Agenda Item
a. Georgia School Board Association (GSBA) Presentation & Training (Updated 4.17.2024)
Summary: Presented by: Dr. Julia Bernath, Board Development Specialist, Georgia School Board Association GSBA)
DeKalb County School Board 1
Whole Board Governance Training
Awards & Recognitions and Their
Relationship to Good Governance
April 19, 2024
Facilitator:
Julia C. Bernath, Board Development Specialist
GSBA
www.gsba.com
STANDARDS FOR EFFECTIVE 2
GOVERNANCE OF GEORGIA
SCHOOL SYSTEMS
Domain I: Governance Structure
Domain II: Strategic Planning
Domain III: Board and Community
Relations
Domain IV: Policy Development
Domain V: Board Meetings
Domain VI: Personnel
Domain VII: Financial Governance
Domain VIII: Ethics
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AWARDS & RECOGNITION Opportunities to be recognized
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BOARD RECOGNITION STUDENT VIDEO CONTEST
3-tier process to achieve the highest level in Students create a short, creative video that
board governance. The 3 recognition levels are covers a theme.
Quality, Distinguished & Exemplary.
LEADING EDGE AWARD BEACON AWARD
Highlights school systems that are implementing Recognizes reporting on public education by
innovative practices aligned with the Georgia people, representatives, or organizations over a
Vision for Public Education components. period of time.
GOVERNANCE TEAM OF THE YEAR SERVICE PINS
Honors the top board/superintendent team that Recognizes school board members who have
best demonstrates its commitment to maximizing served 15, 25, or 30+ years of service on their
student achievement and enhancing trust and local board.
support for public education in their community.
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BOARD RECOGNITION
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BOARD RECOGNITION 5
The Board Recognition Program offers 3 levels
In 1998, the Georgia School Boards Association
of recognition:
was one of the first school board associations in
Quality
the nation to develop a program of standards
for local governance teams. When the Georgia Distinguished
State Board of Education adopted a set of state Exemplary
standards for local boards of education in 2011,
GSBA revised its recognition program to reflect Boards may apply for the level at which
the state standards and to offer governance they meet the criteria. To remain at the
current level, boards must renew/reapply
teams additional ways to increase their each year.
effectiveness.
www.gsba.com
BOARD RECOGNITION 6
FY2024 Process
Applications Open: Friday, March 29, 2024
Applications Close: Friday, July 26, 2024, at 5:00pm
Training Year runs July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024. All board
member training must be completed by 5:00pm on June 30,
2024.
Awards will be presented at the 2024 GSBA/GSSA Annual
Conference in December. New Dates this year! December 11-13
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BOARD RECOGNITION 7
FY2024 Updates
For FY2024, the program has been updated with several notes and additional criteria for all 3 levels.
Below are some highlights of the changes:
Governance Team Local Board of Education Training Board Norms
Self-Assessment: Requirements: & Protocols:
• Required for all 3 levels: Must submit a • Required for all 3 levels: If a school board • New requirement for the Quality &
“Team” self-assessment, which includes the member completed any online courses Distinguished levels! The Governance Team
superintendent (not an individual through School Board U, verification must must establish, formally adopt, and abide
assessment). be submitted along with the list of all other by written Governance Team Board
• Required for all 3 levels: Must submit the training received. Applicants may include a Norms & Protocols. These must be
full, completed self-assessment, not just a copy of the certification of completion for reviewed and approved annually. Must
cover letter. Distinguished and Exemplary each School Board U Course completed per submit your current Board Norms &
must also include the full, completed self- board member. Protocols.
assessment for their committees, not just a • For Exemplary level: Must submit the
cover letter. meeting agenda where the Board Norms &
Protocols were approved annually. Must
also provide the date they were approved.
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BOARD RECOGNITION 8
FY2024 Updates Continued…
Accreditation: Fiscal Responsibility: Recognition Consideration
and/or Removal:
• For all 3 levels: Certificates only may be • For Exemplary level only: Identify whether a
• For all 3 levels:
accepted. Full reports are not required to be school district is on the SB68 GaDOE
• If the majority of your board has turned
uploaded. moderate/high-risk audit list. If yes, please
over at the beginning of this calendar
explain.
year, you must wait one year to apply for
recognition.
