Code of Conduct for Members of School Boards

As a member of my local school board, I will do my utmost to represent the public interest in education by adhering to the following standards and principles:

  1. I will represent all school district constituents honestly and equally and refuse to surrender my responsibilities to special interest or partisan political groups.
  2. I will avoid any conflict of interest or the appearance of impropriety which could result from my position, and will not use my board membership for personal gain or publicity.
  3. I will recognize that a board member has no legal authority as an individual and that decisions can be made only by a majority vote at a board meeting.
  4. I will take no private action that might compromise the board or administration and will respect the confidentiality of privileged information.
  5. I will abide by majority decisions of the board while retaining the right to seek changes in such decisions through ethical and constructive channels.
  6. I will encourage and respect the free expression of opinion by my fellow board members and will participate in board discussions in an open, honest and respectful manner, honoring differences of opinion or perspective.
  7. I will prepare for, attend and actively participate in school board meetings.
  8. I will be sufficiently informed about and prepared to act on the specific issues before the board, and remain reasonably knowledgeable about local, state, national, and global education issues.
  9. I will respectfully listen to those who communicate with the board, seeking to understand their views, while recognizing my responsibility to represent the interests of the entire community.
  10. I will strive for a positive working relationship with the superintendent, respecting the superintendent’s authority to advise the board, implement board policy, and administer the district.
  11. I will model continuous learning and work to ensure good governance by taking advantage of board member development opportunities, such as those sponsored by my state and national school board associations, and encourage my fellow board members to do the same.
  12. I will strive to keep my board focused on its primary work of clarifying the district purpose, direction and goals, and monitoring district performance.