School
Board Retreat
Minutes for July
21, 2009
The July 21, 2009, Chesterfield County School Board
retreat was held at the Stalker Auditorium, located in Johnston Willis Hospital Mr. Marshall Trammell, School Board Chairman,
called the meeting to order at 2:53 PM.
Present: Marshall W. Trammell, Jr., Bermuda; David S.
Wyman, Dale; Dianne E. Pettitt, Clover Hill; U. Omarh Rajah, Matoaca; Patricia
M. Carpenter, Midlothian District; Dr. Marcus J. Newsome, Superintendent; Dr.
Sharon Thomas, Chief Executive to the Superintendent; Michael R. Packer, School
Board Attorney; Dr. Dale Kalkofen, Assistant Superintendent for Instructional
Support; Dr. Ed Pruden, Assistant Superintendent for Instructional
Administration; David Myers, Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance;
Dr. Lyle Evans, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources/Administrative
Services; and Carol Timpano, School Board Clerk;
Mr. Philip A. Graham of Perspectives,
Inc, served as facilitator of the School
Board retreat. Mr. Graham provided an
overview of the agenda and the objectives for the retreat. These included:
n Enhance Our Understanding of
One Another
n Explore Ways to Work
Together More Effectively
n Establish Specific Protocols
for Working Together
n Develop Materials for a
Board Protocol Handbook
n Identify a Process for
Evaluation and Follow-Up of Actions
Mr. Trammell welcomed everyone to the Retreat and
discussed how he, Mrs. Pettitt and Mrs. Carpenter had participated in several
Board Governance sessions at the National School Board Conference. He explained
that many of the ideas from various state school board associations is being
used in the development of a Governance Handbook for Chesterfield County Public
Schools. Mrs. Pettitt added that a number of large school divisions have been
in contact with her as a follow-up to the national conference, including
members of the California, Oregon, Texas, Pennsylvania and Maryland School
Boards Associations. Mrs. Pettitt explained that the workbook is a “work in
progress”, and when completed will include specific governance roles and responsibilities
as well as supportive structures and processes. Mrs. Carpenter reported that
having collaborative discussions and establishing protocols is key to an
effective “Leadership Team.”
Participants
reviewed the Unity of Purpose for the
Leadership Team, which is defined as:
Unity of Purpose is the common focus, overarching
goals, and values and beliefs that Leadership Team members share about
children, the district, and public education that helps them transcend their
individual differences to fulfill a greater purpose.
EXPLORING
OUR UNITY OF PURPOSE
v
Our shared
purpose is to create and sustain the best learning environment for all students
v
We want to
build trust with one another and in the community in order to move the district
forward
v
We want to
become an effective team
v
We want to
understand our roles and collective responsibilities
v
We want to be
a team with a common focus so we are not a distraction, but a catalyst for the
focused efforts of our employees as they work to produce exemplary student
achievement
v
We want to be
partners with the staff in positive change
v
We want to
ensure a first-rate program and first-rate facilities, striving for continuous
improvement
v
We want to
perpetuate the legacy of a positive learning culture
Board members and staff were divided
into groups and began discussion regarding Structure and Process
Agreements and Protocols for How We Will Operate Together. Each team
worked to identify challenges and concerns in a given area and to explore and
establish the Leadership Team consensus on how specific concern or challenge
would be handled.
Board members also discussed the use
of a planning calendar for board meetings and work sessions.
In order to complete the work on establishing
protocols, it was suggested that the Board continue discussions on September 22
and include a report from Community Relations as part of the work session.
The retreat was adjourned at 9:54
PM.
__________________________
Clerk
to the Board
_________________________
Chairman