Whole‑board training reminds Savannah‑Chatham trustees: stay on the balcony — policy, not operations

Parker Poe attorneys used the training to review board duties, ethics, and practices trustees should follow to preserve trust and avoid legal or accreditation risks.

Suzanne Wilcox and Nina Gupta told the board the central role of a school board is governance — setting policy, evaluating the superintendent, and stewarding resources — not day‑to‑day operations. “The balcony is where you do the big thinking,” the presenters said repeatedly, urging members to avoid directing staff, making personnel demands outside the established chain of command, or surprising colleagues and the superintendent with policy proposals at a meeting.

Trainers listed common “red flags”: unprepared board members; leaking executive‑session conversations; public bickering that erodes trust; individually negotiating with vendors or staff; and using social media or personal communications to undermine collective decisions. They recommended board members review their code of ethics and policy regularly, attend work sessions prepared, coordinate with the superintendent about agenda items, and limit oral arguments at appeal hearings to control time and legal exposure.

The presenters also discussed how boards can support staff while preserving governance distances: provide clear policy direction, maintain a schedule for periodic policy review, and fund targeted training for administrators and hearing officers to reduce appeals. They suggested boards adopt a policy‑review cadence (for example, a 4‑ to 5‑year rotation) and encouraged trustees to cultivate collegial relationships to reduce public conflict and preserve the district’s accreditation standing.

Board members said they would consider the training recommendations and pursue additional sessions on areas such as managing difficult public comment, visitor protocols, and advanced communications practices.