Antioch Unified trustees hold governance workshop; facilitator urges clear goals, policy review and superintendent-evaluation tool

The Antioch Unified School District board convened a governance workshop to focus on board roles, communication, strategic planning and oversight. Facilitator De urged trustees to front-load measurable goals and to treat the board’s role as setting “what,” while leaving “how” to the superintendent and staff.

Why it matters: Trustees were repeatedly urged to align meeting agendas, presentations and contracts to a concise strategic plan so the board can judge whether programs are producing measurable student growth. Facilitators and members flagged gaps in policy maintenance (including an outdated technology policy), uncertainty about school nurse staffing, and a missing superintendent-evaluation tool.

Facilitator’s framework and board responsibilities Facilitator De opened with a reminder that this was a workshop, not a business meeting: “because this is not a board meeting we’re not making any decisions…we’re not…there’s no actions.” She asked trustees to adopt written board norms, to use a governance calendar and to require staff to present baseline data and interim benchmarks whenever programs or contracts are proposed.

Board members echoed the emphasis on student-focused oversight. One member said the board should ask three questions about any program: where were we, where are we now and where do we want to go. Several trustees described wanting agenda items and staff presentations to be explicitly tied to district goals so the board can monitor evidence of progress rather than only hearing program descriptions.

Policy review and student voice The workshop included discussion of a policy committee and the district’s student-board member practice. Facilitator and trustees said a standing policy review process would prevent situations where policies (technology rules were cited) lag decades behind technological change. Trustee comments also urged restoring a substantive student representative role, with clear expectations and training for any student appointee.

Superintendent evaluation and contract evidence Facilitator and trustees agreed the district lacked a clear instrument to evaluate a superintendent. “We definitely don’t have an evaluation system for the super,” one participant said during the session, and the facilitator warned that rolling multi-year contracts should be supported by annual evidence of progress. The facilitator offered to provide evaluation templates and to work with the board to set measurable goals that would anchor future superintendent reviews.

Operational issues raised Trustees asked about school nurses and wellness-room staffing; participants said site-level nurse coverage was unclear and the number of on-site nurses was “not specified” in the discussion. The facilitator recommended resource mapping by school to show capacity and to connect staffing decisions to the strategic plan and budget.

Next steps and assignment The board and facilitator agreed on immediate follow-up: trustees were asked to submit three expectations for board-to-board conduct and three expectations for the superintendent within a week; the facilitator will compile a draft board-norms document for the next session. The group also agreed to shift one May meeting to a May 14 governance workshop and to schedule additional governance sessions in May and September to continue goal-setting and policy work.

Formal action The meeting closed with a procedural motion to adjourn that was seconded and approved by voice vote. The facilitator reiterated that no policy or contract decisions were made at the workshop; the outcome was a set of direction items and homework for trustees and staff.

What remains open Trustees requested a top-line report on special education committee work and clearer processes for when matters need deeper study (study sessions vs. committee work). The district also needs (a) a published governance calendar that ties data availability to agenda timing; (b) a policy-review schedule; and (c) an adopted superintendent-evaluation tool with annual evidence expectations.

The board will reconvene for a follow-up governance workshop and expects the facilitator to provide draft norms and evaluation templates ahead of the next session.