FILE: BBB
POWERS AND DUTIES OF BOARD MEMBERS
The Board shall act as the general agent of the people within its jurisdiction in all matters related to the public education of students enrolled in the schools of the district.
The Board shall be responsible for carrying out all mandates pertaining to education and shall consider and accept or reject provisions of permissive legislation if discretion is authorized. In all cases whereby constitutional mandates, federal and/or state statutes, judicial precedents or regulations of recognized governmental agencies do not otherwise provide or prohibit, the Board shall consider itself the agent responsible for establishing and appraising the educational activities of the district.
The Board shall hold in trust for the use of the public schools of the city all property, real, personal and mixed, now held or hereafter acquired for school purposes.
The primary responsibility of the Board is to develop, adopt, and evaluate policies for the operation of the school district. Input from the Superintendent, teachers and administrators, staff members, professional organizations, parents, and other citizens of the community shall be encouraged.
The Board considers that its most important functions fall into the following categories:
Legislative or Policymaking: The Board is responsible for the development of policy and for the employment of a Superintendent who will carry out its policy through the development and implementation of regulations.
Educational Planning and Appraisal: The Board is responsible for acquiring reliable information from responsible sources which will enable it to make the best possible decisions about the scope and nature of the educational program. The Board is responsible for requiring appraisal of the results of the educational program.
Staffing and Appraisal: The Board is responsible for employing the staff necessary for carrying out the instructional program and establishing salaries and salary schedules, and other terms and conditions of employment, as well as for personnel policies that have district wide application. The Board is responsible for appraising the effectiveness of its staff by providing for their regular evaluation.
Financial Resources: The Board is responsible for adopting a budget that will provide the financial basis for buildings, staff materials, and equipment which will enable the district to carry out the educational program. The Board is responsible for exercising control over the finances of the school district to assure proper use of, and accounting for, all district funds.
School Facilities: The Board is responsible for determining school housing needs, for communicating these needs to the community, for purchasing or acquiring sites, and approving building plans that will support and enhance the educational program.
Communication With Public: The Board is responsible for providing adequate means for keeping the local citizenry informed about the schools and for keeping itself informed about the wishes of the public.
Judicial: The Board is responsible for acting as a court of appeal for school employees, students, and the public when issues involve Board Policy and their fair implementation.
ADOPTED: August 13, 2002
LEGAL REF: Code of Alabama 16-11-1 to 27; 16-12-1; 16-12-15 to 16;
16-22-5 to 6