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Shorewood board removes indicator requiring superintendent report on member noncompliance after debate
Summary
The board approved a consent agenda that eliminated an OE‑6 indicator which had required the superintendent to report alleged board member noncompliance; members debated whether the superintendent should be responsible for reporting on board members and whether the change created a circular oversight problem.
During the Feb. 25 meeting the Shorewood School Board approved revisions that removed an OE‑6 indicator requiring the superintendent to report board‑member noncompliance. The change was included in the board consent agenda approved by the membership.
Board discussion before the vote focused on whether it is appropriate for the superintendent to report on board members' compliance with board policies. One board member questioned the circularity of the arrangement, saying the operating‑expectation format has administrators report on compliance while the board uses the same instruments to evaluate the superintendent: "So an operating expectation, the format of these is that the administrators... come to us to show that they are compliant. We already have all these things from board member code of conduct... is the superintendent supposed to give a report on how we're doing when we're using these to evaluate her?" The concern was that requiring an annual report on each board member would be awkward and that existing governance and grievance processes already address member violations.
Other members argued there is a role for the superintendent to notify the board if an individual board member's actions are disruptive to district operations and that the superintendent should raise issues when they affect school functioning. Board members ultimately agreed the specific OE‑6 indicator was not well framed and could be removed now and reconsidered later with clearer language and process alignment.
The consent agenda motion that included the elimination of the indicator passed on a voice vote. Board members asked that any future replacement language be drafted with attention to the board's code of conduct, grievance processes and onboarding or training for new board members.
