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What questions are asked in the BoardOnTrack board assessment?

Would you like to preview the BoardOnTrack Board Assessment Tool?

See below for a preview of the standard questions asked in the complete board assessment tool built into BoardOnTrack.

These questions are designed to measure your full board and each individual trustee.

The results of your board’s assessment will be viewable as a complete report detailing where your board is on the Path to Excellence overall as well as in each category measured. 

And you’ll be provided with links to advice and resources to help you plan your board’s efforts to move up the Path to Excellence in each category.

For each item in the assessment, board members are asked to answer yes, no, or I don’t know.

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Board Meetings

Yearly Meeting Plan

Annually, does your board create a board meeting calendar outlining all the board meetings, retreats, and other important board-related dates for the entire year?

Does your board schedule time for deeper strategy sessions/strategic discussions throughout the year?

Does your board create a strategic board calendar that delineates when key decisions need to be made by the board?

Board Meeting Agenda

Do the board chair and the CEO work collaboratively to create the board meeting agenda?

Do they seek input on the agenda from committee chairs?

Does your board use a consistent agenda format that delineates the topic, duration, associated meeting materials, and the action that will be required?

Board Meeting Materials

Are meeting materials (minutes from the previous meeting, reports, financial statements, etc.) consistently distributed at least three days in advance of the meeting?

Are the meeting materials clearly organized, making it clear what trustees need to do to prepare for the board meeting?

Do you always read the board meeting materials in advance of the meeting?

Board Meeting Content

Would you describe the board meeting time as being 90% focused on setting the strategic direction of the organization and 10% or less focused in reacting to immediate issues?

Are board meeting presentations/discussions primarily led by committee chairs rather than being dominated by the CEO?

Do committees report out only when there is something strategic to discuss (as opposed to an agenda of standard committee reports)?

Board Meeting Facilitation

Are board meetings run efficiently?

Board Meeting Minutes

Does the board consistently take board meeting minutes?

Are minutes a concise record of actions taken by the board (rather than a lengthy transcript)?

Do committees consistently take meeting minutes?

Do the minutes comply with your state's open-meeting requirements?

Board Meeting Evaluation

Do you evaluate your board meetings on a consistent basis?

Open Meeting Law Compliance

Do you feel like you have a thorough understanding of the open meetings law?

Do you review the open meeting law as a group annually?

Does the board's legal counsel review board compliance with the open meeting law annually?

Does the board secretary review open meeting law compliance monthly?

Board Structure

Bylaws

Do you have a comprehensive set of bylaws?

Does the board review the bylaws as a group annually?

Do you have a copy of the bylaws for easy reference?

Do your bylaws state clear term limits to ensure rotation of board members?

Job Descriptions

Does the board have a clear job description for the full board?

Have you received a document that clearly outlines the expectations of you as an individual trustee?

Does your board review the job description and individual performance expectations annually?

Officers

Does your board have a chair, vice-chair, treasurer, and secretary?

Does the board chair have the necessary skills to do the job well?

Does the vice-chair have the necessary skills to do the job well?

Does the treasurer have the necessary skills to do the job well?

Does the secretary have the necessary skills to do the job well?

Does each officer position have a written job description that clearly articulates their roles and responsibilities?

Does the board have a clear and transparent written process for nominating officers?

Is there an exemplary succession planning process for the officer positions?

Committees

Is there a written job description for each board committee that has been approved by the full board?

Is each committee chaired by a full board member?

Is each board committee staffed by a senior member of the organization's leadership team?

Does each board committee have an adequate number of members to accomplish its goals?

Do you have a finance committee?

Do you have a development (fundraising) committee?

Do you have a governance committee?

Do you have an academic oversight committee?

Board Composition

Board Size

Do you have 11 to 15 trustees on your board?

Previous Governance Experience

Does 75% or more of the board have previous governance experience?

Skills and Expertise

In your opinion, does your board have 100% of the skills needed to govern effectively?

