A day in the life of a school board secretary
While the public sees the results of school board decisions — new policies, approved budgets and strategic plans — few realize the work behind these results. Smooth running board meetings don’t happen by accident. It’s the board secretary, clerk or business manager who keeps everything on track.
School board secretaries are responsible for many tasks crucial to the board's ability to govern and the district's ability to serve its students.
Let’s take a closer look at a school board secretary’s typical day. This behind-the-scenes view gives a glimpse at the hard work put in by secretaries, BMs and clerks on behalf of school boards and their district, and the importance of this pivotal role in school board governance.
7:15 a.m. Mary Jane Quinn pulls her car into a parking space outside the district administration building. She emerges from the car holding her laptop bag and purse in one hand and an iced coffee in the other. Walking to the front door, she’s thinking about what she needs to do. She is prepared for a long day: The school board meeting is scheduled for this evening.
As the school board secretary, Mary Jane plays an essential role in the preparation for and management of the meeting. She makes sure the board members and administrators have all the information they need to ensure the meeting runs smoothly and the board can make informed decisions. She also maintains transparency while keeping the public informed about the board’s actions and ensures the district is complying with state open meetings laws and other procedures and requirements mandated by law.
7:30 a.m. After chatting for a few minutes with the front desk receptionist, Mary Jane heads to her office, checks in with the Superintendent and proceeds to check her emails and messages. A board member needs clarification on a policy amendment for tonight’s meeting. The transportation director is inquiring about the updated budget. A parent has submitted a FOIA request about last month’s meeting. Mary Jane replies, directing them to the district’s public transparency website where they can review all past open session meetings and minutes. She needs to begin updating the strategic plan as per the Board’s directive. Mary Jane creates a checklist to prioritize her tasks.
10 a.m. Her iced coffee long gone, Mary Jane joins a meeting with the superintendent’s Executive Cabinet about the items being reviewed and suggested for the board meeting’s agenda taking place in two weeks. Although the items are relatively straight-forward, there is a lot of information, and it will take a collaborative effort to build. She knows that she can take advantage of the Workflow feature that accompanies the board solution’s agenda building feature to add items that need to go on next month’s agenda and she’ll post them to their board management software for the members to read before the next meeting
Noon Mary Jane has no time for lunch; She and a colleague order lunch from a nearby deli so she can prepare and ensure she is ready for tonight’s meeting and begin the process of preparation for the next board meeting; minutes will need to be prepared that accurately reflect the board’s discussions and decisions, so Mary Jane gets her meeting minutes template ready. Once tonight’s meeting is done, she’ll finalize the minutes for the board to approve at the next meeting and these will be posted to the district’s secure website, making them accessible and searchable to the public.
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Download the checklist!1 p.m. Mary Jane meets with two new board members and conducts a brief training on the board management software. She walks them through how to access documents, use the search feature, conduct online voting and review policies as well as other pertinent information located in the library. Mary Jane enjoys getting the chance to work directly with board members. Being a resource and helping board members feel confident in their roles are among her favorite parts of the job.
Mary Jane confirms once again that the agenda is accessible to the public. She enthusiastically takes advantage of the Public Release Delay setting in her board management software based on her state's open meeting law requirements. The board secretary must stay on top of local, state and federal Open Meeting requirements associated with the district’s public facing meetings. Mary Jane and her counterparts are on the front line of ensuring the district and the board remain transparent, accessible and compliant.
3:30 p.m. With a board meeting scheduled for 6 p.m., Mary Jane spends the late afternoon in discussion with IT, Food Management and others who have a role in prepping for the meeting. She works with IT to verify that all audio and tech requirements are in place and working, and the live-streaming service is set up. She places water bottles and nameplates neatly at each board member’s seat. Mary Jane remembers when she had to create hard copies, bind and deliver the voluminous meeting packets to each board member. She’s grateful those days are over!
5 p.m. Mary Jane doublechecks the software to see how many people have signed up ahead of time to speak during the public comment period. Depending on the topics discussed, Board meetings are usually well attended with parents, community members and oftentimes the press. She sees several requests to address the board about the proposed change to the district’s mathematics curriculum and approves those requests, which will in turn automatically become part of her minutes.
After she’s completed preparations, she goes home for a quick dinner with her family, kisses her children goodnight and heads back to the district office in time to greet everyone attending the board meeting.
6 p.m. As the meeting begins, Mary Jane sits at the staff table, laptop open. She takes roll call, records minutes, and notates voting results. While she takes her own notes, the board software’s AI notetaker is also recording and transcribing the speakers. She’s glad for the AI backup when she attends to a couple of technical issues: a PowerPoint presentation that won’t display properly and a muted mic during the public speaking period.
9. p.m. The meeting adjourns. As the board members and staff leave the boardroom, Mary Jane checks to see that everything is turned off and put away. The maintenance staff comes in to pick up the empty water bottles.
She walks to her car with two of her colleagues and heads home. Tomorrow, she’ll use the meeting minutes template to help write up draft minutes to put in the board management software for the board’s review when the next agenda packet is released and, once approved, subsequent publication to the public website. Mary Jane is tired but happy. She knows she’s doing important work.
The heart of good governance
School board secretaries, clerks and business managers like Mary Jane are the backbone of effective governance. They are on the front lines keeping the district compliant, organized and transparent. The board secretary’s role is multi-faceted and expands a broad range of responsibilities. All are essential.
The school board secretary’s recordkeeping helps to protect the district legally. Their agenda preparation and meeting management allow for orderly, productive discussions. Their handling of public records and communications helps maintain the community’s trust. They also play a key role in ensuring policies are kept up to date and made accessible to public stakeholders.
Technology can effectively support the board secretary or clerk in their role, helping to streamline many of these processes, help them keep their board and district compliant, and on track to meet their strategic goals.
How Diligent Community can help support board secretaries
Board secretaries have to be very skilled and knowledgeable. They shoulder a great deal of responsibility. Supporting board secretaries to save time and make their job easier allows them to perform their duties and focus on more strategic tasks. In turn, they help the school board and administration govern at its highest level.
Diligent Community is a cloud-based software solution that is specifically designed for school boards. It provides a centralized platform for school board secretaries and clerks to manage all their tasks. It can help save time, improve accuracy and reduce the risk of errors. It enhances administrative processes, streamlines communication and improves overall efficiency.
Alice Black, Executive Assistant and Special Project Manager of the Aspen School District, says,
Diligent Community supports board secretaries and clerks with robust tools to manage and organize board meetings effortlessly. Request a demo of Diligent Community today to see how it can help you save valuable time while supporting your board and district.
More to explore
The role of the board liaison for school boards
The school board liaison plays an essential role in creating a positive spirit of community engagement within a school district.
Top tips for writing school board meeting minutes
Writing thorough and accurate school board meeting minutes is a key requirements for public transparency. Learn best practices for effective and efficient minutes-taking.
The school board secretary’s role in contributing to district goals
Board secretaries have taken on various and significant responsibilities to provide support in achieving goals for the district and its students.
