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Edmonds School District

School Board Norms and Protocols

Board of Directors 

Norms & Protocols 

Revised 8/26/25 

Mission 

As elected members of the Edmonds School District Board of Directors, each Board Director accepts the high honor and trust that has been placed in us to ensure that all the students of the Edmonds School District receive a world-class education. 

Guiding Principles 

Students first 

The Board places the interests of students above all others in every decision it makes. 

Equity, always 

The Board is focused on educational excellence for each and every student regardless of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal. We strive to make decisions that maximize access and remove barriers to high quality academic, learning, and enrichment opportunities for all students, regardless of their personal or social circumstances. 

Highly effective governance 

The Board works with the Superintendent to nurture its own development as an effective governing body. 

Integrity 

The Board approaches decision-making with diligence and honesty, taking into account existing data and input from district staff and other stakeholders. 

Respect 

The Board conducts all business with respect for one another, the Superintendent, and every member of our school community. Each Board member presumes positive intentions and listens for understanding. 

Teamwork 

The Board strives for consensus but respects differences of opinion. Each Board member upholds and supports the decisions of the majority of the Board once a decision is made. Only the Board as a whole has authority. Board members should not make individual directives to the superintendent. 

The Role of the Board 

As defined by WSSDA (Washington State School Directors' Association), the role of the Board is to: 

  1. Provide responsible school district governance;
  2. Set and communicate high expectations for student learning with clear goals and plans for meeting these expectations;
  3. Create conditions district-wide for student and staff success;
  4. Hold the school district accountable for meeting student learning expectations;
  5. Engage the local community and represent the values and expectations they hold for their schools.
     

The Work of the Board 

The Board engages in the following types of work to fulfill this role:

  • Hire and evaluate the Superintendent;
  • Work with the Superintendent and community to develop and monitor the strategic plan for the district;
  • Establish policies for governing the school district;
  • Adopt an annual balanced budget;
  • Maintain legal and fiduciary authority for the school district;
  • Adopt all core instructional materials used in the district;
  • Serve as community representatives to the district and on behalf of the district.

Governance

  1. The Board is mindful of its obligations under RCW Chapter 42.30, the Open Public Meetings Act, and will not hold private meetings or conduct conversations amongst one another related to district business in person or through any means including electronic (e.g., email, shared documents, texts etc.) involving more than two (2) Board members. 
  2. The Board will function through the following public forums:
    1. Regular Meetings - Regularly recurring meetings that are held in accordance with a schedule adopted by the board and included in board policy;
    2. Executive Sessions - Portions of board meetings which can be held without the public for specific allowable purposes;
    3. Special Meetings - Any meeting of the board that is not a regular meeting;
    4. Emergency Meetings - A special meeting for which notice is not required because it is being held in response to specific emergencies.
  3. The Board may take action in the following private forums:
    1. Executive Session - For matters specifically outlined in RCW 42.30.110, such as litigation, sale or lease price of real estate, or performance of a public employee, which are exempt from Open Public Meetings Act rules;
    2. Closed Session - For matters specifically outlined in RCW 42.30.140 such as quasi-judicial hearings or discussing collective bargaining, which are also exempt from Open Public Meetings Act rules;
    3. Participants have a duty to maintain confidentiality of both the topic and the subject matter of an executive or closed session.
  4. The Board commits itself to continuous improvement through Board retreats, Board training and networking opportunities, professional development opportunities, and annual self-assessment. Individual Board members commit to attending and fully participating in Board meetings, study sessions, retreats, committee meetings and other Board activities.
  5. The Board President or designee will be the Board spokesperson.
  6. When Board members serve on various district or community committees or attend committee meetings in their official capacity as a Board member, their role shall be as liaison to the Board, and they shall report back to the School Board. In these meetings, the directors' first priority will be aligned with Edmonds School District goals and the well-being of Edmonds School District students.
  7. When a new Director joins the Board, the Board as a whole will review the Board of Directors Norms and Protocols document and make adjustments as appropriate after discussion with the newly formulated Board.

Board - Superintendent Communications

The Superintendent is the only district employee who reports to the Edmonds School Board. Therefore, the following norms are established in order to sustain effective and timely communications between the Superintendent, the Board, and all constituents of the district: 

