Delaware School Boards Association is one of the members of the family of State Board Associations which now exist in nearly every state of the Union. The Delaware Association was organized in 1946 and became a member of the National School Association in 1952.

The purpose of this Association is to encourage and foster equity of thought and action of school boards and to further the educational interests in the State. A principal function of the Association is the study of school needs along with the proposal and/or support of legislation to provide for them. Through the Association, the school boards of Delaware are getting ever-increasing recognition in the planning of legislation for the public schools. We also provide on-going board member training, facilitate policy research, assist with superintendent selection processes, provide guidelines for board member and superintendent evaluations, and serve as a liaison with other education related organizations.

The Board of Directors of the Association consists of a voting representative of each local board as well as the State Board. This body meets on a state-wide basis at least nine times a year for the purpose of conducting the Association's business. There is also an "annual" meeting held each year for the purpose of making awards and receiving annual reports. Special meetings can be called as necessary.

DSBA OFFICERS
2007-2008 

President
Mr. Gary Wolfe
15230 Abbotts Pond Road
Greenwood, DE 19950

First Vice President
Mr. John Schulties 
127 Garey Drive
Felton, DE   19934

Second Vice President
Mr. George Evans
1712 Linden Street
Wilmington, DE   19805

Treasurer
Mr. Walter Gilefski
211 Walnut Street
Bridgeville, DE 19933

 *Legislative Chairman
Mr. Charles Bireley
31500 Norma Lee Court
Dagsboro, DE 19939

* Executive Director
Ms. Susan Francis
10 Freedom Drive
Dover, DE   19904

* President CSOA
Dr. Steven Godowsky
1417 Newport Road
Wilmington, DE 19804
 

Past President
Mr. Ed Czerwinski
125 Log Yard Lane
Townsend, DE 19734

*Ex-Officio Members

Sixteen Delaware school boards are elected and the three vocational-technical districts have appointed board members.

Elected boards are made up of five to ten members, with members elected for a term of five years. The exception to the length of terms is Indian River. They have 3 year terms. The three appointed boards have seven members with seven year terms.

Elections are held in accordance with the provisions of the Delaware Code, Title 14, Education.

Selection of candidates is a local matter and is done in various ways. An individual may decide that, because of his interest, he wishes to become a member of the local board; or an organization may feel that some person would make a good board member. In districts where positions are filled by election, a resident becomes a candidate by filing with the County Board of Elections, at least 60 days prior to the election. In the three vocational districts where board members are appointed by the Governor, appointments are made on the basis of residence, experience, qualifications, and political affiliation, as well as the recommendations of interested community organizations.

ARTICLE 1

Order of Business

The following shall be the order of business for conducting the meetings of the Board of Directors. Temporary departures from this order may be made with the consent of the Board.

1. Reading, correction, and adoption of the minutes.

2. Treasurer's Report

3. Reports of Committees

4. Unfinished Business

5. New Business

6. Adjournment

ARTICLE II

Committees

Sec. 1 There shall be a standing committee on legislation. Other committees may be appointed by the President as required.

Sec. 2 The membership of any standing committee shall consist of at least 5 members of the Association appointed by the President.

Sec. 3 The Legislative Committee will report to the Association on educational legislation. Attempts to influence legislation by propaganda or otherwise is not to be a substantial part of the Association activity.

Sec. 4 The membership of any committee present shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of the business of the committee.

ARTICLE III

Meetings

All meetings of this Association shall be conducted according to parliamentary usage as set forth in Roberts' "Rules of Order," revised edition.

ARTICLE IV

Election of Officers

Officers of the Association shall be elected from among their members by the Board of Directors for the ensuing year prior to the Annual Meeting. The officers shall be elected by a majority of the total votes.

ARTICLE V

Quorum

Fifty percent or more voting representatives shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

ARTICLE VI

Executive Director

The Executive Director shall be subject to an annual performance review prior to the end of the fiscal year. The review shall be conducted by the officers of the Association. A written copy of the review shall be maintained in the Association's personnel file.

Background

Sixteen Delaware school boards are elected, and the three vocational-technical school boards have members appointed board members.

Elected boards are made up of five or ten members, with members being elected for a term of five years. The exception to the length of terms is Indian River. They have 3 year terms beginning with the elections in 1996. The three appointed boards have seven members with seven year terms.

Elections are held in accordance with the provisions of the Delaware Code, Title 14, Education.

This is a general guide for those individuals who have an interest in running for one of the elected board seats in this State.

Qualifications

In accordance with Title 14, Delaware Code, the following are the basic legal requirements for running for a school board:

- U.S. Citizen

- Resident of the State

- Resident of the School District

- At least 18 Years of Age

Beyond these basics, candidates for boards in some school districts may have residency requirements for specific nominating districts within the school district (Brandywine, Cape Henlopen, Christina, Colonial, Indian River, Milford, and Red Clay Consolidated).

In addition to these bare legal requirements, one wishing to serve as a school board member should have certain basic qualities:

- Possess a high standard of personal integrity.

- Have the broad viewpoint to represent impartially all the people of the community.