Diversity

Does your board's membership reflect the broadest level of ethnic, racial, gender, and geographical diversity?

Does your board's composition mirror the community's diversity enough that it is considered credible?

Level of Objectivity

Is your board able to maintain a very high level of objectivity when governing by having zero trustees who have any personal or business ties with the leader, staff, or each other that could result in a conflict of interest (real or perceived) during decision-making?

Are less than 25% of the board members parents of students currently enrolled in the school?

At most, is the organization's leader (CEO, School Leader etc.) the only employee of the organization that is a member of the board?

Board Recruitment

Recruitment Plan

Does your board have a targeted three-year profile of the skills and expertise you will need on the board?

Does your board have a targeted annual board recruitment plan?

Recruitment Process

When recruiting new trustees, do you formally assess each candidate's skill set to ensure a good fit with the board?

Do you assess whether the candidate truly has enough time to serve on this type of board (i.e., 6-10 hours a month)?

When recruiting new trustees, do you formally assess the candidate's mission fit?

Do you assess the candidate's ability to participate in group process?

Do you require a trial period for board candidates by having them serve on a board committee prior to being nominated to the full board?

Does your selection process consistently adhere to a board-approved nominating policy and process?

Do you have a standard list of questions that you ask all candidates?

Is the strength of each candidate evaluated numerically on a standard candidate ranking sheet or scorecard?

Board Recruitment Pipeline

Do non-board members serve on each board committee?

Role of the CEO in Board Recruitment

Actively participate in the creation of the long-term board recruitment plan?

Devote significant time to helping identify, screen, and orient new trustees?

See board recruitment as a vital leadership role, as the organization's CEO?

Orientation

Do new trustees receive an effective orientation?

Board Goals & Accountability

Board Goals

Does the board have a clear set of goals for the year that clearly delineate how it will add value to the organization?

Does the board have an effective and consistent process to measure progress towards achieving annual board goals?

Does each board committee have a set of annual goals and an action plan that aligns with the overall board goals for the year?

Does substantive committee work happen in between board meetings?

Accountability

Are you aware of the time commitment expected of you to be an effective board member?

Is each board member held to the same standards?

Do 100% of the board members actively contribute to the success of the board?

Is there a clear, transparent system to hold each board member accountable for contributing to the group and following through on expectations outlined in the trustee job description?

Do you evaluate the work of the full board on an annual basis?

Do you evaluate the work of individual trustees on an annual basis?

Is the annual individual trustee performance evaluation used to determine who should be invited to continue to serve on the board and those who should be "thanked and released"?

Finance

Financial Oversight

Do you have a clear understanding of the economics of your charter organization, including the budget and short- and long-term financial outlook?

Does your board have a clear and consistent process for articulating priorities and mapping financial allocations to them?

Financial Policies and Procedures

Do you have a Financial Policies and Procedures (FPP) manual that is annually revised and reviewed by the Finance Committee?

Does your Financial Policies and Procedures (FPP) manual meet and exceed your charter authorizer's recommended standards?

Financial Controls

Are your books closed on a timely basis each month, quarter, and year, without exception?

Are your auditors 100% comfortable with the internal controls (and compensating controls when you do not have enough staff members to divide up the duties)?

Do your financial control policies provide meaningful checks and balances, which are followed consistently, without exception?

Financial Reports

Once a year, do the CEO and the Finance Committee come to an agreement on what types of financial reports will be prepared for board review on an annual, quarterly, and monthly basis?

Monthly, do you receive accurate financial reports that include projections through the end of the fiscal year each month or quarter?

Do the financial reports that you receive allow you to track the organization's financial position?

Does the Finance Committee review financial reports on a monthly basis?

Does the Finance Committee always make inquiries into and understand the causes of any meaningful variances from the organization's projected budget?

Developing Realistic Budgets

Do you have a multi-year budget that has been approved by the full board and is revised and re-approved by the board annually?

