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ASBA officials outline policy services for Prescott Unified; board reviews model‑manual updates
Summary
Arizona School Boards Association staff described policy-writing, PolicyBridge software and legal-review services to the Prescott Unified governing board, and explained that ASBA is updating its model manual in sections.
Arizona School Boards Association executives Justin Rice and Lynn Bondi told the Prescott Unified governing board April 1 that ASBA provides nonpartisan policy services tailored to districts, including PolicyBridge document management, complimentary policy reviews, regular advisories and on-call consultations.
Rice, ASBA’s executive director, and Bondi, a policy analyst, described ASBA’s service offerings: model policy manuals, a complimentary employee handbook aligned to district policy, a policy review process that includes a pre-analysis spreadsheet and color-coded comparison documents, and hands-on assistance drafting or editing policies. Rice said ASBA has committed to a posture of “accountability, collaboration and transparency” after recent organizational turnover and noted the association’s outreach to districts as it revises its model manual.
Bondi detailed the policy-review workflow ASBA uses: staff examine every document in a district manual, compile a pre-analysis spreadsheet for the superintendent, provide a color-coded comparison document between local and model policy, and separate items that require board review from those appropriate for superintendent approval. She said ASBA recommends a comprehensive policy review every four to five years and offers PolicyBridge features such as Word downloads, direct URLs to individual policies and Google Translate for more than 100 languages.
ASBA staff also explained that model‑manual updates are being released in sections so districts can review changes incrementally. The presenters said legal reviews for ASBA model policies include two outside legal opinions and peer reviewers drawn from district leaders to ensure documents are practical for governance.
Ending
Board members asked technical questions about enumeration (lettering vs numbering) and legal counsel used for firm opinions. Rice and Bondi said ASBA’s policy staff and contracted attorneys provide the legal vetting. The board did not take an action vote on provider services during the presentation; the district’s administrators said they will continue routine work with ASBA and may request further assistance on policy adoptions.