• The applications will undergo a thorough
evaluation, and recognition will be
contingent upon their adherence to the
information provided for each category.
If the board does not function as
described in the submission, it may not
be eligible for recognition.
• GSBA reserves the right to deny any
district recognition for cause.
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INTERNAL DOCUMENTS TO REVIEW 19
• Team Self-Assessment, including participation by Superintendent
(+ Committee’s Assessment with ratings)
• Norms and Protocols (+copy of board agenda meeting where discussed and approved
annually & link to where it is displayed on your district website)
• Superintendent’s Evaluation Instrument (no scores) with Goals connected to your Strategic
Plan
• Local School Board training certification
• Accreditation Status from Cognia
• Latest DOE Governance Training Report
• Local Code of Ethics Board Policy
• Strategic Plan
• Balanced Scorecard and Accountability System
• Adoption date of the latest Balanced Budget aligned to the Strategic Plan
• Annual Budget Calendar
• Copy of a regular Board agenda that reflects action items related to the budget and
connection to the Strategic Plan
• SB68 Moderate/High Risk List? If YES, please explain
• If a majority of the Board has turned over in the past year, wait one year to apply
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LEADING EDGE AWARD
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LEADING EDGE AWARD
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The GSBA Leading Edge Award recognizes school districts that are
demonstrating innovative practices and programs by governance teams,
ensuring students are competitive in an ever-changing global market.
Historically, the LEA has been aligned with the 9 Georgia Vision for
Public Education components. Applicants must select one of those
components their program connects with.
For FY2024, GSBA has put the program on hold to revamp the criteria
and develop a more robust application process. The updated program
will be reintroduced in 2025.
Applications typically open in August and the awards are presented at
the Annual Conference in Atlanta.
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REVIEW OF VISION PROJECT
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A Vision for Public Education in Georgia 23
2.0 General
2.1 Promote public education as the cornerstone of American democracy by publicizing student and school successes
through all available media. (L #1)
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A Vision for Public Education in Georgia 24
3.0 Early Learning and Student Success
3.1 Create through a state-wide initiative an early learning collaborative in each county of the state that
includes all human services organizations. (L#2)
3.2 Create public-private partnerships in local communities between local businesses and educational and
human services organizations for the purpose of establishing early childhood initiatives that address healthy
child and family development and economic benefits to the community. (L#3)
3.3 Adopt a state-wide public engagement initiative to ensure that high-quality early childhood
education remains a top priority for the state.
3.4 Provide an opportunity for all children from birth to five-years-old to participate in high-quality, full-year,
full-day educational experiences that are designed to promote all aspects of a child’s development, from
cognitive to social and emotional development in the home or in the care of a licensed public or private care
provider.(L#4)
3.5 Adopt a pre-kindergarten through grade 3 integrated education model for all children ages four through
eight. (L#5)
3.6 Ensure adequate financial support for the implementation of viable programs for all young children. (L#6)
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A Vision for Public Education in Georgia 25
4.0 Teaching and Learning
4.1 Create collaborative learning communities and implement expert coaching in all schools.
(L#7)
4.2 Integrate fully a variety of technologies to support student learning and facilitate
assessment. (L#8)
4.3 Develop challenging and dynamic curricula that is sufficiently flexible to meet the diverse
needs of students and to support higher-order thinking. (L#9)
4.4 Develop a comprehensive and balanced system of assessments that is useful in guiding the
work of teachers and students. (L#10)
4.5 Ensure that all teachers understand and use differentiated strategies effectively in the
instruction and assessment of students. (L#11)
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A Vision for Public Education in Georgia 26
5.0 Teaching and Learning Resources
5.1 Examine currently adopted and proposed alternative models for the delivery of
educational services for the purpose of determining their effectiveness in terms of student
learning, needed resources, and feasibility for adoption/adaptation by school districts over the
state. (L#12)
5.2 Ensure full technology integration into the classroom by providing access to adequate
resources, equitable infrastructure and professional learning opportunities for teachers. (L#13)
5.3 Develop, implement and maintain a comprehensive, state-wide, longitudinal data
system.