- Have good physical energy, sound mental health, and social poise above the average.

- Have a profound interest in the welfare of all the children in the community, not just a segment, a special group, or a geographic area.

- Have, or be willing to develop, a sympathetic understanding of the learning process as it involves the human relationships between teachers and pupils.

-Have a willingness to develop an understanding of the laws, policies and regulations that impact the schools of Delaware.

Above all, a school board member should be a person who holds universal public education in the highest esteem, who understands its vital importance to the survival of a free society, and who is willing to work unremittingly to provide and to support the highest quality of public education the community can afford.

Functions of a Local School Board

In general, the function of a local school board is to establish policies and direction for the operation of the school system of the district. It is then the function of the administrator to carry out these policies.

Policies are principles adopted to chart a course of action and to define for the administrator the limits within which he shall exercise judgment and discretion. Rules and regulations are more likely to be formulated by the administrator and approved by the school board.

The local school board functions may be grouped as fiscal, policy making, and operational.

- Fiscal Responsibilities

Under fiscal functions, the local Board should:

1. Provide, maintain, and control the use of buildings and materials of instruction.

2. Provide and maintain an adequate staff to carry on the several phases of the school program; administrative, instructional, clerical, custodial, health and special services.

3. Provide and adopt a proper budget to carry out the approved program of instruction and services.

Of the above, the most important is the selection of the professional staff. These should be the most capable available, and they should be charged with and held responsible for the direction, administration, and supervision and/or implementation of the entire program.

- Operational Aspects

Under the operational functions of the Board can be listed the following:

1. Provision of an approved educational program for the District. This must be constantly reviewed and revised according to the changing needs and demands and required emphases.

2. Resolution of matters both covered and not covered by policies. This includes arbitration of controversies, disputes and other matters.

3. Provision for two-way communication with the community through a well designed informational services program and open door policy at board meetings.

4. Development of a staff capable of meeting the demands of the district. The Board shall, with the recommendation of the chief school officer and on the basis of written policies, determine the employment, assignment, reassignment, suspension or dismissal of employees.

5. Definition of the role of the chief school officer. He must be recognized as:

       a. Secretary of the school board; and

       b. Liaison Officer of the board with: State Board of Education, State Department of Education, and other state, county and local agencies.

6. Delegation of responsibilities of the chief school officer who must be recognized as having a foremost position in operational matters. He is charged with:

      a. The curriculum, its organization, development implementation and revision as well as other correlated and sustaining services of the schools.

      b. Organization of staff for supervision, administration and instruction, maintenance, etc.

      c. Selection and recommendation for approval of appointment of all personnel and evaluation of personnel and services.

     d. Preparation of and control of budgets.

     e. Preparation of plans for buildings, for their operations and maintenance.

      f. Preparation of policies for adoption, repeal or modification by the Board of Education (in concert with the administrative, instructional and other staff).

      g. Maintenance of financial records and reporting on them as requested.

      h. Reporting on the progress and needs of the instructional program.

       i. Provision of opportunities for continuous professional growth of professional members of the staff.

       j. Provision of full and open communication with the community and of leadership in community programs.

- Policy Making

Policy making is the most important function of the local board. In the absence of written policies, boards and administrators become lost in the infinite details of operation and never find time for study of and decisions on the fundamental matters of the educational program. Written policies should be in clear and unequivocal language, cover all employees, students and all functions of the school system. Those affected by a policy should always have the opportunity to make recommendations in its formulation.

Written policies covering the following areas and at least the items mentioned thereunder should be adopted:

1. General

School property, transportation, athletics, solicitations, budget preparation, purchasing.

2. Personnel

Hiring, salaries, qualifications, professional growth, supervision, leaves, tenure, retirement, extracurricular activities, pensions, fringe benefits, assignments, reassignments, termination of services, and promotions.

3. Educational Program

Courses of study, philosophy, goals, admissions requirements, promotion and retention, tuition, assignment and transfer, attendance, standards of administration, supervising, and reporting.

4. Legal Matters

5. Evaluation of Program and Personnel

Dates and Times for School Board Elections

School board elections are held on either the second Tuesday in May. Each local board determines the voting sites and notifies the county Board of Elections in sufficient time for the county clerk of the peace to post notices of the election at least 45 days in advance.

School election hours are 12:00 noon to 7:00 p.m.

Nominations for Election of School Board Members

Nominees must file in writing with the county Board of Elections at least 60 days before the day of election. (If the sixtieth day falls on a weekend or official holiday, the filing deadline is extended to the next working day).