Do you have a strong annual budgeting process that involves a healthy dialogue between the CEO and both the Finance Committee and the full board about resource allocation priorities?

Does your annual budgeting process get completed in time for the CEO to make strategic hiring and programmatic decisions for the next year?

Board Education

Are you well-versed in the key drivers and sources of revenues for your organization, and the related cash flows?

Is the full board annually trained by the Finance Committee to read, understand, and interpret the main points of the financial reports?

Does the Finance Committee lead a portion of the new trustee orientation—orienting them to the organization's short and long-term financial health and training them on how to read and interpret financial reports?

Annual Audit/990

Do you always, without exception, receive an unqualified opinion and very few or no recommendations in your management letter?

If/when recommendations are received, are they always resolved and noted as completed in the subsequent management letter, without exception?

Is your completed 990 reviewed/signed off by the Finance Committee and sent to the IRS on a timely basis, and shared annually with the full board, always and without exception?

Financial Compliance

Are you 100% confident that the organization's management team is properly handling restricted grants?

Has management provided the Finance Committee with a detailed checklist of all of management's deliverables and reports to various agencies, authorizers, and auditors?

Does the Finance Committee annually confirm that their deliverables and reports to various agencies, authorizers, and auditors are completed/submitted accurately and on a timely basis?

Support of the CEO

Does the Finance Committee have an outstanding relationship with the CEO, and is it able to actively help her/him develop their skills in overseeing the financial health of the organization?

Recognizing that typically the members of the Finance Committee have more financial experience than the CEO, does the Finance Committee annually help the CEO assess whether the organization has an adequate number of staff members supporting the operational and financial needs of the organization?

Does the Finance Committee annually assist the CEO in setting strategic goals about strengthening the staffing that supports the smooth finance and operations of the school?

Does the Finance Committee annually assist the CEO in setting strategic goals about strengthening the financial systems of the organization?

Development

Philosophical Alignment

Are the board and the CEO philosophically aligned about the role of the board in fundraising?

Are there written expectations outlining the role of trustees in fundraising that are agreed to annually and understood and accepted by all trustees?

Has the board discussed subsidizing the public funding of the organization with private funds and is the board in agreement about how much to raise, why it is to be raised, and over what period of time?

Strategic Fund Development Plan

Is there a board-approved, written, multi-year fund development plan?

Is your multi-year fund development plan realistic?

Do you understand the strategic fund development plan?

Does your strategic fund development plan clearly delineate the role of the full board, the development committee, the CEO, and the development staff (if they exist) in achieving the plan?

Are there adequate staff and financial resources to achieve the strategic development fund plan?

Accountability

Do you feel the fundraising expectations placed on trustees is realistic?

Is there an effective system in place to hold each trustee accountable to completing the fundraising tasks he or she has committed to?

Board Training

Is there a comprehensive board training and education program in place to help trustees be more effective at completing their fundraising assignments?

Academic Oversight

Clarity of Vision

Do you understand what academic excellence means at your school?

Do the board and the CEO have a written, shared definition of academic excellence?

Roadmap

Is there a clear understanding between the board and the CEO about what the organization is doing towards reaching its defined vision of excellence?

Do the board and the CEO agree on the next key steps the organization will take this year to get closer towards this vision?

Charter Obligations

Do you know the key academic promises that have been made to your authorizer in your charter?

Is there a clear and consistent way to measure progress towards reaching the academic goals spelled out in the charter(s) and the accountability plan(s)?

Standardized Testing

Do you know which standardized tests are administered at the school(s)?

Do you understand what each standardized test measures?

Does the board receive clear and consistent reporting on standardized test results?

Do you know if interim assessments are administered at the school?

Does the board receive clear and consistent reporting on interim test results?

Comparative Data

Does the CEO compare the organization's academic results with the results of the district?

Does the CEO compare the organization's academic results with the results of comparative charter schools?

