Governance Solutions Services

Competing district demands and the unique circumstances challenging school board-superintendent teams require the Center for Reform of School Systems (CRSS) to be knowledgeable of an array of district issues and school policies and to be flexible in our approach to forming solutions for your district.

Governance Solutions

A board-superintendent team will at some time face a particularly sensitive issue that will require an expert to assist in guiding the team through the difficult situation. Governance Solutions exists to respond quickly to your specific need. Many boards have dealt with one or more of the following issues:

• Fractured school board community relations
• Fractured school board superintendent relations
• Negative school district publicity
• The search for the right superintendent
• Choosing the best board president
• Unexpected significant budget shortfalls

With these or any other challenges, a consultant from the CRSS team will work with you to assess the situation and implement the appropriate solution for your district. All of our governance specialists are trained in our exclusive Reform Governance® model. They also offer years of experience as school board members. Our governance specialists bring first-hand knowledge and understanding of the pressures of being under a microscope and they bring solutions that work. (Follow the link to read our governance specialists bios.)

The fee for the Governance Solutions Consulting service may be set either at a fixed rate based on the project or $4,500.00 a day plus related travel expenses.

Governance Solutions "Customized Solutions"

Many boards spend time in countless, long meetings and still fail to see significant improvement in their district. Is your board-superintendent team working hard on the right priorities? Is your team clear about roles, relationships, and responsibilities, so that you are working effectively and efficiently? With Governance Solutions Customized Solutions, you can train on one topic or a combination. The outcome will create a breakthrough for your district. Our training approach involves on-site workshops followed with implementation support. Depending on the topic and your team needs, the training will consist of a half day to several days in workshops scheduled at your convenience. Those workshops are followed by two or more consultant site visits to your district to assist with the drafting and implementation of board policies or operational changes as needed. We provide training in all areas of board responsibilities including:

• Core Beliefs and Commitments
• Board Meetings and Committees
• Constituent Services
• Roles, Relationships and Responsibilities
• Management Oversight
• Theory of Action
• Reform Policies
• Data Dashboards and Superintendent Evaluation
• Effective Board/ District Communications
• Superintendent Search

Governance Solutions Foundation Program Reform Governance® in Action

The Governance Solutions Foundation Program is for school board-superintendent teams ready to transform their district with a longer term comprehensive approach to better governance. The design of the program is based on CRSS’s groundbreaking program called Reform Governance in Action. The program works with your district team in a series of institutes that address not only teamwork and effective governance but also change leadership. The program is divided into three distinct phases.

There are two offerings for the Governance Foundation Program. They differ as to the length of the program and topics discussed, but are equal in rigor, quality, and expectations for effective board superintendent leadership changes.

Governance Foundation Program I is a twelve-month program. Governance Foundation Program II is a twenty four-month program.

Phase I – Building Blocks

Phase I examines the complexities inherent in the working relationships between school boards and superintendents and distinguishes the best practices. Specific attention is given to the policies and processes by which boards and superintendent carry out their work.

Phase II – Reform Leadership

The Reform Leadership Institute shows how proactive boards can be when it comes to policy leadership. At the implementation visits your team will develop a statement of your core beliefs and commitments as well as reform action plans and policies aligned with your core beliefs.

Phase III – Sustainability

The Sustainability Institute gives boards the tools and strategies they need to sustain good practices and reform momentum in their districts. Your school board will focus on continuous improvement, forward planning,  building civic capacity, and transition planning.

Please contact our office to learn more about this unique program and program costs.