Englewood board refines draft goals on communication and professional development
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Summary
At a special Oct. 9 meeting the Englewood Board of Education revised two draft board-goal statements focused on strengthening communication with the community and expanding board professional development; the board will refine action steps and revisit the goals at its Oct. 30 meeting.
The Englewood Board of Education spent the bulk of its Oct. 9 special meeting refining two draft goal statements aimed at improving how the board communicates with the public and how members maintain professional knowledge.
Board President Mister Feinstein began the discussion by presenting two draft goals — one on “communication” and one on “professional development” — and asked members for suggested language and action items. The communication draft originally read that the board would “strengthen trust, transparency, and engagement between the Englewood Board of Education and the community through clear, consistent, and inclusive communication.” After discussion the board added “collaboration” and broadened the wording to read: “To strengthen trust, transparency, collaboration, and engagement among the board and between the Englewood Board of Education and the community through clear, consistent, and inclusive communication.”
Why it matters: Board-governance goals shape what the board asks staff to deliver, and any new expectations for outreach or reporting can create extra workload and budget implications for the superintendent’s office. Several board members and the board attorney cautioned that the board’s role is to set policy and goals while the superintendent and staff implement them.
Most members supported the communication language but pushed for concrete action steps. Board member Rachel said the statement should explicitly cover “communication among the board members” as well as board-to-community communication, and several members recommended specific actions: clearer advance notice when principals present to the board, stronger promotion of principal presentations to attract parents, monthly or periodic district “highlights” or bulletins, use of school signage and city digital signs, community listening sessions/town halls, and targeted short surveys or QR-code quick polls at school events.
On training, the board discussed finance-focused professional development and other governance topics. Feinstein read a draft training goal to “strengthen the effectiveness of the Englewood Board of Education by promoting continuous personal and professional development, ensuring members are well informed and equipped to make decisions that best serve students and the community.” Members suggested training subjects that include: reading and explaining the district’s financial reports, roles and responsibilities, ethics and the state Board of Education code of ethics, time-management for meetings, and board teamwork and collaboration. Several members proposed a full-day board retreat or a public learning session led by the business administrator to explain financial statements.
Board members and the board attorney also discussed procedural safeguards: how and when board members should raise questions for staff ahead of meetings, and the risks of staff being asked to carry out new expectations without added resources. Board counsel Mister Taylor advised the board to consult the superintendent about implementation costs and logistics before formalizing action steps.
The board did not vote on final goal language at the Oct. 9 meeting. Feinstein said he will compile the suggestions and circulate a draft goal-and-action document for final consideration at the board’s Oct. 30 meeting.
The meeting also included an introduction of Melissa Del Rosso, the New Jersey School Boards Association field representative for Bergen County, who described herself as a resource for board training and support.