Liz Watson QC joins the panel at the 2015 BC School Trustees Association Winter Academy to talk about Strategic Planning: How to Empower your School District. The panel highlights the interconnected roles of the board of education, the superintendent, the secretary-treasurer, and community in strategic planning.
Trustee Responsibilities
School Trustees, like the directors of any organization, have certain responsibilities that fall under the umbrella of organizational stewardship. This includes establishing the organization’s purpose, direction and strategies, safeguarding and making efficient use of the organization’s resources, developing strong leadership, monitoring corporate performance and risk, and making certain the organization is in compliance with all legal requirements. Ensuring your organization has a strong strategy is among the board’s most important responsibilities.
Yet, even with the growing acceptance of the board’s need to take a more active role in strategy and the volumes of information available, many boards still wrestle with the strategy challenge.
Three Keys to Strategic Planning – A Holistic Approach
Boards need to take a broader view of their role in strategy and governance, as a whole. The three keys to more holistic strategic planning include:
- developing a collective intention to good governance across the entire board
- designing a strategic planning approach that is right for your board, and
- trustees personally bringing a strategic perspective to discussions and decision-making.
Joining Liz on the panel are Rick Price, Board Chair and Lisa McCullough, Superintendent, SD48 (Sea to Sky); David Green, Secretary-Treasurer, SD35 (Langley); Mike Roberts, BCSTA CEO.
