Directors learn about roles, school finances

Fairfield Community School District Board of Directors discussed the role of a school board and learned about financing during a work session Monday evening.

Superintendent Art Sathoff opened the session by asking the board, including new members Amy Miller, Jeremy Miller and Jerry Nelson ? Rich Metcalf was absent due to the death of his father ? what rules they thought were important so that the board functioned well.

?The biggest thing for us is to be of one voice,? said board member Jeri Kunkle. ?Once we come to a consensus, we need to support it. That?s huge.?

?You might not like a decision, but you need to support it,? continued Amy Miller. ?That?s part of being on a board.?

?You don?t belittle the decision because it didn?t go your way ? you don?t condemn the board,? added board president Jennifer Anderson.

Nelson was concerned about not being able to express his opinions or to explain the reasons why he voted the way he did on certain issues.

?You don?t lose your personal opinion,? said Amy Miller. ?You need to support the board, but you can still answer questions about what you think.?

?There were times in the last couple of years the board didn?t work well together,? said Sathoff. ?Board unity doesn?t mean you have to walk the same path, but when a decision is made, support the decision and move on to the next issue.?

Nelson also asked about allowing audience members to speak during regular board meetings.

?People want to be able to speak when their item is being discussed, not before,? said board member Bob Waugh.

Currently, a public participation time is set at the beginning of each regular board. Anyone who wants to speak must fill out and turn in a request form before the meeting starts so the board president knows to call on him or her.

Amy Miller, who attended meetings as an audience member for a year before she was elected to the board earlier this month, said it is frustrating to watch the board discuss an issue and not be able to offer a possible solution.

?Sometimes the board has to work it out themselves,? said Anderson. But, she pointed out, the board often calls on people in the audience if those people have information to contribute to a discussion.

Anderson, who served two three-year terms from 1993-1999 on the school board, but decided not to seek re-election again until 2009, asked about the order of items on meeting agendas. In the past, the board would vote on recommendations immediately after the discussion. Now, recommendations are discussed throughout the meeting, but the actual voting is one of the last things done. ?Flying? through the voting could give the perception that the board is just approving without discussing issues.

?We can tweak things,? Sathoff told the board. ?I want to do what works well.?

Sathoff also reviewed Iowa Code, including the Code of Ethics, with the board.

No. 1 is ?I will listen.?

Kunkle said an important lesson she learned is to listen to people, but to direct them up the chain of command, starting with their child?s teacher.

Sathoff added it is usually those directly involved who can make a necessary change to help a student. Start with the teacher, and if necessary, move on to the principal, then the superintendent before bringing a problem to the board.

?You?re an important liaison to the community, and you have the opportunity to disseminate good, honest communication,? he said.

Sathoff told the board he takes his job seriously, and they should expect to see him in the classrooms learning about what is happening in the district. He said if becoming superintendent meant giving up contact with students, he would not have become a superintendent.

The board also viewed a video explaining Iowa school financing.

Sathoff said the important things to know include: a district can only spend what the state says it can spend; and the difference between the general fund and spending authority.

Sathoff and district business manager Kim Sheets pointed out the district?s Instructional Support Levy, which generates about $800,000 annually, is in its final year.

?I don?t know what we?d do without this funding,? said Sathoff. ?This will be in front of you ? one of your big board decisions soon,? said Sathoff.

Sheets said the levy will be discussed in the spring when board is planning the 2012-13 budget and setting the tax levy.