Has the CEO identified a successful school to benchmark against with the goal to meet or exceed that school's results?

Board Education

Do you have an Academic Excellence Committee that helps the board conduct effective oversight of the academic program?

Does the Academic Excellence Committee work closely with the CEO to design an annual program that educates the board about key strategies to close the achievement gap/deliver academic excellence as well as other unique aspects of the organization's mission?

CEO Support & Evaluation

Governance/Management

Are you clear about the key organizational decisions that need to be made this year?

Do you understand your role as a board member vs. the role of the CEO in making these decisions?

Does each board committee have a chart that describes the responsibilities of the full board, the committee, and the CEO?

Partnership with CEO

Do you have a strong working relationship with the CEO, built on mutual trust and respect?

Is there a strong partnership between the board chair and the CEO?

Do the board chair and CEO communicate effectively with each other on a regular basis?

CEO Evaluation

Has the board approved clear performance metrics for the CEO for the year?

Is there a clear and consistent process for evaluating the CEO on an annual basis?

Does the CEO have an up-to-date job description?

Does the board partner with the CEO to objectively gauge parent satisfaction on an annual basis?

Does the board partner with the CEO to objectively gauge teacher satisfaction on an annual basis?

CEO Support

Does the board have a clear and consistent process for providing coaching, feedback, and support to the CEO?

Does the full board speak with one voice to the CEO regarding their performance (expectations and implementation)?

BoardSavvy CEO

Governance Knowledge

Does your CEO have a strong understanding of effective governance best practice?

Has your CEO completed any professional development on governance in the past year?

Does your CEO read extensively about board governance issues?

Does your CEO currently serve on another board outside of your organization?

Governance Prioritized

Does your CEO see developing and maintaining the board as one of her/his primary responsibilities?

Does your CEO devote significant time to helping the board run effectively?

Does your CEO ensure that each board committee is appropriately staffed, either by the CEO or another senior staff member?

Does your CEO include governance training as a key component of professional development for senior staff?

Board Education

Does your CEO systematically and continually educate the board about key elements of running an exceptional charter school?

Does your CEO educate the board about the key issues your authorizer uses to judge your organization's performance?

Does your CEO educate the board about the charter renewal process?

Does your CEO educate the board about state and national measures of academic success?

Setting Strategic Direction

Does your CEO have a clear strategic vision for the organization?

Does your CEO assist the board in clarifying the most important things the board can do to help achieve the strategic vision?

Communication

Does your CEO communicate clearly and effectively with the board?

Does your CEO always send out their materials in advance of the board meeting?

Are the board meeting materials sent out by your CEO very clear, well-organized, and easy to understand?

Does your CEO provide the board with annual metrics on which to measure their individual and organization-wide performance?

Succession Planning

Does your CEO and the board have an agreed-upon short-term/ emergency succession plan for their position?

Is this short-term/emergency succession plan well-documented?

Is this short-term/emergency succession plan reviewed annually?

Has your CEO and the board discussed a long-term succession management plan?

Individual Trustee

Leadership

During your tenure, have you ever served as an officer of the board (chair, vice chair, treasurer, secretary)?

During your tenure have you ever served as a committee chair?

Do you actively participate in the work of at least one committee?

Time

Do you devote 6 to 10 hours a month to board work?

Have you missed two board meetings or less during the past year?

Do you always come to board meetings having read all the materials in advance?

Fundraising

Do you make an annual "stretch" financial donation to the school?

Do you articulate and achieve a personal fundraising goal each year?

Ambassador

Are you well-versed in national and local charter school issues?

Do you actively participate in school activities such as special programs and fundraising events?

Do you actively participate in your state charter school association's activities?

Do you lend your voice as a charter school proponent when needed?

Do you excel at tapping your personal and professional networks for the benefit of the school?

Consultant

Do you bring concrete professional expertise that is needed by the board?

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