Tennessee School Boards Association | TSBA

School Board Academies

State Law mandates that school board members attend training. State Board of Education Rules and Regulations require that every board member participate in seven hours of training annually. TSBA provides the training for the five core modules: Board/Superintendent Relations, Advocating the Board’s Vision, Board Policy and Operations, School Finance, and School Law. Planning, Teaming, and four online modules are offered by request.

2017-2018 School Board Academy Catalog

Orientation

Objective:
To provide an overview of the roles, responsibilities and legal duties of school board members.

Special Consideration:
Board members who assumed office after January 1, 2017, are required to attend the orientation session before June 30, 2018.

Description:
This session is designed to meet the needs of new board members. Through active participation in this session, you learn the do’s and don’ts of effective boardsmanship.

Major topics covered during the session include:
• Education’s Governance Structure
• Basics of Boardsmanship
• Finance
• Promotion of the School System
• Board Policies
• Planning
• School Law
• Board/Superintendent Relations
• Board/Staff Relations
• Board/Student Relations
• Hot Topics Facing School Boards

January 11-12, 2018: TSBA Headquarters – Agenda

2017-18 Materials

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Board/Superintendent Relations

Objective:
To provide an overview of the roles and responsibilities of the school board and the superintendent.

Description:
This session focuses on ways to select a superintendent, build the board/superintendent team, and evaluate the performance of the superintendent. During the course of the meeting, you have the opportunity to look closely at both roles and learn more about interrelationships and independence — two essential elements for successful and productive relations. Participants will also review the elements of a superintendent contract.

Major topics covered during this session include:
• Job Descriptions of Board Members/Superintendent
• Roles and Expectations of Superintendent/Board
• Superintendent Selection
• Employment Contract
• Team Development
• Superintendent Performance Evaluation
• Code of Ethics

March 13, 2018: Knoxville
March 16, 2018: TSBA Headquarters
March 20, 2018: Memphis

Agenda

2017-18 Materials

Presenters:

Paul Bennett Dale Lynch

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Advocating The Board's Vision

Objective:
To explore the board’s role in creating a vision for excellence for all students and in building public support to achieve the vision.

Description:
In this session, participants engage in discussion to learn what vision is, how it is created and the critical components it must include. Board members discover how to build public support from all stakeholders for their school district vision, mission and goals. During this session, participants will see the connection between standards of excellence in all areas of the school operation and the vision that they set as a school board. They will also learn how to use data to assess needs, set goals and determine priorities for the school system.

Major topics covered during this session include:
• Exercising Board Leadership Through the Vision Process
• Why Boards Need to Have a Vision
• What Vision Is – What Vision Does – What Kills Vision
• Role of the Board and Superintendent in the Vision and Planning Process
• TN Succeeds: Equity, Expectations and Pathways
• Vision of Students Today
• Global Challenges Facing Students
• Translating Vision into Action
• Using Data to Assess Needs and Setting Goals
• Building Stakeholder Support for the Vision
• Working with the Media
• Board’s Role as a Creator of Public Opinion

April 19, 2018: Johnson City
April 24, 2018: Jackson
April 27, 2018: TSBA Headquarters & Via Distant Learning – Lauderdale County & McMinn County

Agenda

17-18 Notebook

17-18 PowerPoint

Presenters:

Dr. Tammy Grissom Dr. Sharon Roberts

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Board Policy and Operations

Objective:
To provide an overview of the responsibilities of the board and superintendent in board operations and policy development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.

Description:
This session focuses on the importance of school board policy to school board operations. Board members have the opportunity to view a mock school board meeting and participate in an interactive exercise that analyzes portions of the meeting.

Major topics covered during this session include:
• The Structure of Policy
• Policy Development
• Policy Review and Revision
• Administrative Procedures
• Policy Oversight
• Board Leadership Through Policy

May 15, 2018: Knoxville
May 18, 2018: TSBA Headquarters
May 22, 2018: Jackson

Agenda

Presenters:

Ben Torres Jennifer White

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The Board's Role in School Finance

Objective:
To provide an overview of the board’s role in developing the school budget.