Appoquinimink School District
P.O. Box 4010
Odessa, Delaware 19730
302-378-5010

Brandywine School District
1000 Pennsylvania Avenue
Claymont, Delaware 19703
302-792-3812

Caesar Rodney School District
Box 188
Camden, Delaware 19934
302-697-2173

Cape Henlopen School District
1270 Kings Highway
Lewes, Delaware 19958
302-645-6686

Capital School District
945 Forest Street
Dover, Delaware 19904
302-672-1556

Christina School District
600 N. Lombard Street
Wilmington, Delaware 19801
302-454-2000

Colonial School District
318 East Basin Road
New Castle, Delaware 19720
302-323-2710

Delmar School District
200 North 8th Street
Delmar, Delaware 19940
302-846-9544

Indian River School District
RD 2 - Box 156
Selbyville, Delaware 19975
302-436-1000

Lake Forest School District
5423 Killens Pond Road
Felton, Delaware 19943
302-284-3020

Laurel School District
815 Central Avenue
Laurel, Delaware 19956
302-875-6100

Milford School District
906 Lakeview Avenue
Milford, Delaware 19963
302-422-1600

*New Castle County Vo Tech School District
1417 Newport Road
Wilmington, Delaware 19804
302-995-8050

*POLYTECH School District
P.O. Box 22
Woodside, Delaware 19980
302-697-2170

Red Clay School District
P.O. Box 869
1400 Washington Street
Wilmington, Delaware 19899
302-683-6605

Seaford School District
1 Delaware Place
Seaford, Delaware 19973
302-629-4587

Smyrna School District
22 South Main Street
Smyrna, Delaware 19977
302-653-8585

*Sussex Technical School District
P.O. Box 351
Georgetown, Delaware 19947
302-856-2541

Woodbridge School District
P.O. Box 427
Bridgeville, Delaware 19933
302-349-1421

As a member of my local board of education, I will strive to improve public education and to that end I will:

- Attend all regularly scheduled board meetings insofar as possible, and become informed concerning the issues to be considered at those meetings;

- Recognize that I should endeavor to make policy decisions only after full discussion at publicly held board meetings;

- Render all decisions based on the available facts and my independent judgment, and refuse to surrender that judgment to individuals or special interest groups;

- Encourage the free expression of opinion by all board members, and seek systematic communications between the board and student, staff, and all elements of the community;

- Work with other board members to establish effective board policies and to delegate authority for the administration of the schools to the superintendent;

- Communicate to other board members and the superintendent expressions of public reaction to board policies and school programs;

- Inform myself about current educational issues by individual study and through participation in programs providing needed information, such as those sponsored by my state and national school board associations;

- Support the employment of those persons best qualified to serve as school staff, and insist on a regular and impartial evaluation of all staff;

- Avoid being placed in a position of conflict of interest, and refrain from using my board position for personal or partisan gain;

- Take no private action that will compromise the board or administration, and respect the confidentiality of information

that is privileged under applicable law; and

- Remember always that my first and greatest concern must be the educational welfare of the students attending the public schools.

Candidates for school board election who at the time of filing do not anticipate raising and/or spending $2,000.00 or more in behalf of their election should complete a "Certification of Intention" form and submit it to:

Commissioner of Elections

32 Loockerman Square

Suite 203

Dover, Delaware 19901

"Certification of Intention" forms are also available from the Commissioner's Office if they are not available at the Clerk of the Peace at the time of filing.

If you do raise and/or spend more than $2,000.00, the provisions of the Campaign Financing and Disclosure Act become operative and you must comply with all of the reporting and filing provisions under Title 15, Delaware Code.

Each year in April a Certificate will be awarded to any board member accumulating a minimum of 15 credits, 6 of which are earned through DSBA programs. The "year" will be April 1 to March 31 of any given year.

The types of certificates will be:

• Certificate of Boardsmanship - 15-25 credits
• Certificate of Merit - 26-49 credits
• Certificate of Distinction - 50 or more credits
• Certificate of Excellence - 250 or more credits in a five year period with one of those years having received a Certificate of Distinction.

Credits are earned through registration and participation in professional development activities sponsored or recognized by DSBA.

Credit values are assigned as follows:

- Seminars and workshops (partial day or evening) - 3 credits each. These workshops and seminars include the fall and/or spring seminars, DSBA Council of School Attorney's Workshops and Advisory Board meetings.

- Full day seminar/workshops - 5 credits each.

- DSBA Annual Meeting - 2 credits.

- Program participation in any DSBA sponsored events - 1 credit each.

(i.e. workshop leader, panelist, etc.)

- State level Education Committees - determined by hours attended

- NSBA Conference - 5 credits each full day

- Local Board Workshops/Retreats for Boardsmanship activities - Credits determined by hours of program.

- DSBA Board of Directors - 2 credits each meeting

- DSBA Legislative Committee - 2 credits each meeting

- Other Boardsmanship Training by other organizations - 2 credits half day, 4 credits full day.

All records will be maintained by the DSBA office. Any disputes regarding accumulations of credits will be appealed to the DSBA Executive Committee for final disposition.

Certificates will be awarded and forwarded to the local board member's district for presentation. Recognition will also be given at the DSBA Annual Meeting to those who had earned certificates.

Programs planned and/or presented by local districts or outside organizations should be submitted to DSBA for credit assessment and value as promptly as possible.

Attendees are responsible for reporting what activities they participated in on forms available through the DSBA office.

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Delaware School Boards Association
P. P.O. Box 1277
Dover, DE 19903

sfrancis@edsba.org