5.4 Develop local protocols for collaboration among school systems, other educational
entities, public service agencies, business and industry and the community served in decisions
related to school siting, school safety, and the co-location of community services. (L#14)
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A Vision for Public Education in Georgia 27
6.0 Human and Organizational Capital
6.1 Create a state-wide initiative to identify and recruit talented candidates into
teacher preparation programs.
6.2 Conduct a review of teacher and leader preparation programs for the purpose of
identifying and implementing effective program components and strategies
designed to better prepare individuals for the teaching profession.
6.3 Provide comprehensive recruitment, induction and retention strategies for all local
school districts.(L#15)
6.4 Pilot teacher and leader compensation programs to evaluate the effectiveness and
viability of selected compensation scenarios.(L#16)
6.5 Examine organizational structures and processes to ensure support of student
learning and provide for distribution of leader responsibilities at all levels within the
district.(L#17)
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A Vision for Public Education in Georgia 28
7.0 Governance, Leadership and Accountability
7.1 Conduct a comprehensive review and revision of Title 20 of the O.C.G.A. and other
education-related provisions of law to support the Vision and to repeal obsolete and overly
specific provisions.
7.2 Change the method of selection of the state superintendent of schools.
7.3 Change the method of selection of members to the state board of education to non-partisan
election of one member from each congressional district for a term of office of even-numbered
years by persons in each congressional district qualified to vote for members of the General
Assembly.
7.4 Change the method of selection of members of local boards of education from a choice
between partisan and non-partisan elections to non-partisan elections only.
7.5 Conduct a thorough review of the pre-school to grade twelve public education functions
currently performed by multiple state and regional agencies for the purpose of recommending a
more effective and efficient education delivery system in Georgia in the context of a single
shared vision.
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A Vision for Public Education in Georgia 29
7.0 Governance, Leadership and Accountability (cont’d.)
7.6 Develop and implement strategies to ensure that all local school districts in Georgia benefit
from transformational and improved operational practices and high-quality, effective, and
efficient delivery of educational services regardless of size, population sparsity or density,
geographic remoteness, or wealth to support public education in their communities.
7.7 Establish and maintain high-reliability organizations through development of local school district
leadership teams. (L#18)
7.8 Develop and adopt a comprehensive state-wide accountability system based on clearly
established goals for public education.
7.9 Develop and implement at the local school district level an accountability system based on local
district educational goals that are aligned with state educational goals and state accountability
system, and which include clearly defined measures of school district, school and student success.
(L#19)
7.10 Develop and implement a comprehensive state procedure for periodic accountability
evaluation of local school district performance.
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A Vision for Public Education in Georgia 30
8.0 Culture, Climate, and Organizational Efficacy
8.1 Make each school and district an inviting place to be for students, parents, staff and
the larger community. (L#20)
8.2 Establish each school as the center or hub of the community in which it exists. (L#21)
8.3 Determine stakeholder perceptions of schools and school districts. (L#22)
8.4 Develop a culture and climate that foster innovation and responsible risk-taking.
(L#23)
8.5 Develop school and district cultures that are sensitive and responsive to the cultural,
racial, ethnic and socio-economic make-up of the communities they serve. (L#24)
8.6 Develop safe, orderly, supportive learning environments built on respect and
encouragement where all individuals believe they can make a positive difference. (L#25)
8.7 Get to know and be willing to truly listen to the students in our schools. (L#26)
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A Vision for Public Education in Georgia 31
9.0 Financial Resources
9.1 Expand both the scope and duration of the work of the Special Council on Tax Reform and
Fairness for Georgians for the purpose of comprehensively reviewing the state tax structure and
identifying ways that it can be strengthened.
9.2 Identify in both state and local budgets for public education sufficient fiscal resources for
implementing both a comprehensive data system and an evaluation system that uses data to measure
and improve effectiveness in meeting objectives for enhanced student learning. (L#27)
9.3 Initiate an ongoing process at the local school district level for systematically evaluating all
expenditures to enable the development and adoption of budgets that are focused on district strategies
for maximizing student learning. (L#28)
9.4 Provide a high level of flexibility to local school districts in decision-making authority about the
most effective strategies for the expenditure of funds to enable all students to be successful in
school, coupled with appropriate methods for evaluating school and district success and for
implementing positive state interventions where they are found to be needed.
