Governance Consulting Services: New name reflects evolving role of CSBA’s former Single District Services 

CSBA’s Single District Governance Services unit is now known as Governance Consulting Services, a name that more accurately reflects an evolving emphasis on board-superintendent collaboration to transform governance team leadership for student achievement.

The new name also expresses the extension of the unit’s role beyond its traditional workshop-based support to the teams who govern school districts, according to Governance Consulting Services Director Dan B. Walden. That support remains an important component of the work, but Walden said GCS’s focus has grown to include helping team members reach practical agreements about how to work together effectively to:

• set direction

• align resources to agreed-upon priorities

• monitor and report progress toward goals

• and demonstrate community leadership on education issues

CSBA’s governance consultants, who are themselves former governing board members or district administrators, help boards and superintendents transform their governance team leadership, Walden explained. Although GCS consultants train and educate individuals , Walden said the focus is on building effective teams.

This is especially critical for local education agencies that serve significant percentages of students who are struggling academically, Walden continued.

“Boards have a significant role in providing leadership for student achievement. Governance team discussions on values, goals, priorities, resource alignment, community messaging and accountability for results can be powerful tools that help staff and the community get involved in reforming and focusing the system on improved student learning. The key is to have a shared understanding of purpose, clarity of roles, and agreement on how you’ll work together,” Walden said.

As part of that effort, governance consultants may work with individual board members, a superintendent and a board, a community and its board—or all of these crucial players.

“Sometimes we help convene community forums to hear what people need and expect from schools, and to understand the priority of focusing on student achievement,” Walden said. “We help governance teams determine what a community’s vision is for its schools, and we help them with the planning to translate that vision into effective action.”

For example, if the district’s vision and goals put the highest priority on meeting the needs of students who are struggling academically, school board members may have to postpone or eliminate expenditures for a new playing field or other community-driven goals. A written agreement to focus on collectively adopted priorities can go a long way toward helping board members sort through competing demands and stand together when priorities are challenged.

“Community leadership is one of the board’s responsibilities. It’s appropriate that we help boards learn from their communities the aspirations they have for their schools,” Walden said.

GCS’s director—who’s also a member of the board at Walnut Creek School District—is aware that governing boards may face questions when they choose to invest in consultant services during tough fiscal times.

“Boards need to remember that the support and leadership of the governing board is essential to
sustaining the work of the professional staff—especially when resources are precious and dwindling, and when schools are being asked to provide more services than ever before,” Walden said. “The board plays a key role in making things happen. GCS helps ensure that governing teams are well prepared for this extremely challenging work.”

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Find out more about CSBA’s Governance Consulting Services and contact the staff @ http://www.csba.org/Services/Services/GovernanceServices/SingleDistrictGovernance.aspx.