Board Members on the Move: The Benefits of Board Mobility for Your District

Lena Eisenstein
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School boards serve as one of the most representative forms of government. These advocates for the community come together to push the district toward a greater vision. However, school boards also face a great amount of scrutiny and a litany of challenges in an ever-changing landscape.

Modern governance can be challenging, but it is through this practice of empowering leaders to fuel good governance in the modern age that leaders are encouraged and transformed ' greatly impacting districts, schools, and students. Modern governance goes beyond the boardroom to engage and equip board members and the communities they serve. The right technology can support modern governance by providing a streamlined platform for school board members to leverage.

Beyond the Boardroom

With technology designed to meet the needs of public education boards, the work performed by the board can be seamless and easily accessible from anywhere. School boards have the opportunity to leverage technological tools to better capitalize on any opportunities for effective and strategic decision making. A continuous flow of shareable information and materials allows board members to remain 'in the know' and perform their best work for the district and community.

School districts are evolving, employing the technology that is currently available in classrooms and other formats to benefit students and schools; school board members must do the same. Technology enables school board members to be more organized, efficient, effective and better positioned to carry out the mission and vision of the district.

The Right Technology for Your Board

Some school boards may have fears regarding technology and some of the risks that could come with it. However, with the right digital tools, boards are better equipped to eliminate or avoid these risks. Leveraging a board management software can help school boards mitigate the risks for data exposure or loss related to cyberattacks.

When school boards are using board management software, it is imperative that they look at the features and capabilities of the software in terms of securing sensitive data. The software should promote and support strong cybersecurity practices to protect sensitive data related to the public school district and its students.

Having a seamless, streamlined platform for school board members to access and maintain pertinent information supports the work to be accomplished for the district and community.

Board Mobility and Information Access

The ability for school board members to have access to the information that the board needs and when they need it creates opportunities. School boards can make better strategic decisions related to the district through the continuous access to board materials.

Meeting agendas, past meeting minutes, policy manuals, strategic plans, goal information, and orientation or training resources are all significant materials related to board functions; school board members should have the capability of gaining access to these documents from any device or location, securely. An ideal technology partner will provide school board members the ability to easily upload, share, and access all of these vital materials.

The best practice of having quick and simplified access to policies related to school board governance sets the board up for success and supports modern governance. School board members and administrators can continuously stay abreast of the laws and policies that guide the actions taken by the board. The board management software should meet the board's current needs, and work to push the board toward better governance practices and accomplishing their best work.

Make Meetings More Manageable

School board management software gives the board secretary the power to easily and quickly create an agenda based on a template that meets the board's specific needs. Meeting agendas can support attachments and related materials linked to specific agenda topics.

Generating a meeting minutes document after the board meeting can be a time-consuming process, especially if the amount of information that must be recorded into the official record is significant. Automated production of the school board's meeting minutes document, through the right board management software, can be a timesaver that can also improve the accuracy of details and information. This helps in efficiency and effectiveness in school board meeting minutes, which are used as an official and legal record of the board's activities and decisions.

If the school board records meetings through video or audio, the footage of meetings are also able to be attached to the dashboard with other meeting documents. All of these documents and files can then be easily distributed to board members, the public, and other pertinent parties.

Transparency and Technology

Cultivating a culture of trust with the district's constituents is critical to school board member responsibilities. When board members are serving as representatives, the community should be informed and aware of what is going on with the local district. Technology can encourage trust and transparency between the board and the community.

School board members can leverage the right technology to maintain communication about the work being accomplished. Public access to certain information, meeting agendas and minutes, and upcoming events helps to set a strong foundation for transparency within the community.

Modern governance encourages the practice of open communication, and leveraging the right technology can simplify and streamline the information made available to the public.

Technology can be intimidating, but it's a resource that can facilitate board mobility and push school boards to perform their best work. Meeting management software designed for public education boards, like Community by Diligent, helps ensure that modern governance best practices are being implemented. Technology is key to school boards performing efficiently, effectively, and successfully.
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Lena Eisenstein
Lena Eisenstein is a former Manager at Diligent. Her expertise in mission-driven organizations, including nonprofits, school boards and local governments, centers on how technology and modern governance best practices empower leaders at these organizations to serve their communities with efficiency and purpose.