The Marion County School District is governed by a five-member Board of Education. The Board is the governing body responsible for establishing policies and providing support for quality educational opportunities for all students. The current Board members are:
An analysis of the Marion County Schools Board of Education Policy Manual and related documents indicates that 15 policies associated with effective schools have already been adopted, in the following important categories:
Although the policies listed above are present in the Board Policy Manual, the site visit committee believes the school district would be well served by revisiting the following important policy areas to update, revise, and strengthen the Board's position:
The Issue:
Principal leadership expectations should be redefined to reflect more contemporary leadership strategies.
Suggested Language:
It is the policy of the Marion County School District that the Superintendent and principals shall have the responsibility and authority to select, provide supervision for, and evaluate all staff members who report to them.
The Issue:
The site visit committee could find little evidence of Board policy related to high expectations for student academic performance. Rather, current policy emphasizes student conduct only.
Suggested Language:
The Board of Education of the Marion County School District encourages students and staff to set high expectations for themselves. The Board also encourages recognition for students and staff who attain these high standards.
The Issue:
Although the site visit committee noted extensive use of television production in the district, little evidence was located through policy to reflect integration of technology into the learning process.
Suggested Language:
The Board of Education of the Marion County School District directs the Superintendent to develop a technology plan which includes provision for computer laboratories, allocations for classroom technology, transportation to and from computer facilities for all students, a "check-out" hardware and software resource for use by students off site (especially those students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch), and adequate training for all students and staff.
Policies associated with effective schools were not found among the Board-adopted complement in these 11 areas:
To facilitate Board discussion on these important areas, the site visit committee offers the following as guidelines the 11 areas noted above:
The Issue:
While the site visit committee learned through personal visits that many of the elementary and middle school teachers assign homework on a regular basis, no Board policy was found. Therefore, since this belief is being reflected in practice, it should be in policy.
Suggested Language:
The Marion County Public Schools Board of Education acknowledges the purposefulness of out-of-school assignments as extensions to the instructional programs of the schools. The type, frequency, and quality of homework assigned should be determined by the needs of the individual students. Assignments may be:
The Issue:
A policy on school climate is appropriate. The site visit committee observed a healthy school climate in the schools visited, but, again, no policy embodying the Board's endorsement of a healthy learning environment was found.
Suggested Language:
The Marion County Board of Education recognizes the importance of a healthy school climate for both staff and students. Such a school climate invigorates the teaching-learning process. A healthy environment reflects respect between and among teachers and learners, and serves as a safe haven to make mistakes. To highlight the importance of this area, the Board directs the Superintendent to periodically measure school climate via a school climate survey.
The Issue:
In the age of accountability, standards are vitally important. The Board may wish to draft policy reflecting state and local standards so that it becomes a ready reference for all stakeholders in the district.
Suggested Language:
It is the intent of the Marion County Board of Education to set high performance standards for students. Therefore, the Superintendent is directed to determine the guidelines and procedures to measure performance in such areas as:
The Issue:
A group of policies should be developed by the Marion County Board of Education that addresses the components of decentralized decision making. Adoption and implementation of the four policies below will result in a district-wide direction, expectations for the School Advisory Councils, and the basis for recognition of all accomplishments.
Suggested Language:
a. School based management
The Marion County Board of Education believes that shared governance increases the productivity of staff and students. The Board directs the Superintendent to establish school-based decision making, and that school management operate within the limits of budget controls, board policies, professional ethic, and the requirement of law. Decentralization shall be accompanied by school accountability measures. The Superintendent shall provide an annual report to the board on the results.
b. School unit accountability.
It is the policy of the Marion County Board of Education that the Superintendent establish an individual school accountability program. The Superintendent shall develop guidelines, and each school shall utilize school databases to establish effectiveness levels to be achieved, the time period for the attainment of these effectiveness levels, and the method by which these levels will be measured. Annual written progress reports will be submitted to the Superintendent.
c. Data-based decision making.
It is vital for Marion County, the Board of Education, and the Superintendent to make sound decisions to meet priorities of high student achievement.
The Board directs the Superintendent to establish a procedure for identifying appropriate data, interpreting the data, and utilizing such data for planning and allocation of resources. Annual and long-range plans shall be developed to reflect school, local, state, and federal databases.
d. Periodic reporting of student performance data
Pupil performance data shall be a high priority for all schools. It is the policy of the Marion County Board of Education to periodically report pupil performance to parents, guardians, and to the community. The Board directs the Superintendent to establish procedures to report the annual progress of student achievement and communicate that progress through a multi-faced process to ensure maximum distribution of such vital information to staff, students, parents, and county as a whole.
Suggested Language:
It is the policy of the Marion County School District to inventory all school property, to update the inventory on an annual basis, and to account for all additions and deletions.
Suggested Language:
The Marion County Board of Education reviews all regulations developed by the administration to implement Board policy. The Board revises or nullifies such regulations only when they are inconsistent with adopted Board policy or when they are not in the best interest of the school district.
The Board's approval of regulations is accomplished by the same procedure used in the adoption of Board policy.
Administrative regulations are coded consistent with Board of Education policies and are included adjacent to the related Board policy in the Board Policy Manual.
Suggested Language:
The Board of Education of Marion County Schools believes that legislation of policies is its most important function and that execution of policies should be the responsibility of the Superintendent and staff. Board policies should be broad statements of general direction and accountability, with authority delegated to the Superintendent for implementation.
Therefore, the Superintendent shall have the authority for implementation of Board policies, operation of the internal system designed to serve the school system, and for keeping the Board of Education informed about all school operations.
Suggested Language:
It is the policy of the Marion County School District to provide equal opportunity to all students and staff in selecting courses and assuring that curriculum and content shall be free from racial and gender bias.
Please see Section VII, Recommendations, for suggestions to revise and keep current Board policy, organize policies and administrative procedures, give access to adopted policies, and to train the administrative staff in Board policy and implementation of administrative procedures.
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