused on best governance practices and child development insights.
Board member Sylvia Lee said she took away three lessons that she wants the board to implement: more clarity in how the responsibilities of the board differ from those of the state Department of Education; more transparency and communication surrounding goals and student achievement; and creating regular, structured self evaluations.
“Successful boards maintain a ‘fingers out, eyes in approach,’ focusing on high-level policy, and leave day-to-day operations, such as the procurement of local edible produce, to the DOE,” Lee said. “Our BOE governance handbook should show and set measurable public facing indicators. Our community should be able to track our progress on student outcomes as easily as they track the budget.”
Lee said the highlight of the conference was the emphasis on self evaluations. Established in 2015, board Policy 400-1 lays out the roles and responsibilities of the governing body, including the need to self-evaluate and create both long- and short-term strategic plans.
“The most effective boards treat self-evaluation not as a chore, but as a professional accountability system,” Lee said.
The board will present its next self-evaluation at its June 18 meeting.
