Board of Education Code of Conduct and Roles

Code of Conduct

(Taken from District 203 Board of Education Policies: Section 2:80 Board of Education Member Code of Conduct)

Each member of the Naperville Community Unit School District 203 Board of Education ascribes to the following code of conduct; and shall:

• Represent all school district constituents honestly and equally and refuse to surrender responsibilities to special interest or partisan political groups.
• Avoid any conflict of interest or the appearance of impropriety which could result from position, and shall not use school board membership for personal gain.
• Recognize that a school board member has no legal authority as an individual and decisions can be made only by a majority vote at a school board meeting.
• Take no private action that might compromise the board or administration and shall respect the confidentiality of privileged information.
• Abide by majority decisions of the school board, while retaining the right to seek changes in such decisions through ethical and constructive channels.
• Encourage and respect the free expression of opinion by fellow board members and others.
• Be involved and knowledgeable about not only local educational concerns, but also about state and national issues.
• Respect the provisions of the Open Meetings Act.
• Not intrude into management or make staff decisions.
• Respect the function of District Administration by expressing concern for decisions or direction in a positive and constructive manner that serves the District Constituents while recognizing that the Board does not make staffing decisions.

Descriptions of roles and relationship of the Board of Education and Superintendent, below, are from District 203 Board of Education Policies: Section 2:132 Board Relationships.

Role of the Board of Education

The role of the Board of Education of Naperville Community Unit School District 203 shall be to:

• Define the Mission, Vision and Beliefs for the District.
• Determine long and short term goals that will move the District towards its Mission and Vision.
• Develop policies that set the parameters for Board governance and staff operations.
• Provide stewardship of the fiscal resources in relation to the Mission of the District.
• Maintain avenues for effective communication with all stakeholders. 
• Employ a Superintendent and evaluate his/her performance.
• Monitor and evaluate the District and its progress in relation to its Mission, Vision and goals.
• Advocate for students and quality public education.
• Abide by all laws, rules and regulations.

Role of the Superintendent

The role of the Superintendent of Naperville Community School District 203 shall be to:

• Provide leadership to move the District toward its Mission and Vision by achieving established long and short term goals.
• Manage the District within the parameters of established policy.
• Create an effective administrative team, delegate appropriately and hold individuals accountable.
• Employ, assign, develop, evaluate and dismiss, when appropriate, individuals who report directly to him/her; and establish a structure to address these items for all staff.
• Provide the Board of Education with appropriate information to facilitate its deliberations and informed decision making.
• Be the spokesperson for the District.
• Establish and/or maintain avenues for effective communication with all stakeholders.
• Advocate on behalf of students, the District and public education.
• Comply with all laws, rules, regulations and policies; and model ethical behavior at all times.

The Board-Superintendent Relationship

The Board-Superintendent relationship is based on mutual respect for their complementary roles. The relationship requires clear communication of expectations regarding the duties and responsibilities of both the Board and Superintendent.

The Board hires, evaluates, and seeks the recommendations of the Superintendent as the District chief executive officer. The Board adopts policies necessary to provide general direction for the District and to encourage achievement of District goals. The Superintendent develops plans, programs, and procedures needed to implement the policies and directs the District’s day-to-day operations.

The Superintendent is the chief executive officer of District 203 accountable only and directly to the Board of Education. The Superintendent is accountable for the current and future attainment of District 203's mission and goals.

The Superintendent is also viewed as the primary resource person in providing professional advice to the Board of Education in its policy making role.

The Board of Education employs the Superintendent and grants him/her the freedom and charges him/her with the responsibility to decide and to act in all areas consistent with policy, mission, and goals established for District 203 by the Board of Education.