  1. Surprises to the Board or Superintendent will be the rare exception, not the rule. Board members will make every effort to notify the Superintendent at least 24 hours in advance when planning to amend or oppose a Board action item. The Superintendent will provide adequate materials to Board members in advance of meetings in which action is to be taken, to give them adequate time and opportunity to make informed, thoughtful decisions.
  2. All personnel and student complaints and criticisms received by the Board will be directed to the Superintendent. As Board members may be asked to hear an appeal of personnel or student actions, the Board will encourage staff, students, families, and community to give the appropriate staff member the opportunity to resolve any issues at the respective school/department. Board members will not discuss personnel issues with individuals or organizations outside the appropriate legal entities within the District, either orally or in writing. Board members will direct any complaints, criticisms, or issues related to staff that they may have only to the Superintendent.
  3. The Superintendent will keep the Board fully informed in a timely manner via the following methods:
    1. Scheduled Board meetings
    2. Scheduled Board work sessions
    3. Monthly Superintendent/Board member one-on-one meetings
    4. Regular planning meetings with the Board President
    5. Weekly written updates
    6. Urgent communications to alert Board members to emergency events
    7. Information requested by individual Board members will be distributed to all members of the Board
    8. Advance embargoed media advisories and/or press releases
  4. When a Board member plans to visit a school without the Superintendent, either having been invited by school staff or through one's own desire, the Board member will first alert the Superintendent of the visit and its purpose. When a Board member desires to visit one or more schools, the Superintendent may request the opportunity to directly alert the principal(s) regarding the visit and its purpose, prior to the Board member's reaching out to the principals. Final details about planned visits will be communicated to the Superintendent and principal. Board members will respect the complexities of school schedules.
  5. Board members will alert the Superintendent when they plan to meet with any organized group of students (e.g., ASB, BSU, ASU), staff (e.g., Edmonds Educators of Color, EEA Building Reps), or community members (e.g, EAACH Leadership, PTSA Leadership), when the purpose is for the group to discuss school district business with that Board member. When the group is a school-based group, the Board member will also alert the principal. 

Board - Constituent Communications 

The Board President or designee will respond to correspondence directed to the entire Board. When a Board member receives an email addressed only to them (that is clearly not a personal message to just them), they will check with the other Board members as to whether others also received it. If others did not receive it, the Board member and the Board President will decide who should respond. 

Board members may receive individual correspondence from constituents. Members should evaluate whether the correspondence would be useful to share with the entire team, and when appropriate, ask the sender for permission to share with the Board and Superintendent before sharing. 

Meetings

  1. Board members contribute to meetings by being well prepared, informed, open-minded, and deliberative.
  2. The Board will strive to be efficient and effective in its meetings.
  3. Audience participation protocol will be consistently practiced, subject to the Guidelines for Public Comments at Board meetings.
  4. The Board will consider research (local, regional, and national, but with a priority on local data), best practices, public input and financial impacts in their decision making.
  5. The Superintendent is the chief executive officer and should recommend, propose or suggest items that go before the Board. Board members may request items to include in a Board meeting agenda or topics for a study session, with enough advance time to allow for adequate staff preparation.
  6. The Board will speak to the issues on the agenda and center debate around agenda topics. Facts and information needed from the administration will be referred to the Superintendent.
  7. The Superintendent will ensure that the Board receives the agenda and relevant attachments at least a week prior to each regular Board meeting, except in unusual circumstances.
  8. Each board member may make a comment at the end of each regular business meeting. Board members will strive to be succinct in their comments (with a goal of less than two minutes), focus on the most pressing item(s) at that time, avoid repeating what has been said previously in the meeting, and they may choose to pass. Board comments let school board members connect, appreciate, and reflect in public to show their community engagement and commitment to students. 
    1. Examples of appropriate board comments include:
      1. Acknowledging and appreciating staff, students or community groups for their work and contributions, and/or recognizing achievements, events, or milestones in the district.
      2. Providing updates on school visits, events, or key meetings attended as a board member.
      3. Sharing insights and perspective on issues before the board and making connections to the district mission and goals.
      4. Building a sense of trust, accessibility, and transparency with the community which could include sharing information that educates, celebrates, and/or addresses opportunities, challenges, or concerns.
    2. Examples of inappropriate Board comments:
      1. They are not a place for debate or decision-making (that happens on agenda items).
      2. They are not for giving staff new direction outside of board-approved processes.
      3. They should not be long speeches or political campaigning.

Board Requests for Information

  1. When board members have simple questions for district administrators, the questions may be directed to individual district administrative staff and copied to the Superintendent. Board member requests for reports, data, meetings and other responses that would take substantial time to prepare or conduct should be directed to the Superintendent with the requests and responses shared with all Board members.
  2. If a Board member is interested in collecting input or information about a topic from across the district in a systematic way, such as through oral interviews or surveys, they will first discuss this with the Superintendent and Board President, to determine the purpose, use, and impact, and the best way to collect such information and make it available to all Board members.
  3. Prior to a Board meeting, if a Board member has a simple question about an item on the agenda, they will email the question to the relevant staff person, with a copy to the Superintendent and Board President. If a Board member has a question about an item on the agenda that is more complex, they will send it directly to the Superintendent, with a copy to the Board President, and the Superintendent will follow up appropriately. The goal is to make such requests in as timely a manner as possible prior to the meeting and to share with the other Board members as appropriate. 
  4. If a Board member knows before a meeting that they will be asking a staff member a question during the meeting, even a simple question, out of courtesy they will alert the staff person about this before the meeting, with a copy to the Superintendent.