To create and maintain an effective charter school board, a CEO will need to devote a significant amount of their time to governance-related issues. This could be 30–40% of their job.
The most common CEO governance tasks include:
- Create board meeting agendas with board chair
- Coordinate board meeting materials
- Design committee meeting agendas with committee chairs
- Assist in preparing committee meeting materials
- Follow-up with trustees on individual tasks
- Train senior staff that are supporting board committees and monitor their interactions with the board
- Meet with trustees one-on-one to educate them about the organization and to find ways to use their networks and skills
- Strategize about ways to keep the board informed about key issues facing the organization
- Conduct board education on key charter issues
- Assist in new trustee recruitment
- Assist in succession planning for officers
Most charter school CEOs face a steep learning curve with regards to governance. Most people who step forward to run a charter school have little or no governance experience. And most underestimate how much of their time will need to be devoted to governance issues.
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