A charter school board, particularly in its first five years, should meet once a month, or at a minimum, ten times a year. During the startup (pre-opening phase), it may be necessary to meet twice a month. Once the school is up and running, and unless there is an unusual situation, the full board should not have to meet more than once a month.
Another good reason for charter school boards to meet frequently is to maintain transparency. Charter schools are public schools and are primarily supported by taxpayer dollars. To secure the public trust, charter schools should make it as easy as possible for the broader community to see how decisions are being made.
Many charter school board members have said that meeting monthly seems too time-consuming, and fear that potential board members will be too busy to make this kind of commitment. They therefore suggest meeting every other month.
Meeting once every two months is not enough to govern effectively. Board members should only serve if they can make a sufficient commitment to complete the board’s business, and this means monthly meetings for most charter schools.
The board holds the charter and is ultimately accountable to the authorizer and the community to deliver an exceptional school. There are too many critical, policy-level decisions that need to be made, particularly in the first few years of the charter, for the board to hold fewer than ten meetings a year.
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