School board governance : Gouvernance des conseils scolaires : l'accent sur le rendement

It was also clear from consultations that an additional hallmark of good governance is the quality of the relationship and the synergy that exists between the board of trustees and the director of education. [...] During the Committee’s consultations, trustees often spoke of the challenge of reconciling their obligation to bring forward the values and interests of their constituents with the obligation of the board to make decisions for the good of all students in the system and consistent with the policy frameworks and initiatives of the Ministry. [...] However, the Committee heard and read that the director of education and senior staff may differ from trustees in their perceptions of matters that are operational, and therefore within the director’s domain, and matters that are policy, and therefore the domain of the board of trustees. [...] The Committee recommends that in cases where the positions of treasurer and of director of education are not held by the same individual, it should be clear that the treasurer reports to the board through the director of education. [...] Effective school board governance results from the collective knowledge and skill of the board members and their capacity or willingness to work together, to manage or resolve conflicting beliefs and values about what constitutes the public interest and to balance the responsibility of constituency representa- tion with the best interests of the whole organization.