Description:
In this session, board members will learn their role in the budget process and how it relates to the board’s mission and vision for the school system

Major topics covered during this session include:
• History of School Finance
• Overview of the BEP
• Local Revenue and Federal Funds
• Budget Process
• How to Reach a Budget Document
• Factors Affecting a Budget
• Building Support for the Budget

May 31, 2018: Jackson
June 14, 2018: Johnson City
June 18, 2018: TSBA Headquarters

Agenda

2016-17 Materials

Presenters:

Chris Henson Robert Greene

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School Law

Objective:
To determine the legalities that govern the school board.

Description:
School board members must be familiar with the legal issues that affect policy. In this session,
participants review the legal duties of the school board and the Tennessee Sunshine Law.

Major topics covered during the session include:
• Powers and Duties of School Boards
• Student Discipline
• Liability Issues
• Students’ Rights
• Employment Issues
• Collaborative Conferencing
• Open Meetings/Open Records
• Charter Schools
• Ethics

June 7, 2018: Knoxville
June 12, 2018: Jackson
June 15, 2018: TSBA Headquarters

Agenda

Materials

Presenters:

Randall Bennett Ben Torres

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Planning: A Joint Venture

Objectives:
• To develop practical skills and increase knowledge in the planning process
• To provide superintendents and board members with methods to develop a common vision and mission statement
• To develop strategies for setting system goals
• To monitor/evaluate results to bring about systemic change
• To provide follow-up and support in Part II for boards who have previously attended a Joint Venture session

Special Considerations:
• The superintendent and majority of the school board must attend.
• Superintendents and school board members meet in large group, presentation, and discussion sessions with other systems as well as with team members in small group settings throughout the two-day workshop experience. The casual meeting site facilities provide a relaxed atmosphere and open communication.

Planning: A Joint Venture I
The importance of planning for a school system’s future is the major focus of this institute. The Tennessee Department of Education and the Tennessee School Boards Association present the steps for establishing a school system’s mission and vision. Also included are strategies to help you plan for school improvement through goal setting, and definitions of strategies, as well as methods to monitor and evaluate results to help you modify plans over time. Participants discuss how to incorporate the State Department of Education’s Strategic Plan and the State Board of Education’s Performance Standards/Master Plan into a school system’s plan.

Planning: A Joint Venture II
For those boards that have attended Planning: A Joint Venture I, Planning: A Joint Venture II is available. In this session, boards review their beliefs and mission statement and report the progress they have made toward their goals. Prior to the sessions, board members are asked to complete a board self-evaluation instrument and mail it back to TSBA to tabulate and analyze. During the session, the facilitator shares the results with the board and leads members through a process to discover ways to improve. Each board has the opportunity to further develop its strategic plan, including in-depth exploration of a board project, or the board may focus exclusively on plans for board improvement.

Agenda

Scheduled by Request

Contact TSBA at registrar@tsba.net or call 615-815-3901 to schedule the Planning: A Joint Venture module.
Teaming and the School Board

Objectives:
To increase collaboration and productivity in a school governance team and support high achievement for all children.

Special Considerations:
The superintendent and majority of the school board must attend.

Description:
Managing a school system is “big business” that educates the majority of tomorrow’s citizens and the success of a school governance team is directly related to the future of our nation.

Major topics covered during the session include:
• Understanding Groups and Teams
• Behavior of School Board Members in Board Situations
• Effective Communication Among the Board Team
• Effective Governance Team
• Trust Building Behaviors
• Build an Effective Board/Superintendent Relationship

Agenda

Scheduled by Request

Contact TSBA at registrar@tsba.net or call 615-815-3901 to schedule the Planning: A Joint Venture module.
eBoardsmanship
Objective:
1. To provide a Boardsmanship Profile to board members.
2. To offer recommendations to increase knowledge and skills in key areas.
3. To determine the effectiveness of the School Board Academy Modules.
Description:

This assessment module is a way for board members, the Tennessee Department of Education, and TSBA to work hand in hand to determine if the modules are taught in a way that is helpful and memorable to you. This tool identifies your areas of expertise and provides suggestions for obtaining additional information in areas that can help you, as a board member, to grow professionally.
- To provide a Boardmanship Profile to board members
- To offer recommendations to increase knowledge and skills in key areas
- To determine the effectiveness of the School Board Academy Core Modules
Special Considerations:
- Board members must have access to a pc computer with internet connectivity.
- Board members should complete all basic core modules first, but it is not required.
TSBA will provide a web-based “eBoardsmanship” module and you will work through the four sections of the module:
- Board Game
- Mini-Scenarios
- Structured Situational Analysis
- Video Clips
Once you have completed the four sections online, your responses will be tabulated and the results provided to you online in a Boardsmanship Profile that identifies your expertise in each of the Modules. The profile includes an explanation of scores as well as suggestions and ideas to help you further develop your knowledge and skills. Verification of completion will be sent to TSBA.

This module can only be taken once.

To register for this event, please click on the button below.
Register Online
Connecting Education and Jobs (Online Course)
Objective:

To provide boards with the current state of the schools-to-jobs pipeline; describe state and regional initiatives to increase relevance and opportunities for students; and provide solutions for strengthening connections between education and jobs in your region.

Description:

The Southern Growth Policies Board’s 2013 Report on the Future of the South offers insight into the changing economy and what it means for today’s workforce. Authors note that as globalization and competition increase, the presence of skilled labor has become a major deciding factor for businesses looking to expand. As to the skills employers are seeking – they are changing as well. There is an increasing demand for industry credentials, which stands in contrast with traditional measures of educational attainment such as course credits and seat time. Ultimately, these changing criteria have led to a mismatch between what many students learn in school and the skills that will allow them to secure well-paying jobs later on. Battelle for Kids developed this learning walk to help shed light on these challenges and opportunities, as well as current efforts across the state to address skills gaps and prepare students for college and careers.

Once you have completed the module, you must submit the “Step-Three – Reflect and Synthesize” culmination activity to the TSBA Registrar at registrar@tsba.net.

Special Considerations:
- Board members must have access to a computer with internet connectivity.
This module can only be taken once.

To register for this online course, please click on the button below.
Register Online
Strategic Compensation (Online Course)

Objective:
To provide a strategy for boards to improve their ability to recruit and retain the best educators to
ensure students develop the skills needed to succeed in college and on the job.

Special Considerations:
• Board members must have access to a computer with internet connectivity.
• Board members must have completed all basic core modules.

Description:
This online module focuses on a strategy gaining considerable traction nationally and that is the practice of redesigning compensation systems to reflect local needs and give school districts the flexibility needed to attract top talent. This learning walk, developed by Battelle for Kids (BFK), offers an overview of this strategy – including its history and context, current research, and implementation considerations.

Once you have completed the module, you must submit the “Step Three – Reflect and Synthesize” culminating activity to the TSBA Registrar at registrar@tsba.net.

*Individually scheduled by request. This module can only be taken once.*

Register Online
Legal Issues Impacting School Boards (Online Course)

Objective:
To provide board members with a basic understanding of key school law issues and keep board members up to date on the most current developments in school law so they will have the information they need to make sound reasonable decisions.

Description:
This online module consists of seven separate modules each covering a different school law issue. The modules may be completed as a group or may be done on an individual basis however to receive school board academy credit, all modules must be completed during the 2016-2017 fiscal year.

The modules include:
• Open Meetings & Open Records
• Parliamentary Procedure
• Employee Rights and Relations
• Ethical Guidelines for School Board Members
• Legislative Advocacy and the School Board
• The Bill of Rights and its Impact on School Districts
• The Board-Superintendent Relationship

Special Considerations:
• Board members must have access to a computer with internet connectivity.

This module can only be taken once.

To register for this online course, please click on the button below.

Register Online