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A Vision for Public Education in Georgia 32
9.0 Financial Resources (cont’d.)
9.5 Implement a cohesive and stable mechanism for the financial support of early
learning programs and services for children ages 0 to 5 at a level that prepares all of
Georgia’s youngest citizens for success in their subsequent school years.
9.6 Provide the most optimal partnership between the state and local school districts in
sharing the responsibility for financial support of public education, while ensuring that
disparity in local fiscal capacity does not impede the implementation of Vision Project
recommendations in all Georgia districts. (L#29)
9.7 Provide an ongoing level of state financial support for public education which,
when combined with local revenue available to boards of education, makes the
attainment of our Vision for Public Education in Georgia a reality and ensures its
sustainability.
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GOVERNANCE TEAM
OF THE YEAR
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GOVERNANCE TEAM OF THE YEAR 34
In 2018, GSBA introduced the Governance Team of the Year (GTOY) Award, in recognition of
the board/superintendent team that exemplifies commitment to enhancing student achievement
and fostering public education trust and support within their community. This award underscores
the importance of effective governance in educational success and community engagement.
To qualify for the award, districts must adhere to set criteria, including past accolades and a
thorough application aligned with governance principles. The selection process begins with a
questionnaire for initial assessment, leading to a competitive evaluation to identify finalists who
must then submit a detailed application.
www.gsba.com
GOVERNANCE TEAM OF THE YEAR Eligibility Requirements
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Exemplary Board Recognition:
Districts must have been awarded GSBA
Exemplary Board status in the two years leading
up to the application, including recognition at the
most recent GSBA/GSSA Annual Conference.
Restriction for Previous Winners:
Districts that have won the Governance Team
of the Year award must wait four years from
their victory date before they are eligible to
apply again.
Application Window:
All materials, including the final application, must
be submitted by February 15, 2024, to be
considered for the award.
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GOVERNANCE TEAM OF THE YEAR Questionnaire
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Initial Screening: Consent and Verification:
The first step towards eligibility is completing Each member of the governance team
the GTOY Screening Questionnaire, which must sign the completed questionnaires,
must adhere to the Standards for Effective signifying their concurrence with the
Governance Teams across all domains. responses.
Application Period: Evaluation Process and Selection:
The GTOY Questionnaire is available from The GSBA Review Team assesses the
mid-November to mid-February. questionnaires focusing on accuracy,
transparency, relevance, and any current
governance issues to identify finalists.
Four finalists will then be invited to
participate in the final round of evaluation.
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GOVERNANCE TEAM OF THE YEAR Questionnaire
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Finalist Announcement: GTOY Application Process:
Up to four teams will be announced as Finalists are required to complete the GTOY
finalists for the Governance Team of the Application, highlighting the governance
Year. Starting in 2024, the award structure team’s collaborative efforts and
will be refined to honor only one governance achievements. All members of the
team as the Governance Team of the Year, governance team should be well-versed in
streamlining the previous three categories the application content, actively contribute
into a single, prestigious accolade. to the responses, and prepared to discuss
their submissions in detail. Completed
applications must be signed by each member
of the governance team reflecting
agreement with the answers provided.
An independent evaluator will review the final GTOY Applications and Interviews to determine the
ultimate winner.
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HOMEWORK: 50
• Determine which awards are worthy of consideration and attainable
at this time.
• Set a goal for future award applications and a timeline to complete
requirements.
• What do we need to accomplish to go to the next level?
• How long will it take us to meet these requirements?
• Identify a “Best Practice” in the district that exemplifies innovation
for the next Leading Edge Award application.
• Review the list of documents and practices listed on the “Internal
Documents to Review” slide.
• Begin your award-winning journey to becoming an outstanding
Governance Team!
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QUESTIONS?
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Excellence
in the
classroom
begins with
excellence
in the board
room.
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THANK YOU!
Please complete the evaluation.
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Contact Us
Board Development
Toll-Free (877) 404 -7707
Main (770) 962 - 2985
CONTACT US
Samuel T. King, Ed.D.
Director of Superintendent
Search Services & Board
Development
sking@gsba.com
www.GSBA.com
(770) 822 – 3628
Julia C. Bernath
Board Development Specialist
jbernath@gsba.com
770-682-1188
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