Yosemite-Wawona Elementary Charter School

Board Governance Handbook

Table of Contents
Section 1 Unity of Purpose

Purpose of the Handbook Statement . . . . . 2

District Mission and Vision Statements . . . . 2

LCAP Goals . . . . . . . . 3

Governance Team Meeting Agreements. . . . . 4

Section 2 Role of the Board . . . . . . . 5

Section 3 Governance Standards . . . . . . 6

Section 4 Governance Protocols . . . . . . 7

Section 5 Governance Agreement . . . . . . 9

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 Yosemite-Wawona Elementary Charter School

Purpose of the Handbook

This Governance Handbook reflects the governance team of the Yosemite-Wawona Elementary
Charter School’s commitment to effective governance. Effective governance requires ongoing
discussion about unity of purpose, roles, commitment to norms, and agreement on protocols and
formal structures that will enable the governance team to perform its responsibilities in a way
that benefits all of the students at the Charter.

Charter Mission Statement

To produce self-motivated, competent, life-long learners in a local community school who have a sound
academic foundation, create quality work, are group workers and problem solvers, show respect and
consideration for others and choose the academic path to an enjoyable career as an adult.

Charter Vision
To provide a local school within Yosemite National Park that ensures the health, safety and welfare of our
children. To offer a unique education that utilizes the incredible natural and human resources within the
Park, fostering a deep sense of environmental stewardship. To offer an educational experience in the
setting that will emphasize reading, writing, mathematics, science and the social sciences,
communications skills, and a broad-based exposure to other academic disciplines through projects, hands-
on activities and real world experiences whenever possible. This learning will be achieved in a respectful
and supportive environment that enhances integrity, respect, responsibility and compassion for others.

Yosemite-Wawona Elementary Charter School

LCAP Goals
Yosemity-Wawona Elementary Charter School’s Local Control Achievement Plan goals are:

 All students will participate in high quality instruction and learning opportunities that will
prepare them for success in high school, college and the workplace.

 All students will receive instruction from highly qualified professionals in a clean, caring
and secure environment.

 All students will have access to quality intervention programs and enrichment activities
with an emphasis on individualizing academic challenges for all

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 All stakeholders will be engaged in the learning process by promoting opportunities that
strengthen the skills, competencies and abilities of students, parents, staff and
community.

Governance Team Meeting Agreements

 Be on time, focused and prepared to discuss the agenda and participate in decision
making.

 Respect and learn from differences of opinions and philosophies.

 Treat each other and our constituents with respect and courtesy.

 Recognize and appreciate the professional judgment of our staff and their commitment to
our schools, our programs and our students.

 Communicate openly and with integrity. No surprises.

 Debate issues, not personalities.

 Put aside personal and political preferences and opinions in our deliberations.

 Student needs and priorities drive our decisions.

 Acknowledge that the majority rules.

 Maintain confidentiality of closed session issues.

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 Role of the Board

The Board of Directors provides leadership and citizen oversight of the Charter. The Board shall ensure
that the Charter is responsive to the values, beliefs and priorities of the community.

The Board shall work with the administrative staff to fulfill its major responsibilities, which include:

 Setting the direction for the district through a process that involves the community,
parents/guardians, students and staff and is focused on student learning and achievement.

 Establishing an effective and efficient organizational structure for the district by:
Employing the staff;
Overseeing the development and adoption of policies;
Establishing academic expectations and adopting the curriculum and instructional
materials;
Establishing budget priorities and adopting the budget;
Providing safe, adequate facilities that support Charter’s instructional program.

 Providing support to the staff as they carry out the Board’s direction by:
Establishing and adhering to standards of responsible governance;
Making decisions and providing resources that support district priorities and goals;
Upholding board policies; and, being knowledgeable about district programs and efforts
in order to serve as effective spokespersons.

 Ensuring accountability to the public for the performance of the district’s schools by:
Monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of policies;
Serving as a judicial (hearing) and appeals body in accordance with law, Board policies
and negotiated agreements;
Monitoring student achievement and program effectiveness and requiring program
changes as necessary;
Monitoring and adjusting district finances.

 Providing community leadership and advocacy on behalf of students, the Charter’s educational
program and public education in order to build support within the local community and at the
state and national levels.

 The Board is authorized to establish and finance any program or activity that is not in conflict
with, inconsistent with or preempted by law. (Education Code 35160)

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 Governance Standards
The Charter Board of Directors believes that its primary responsibility is to act in the best interests of
every student in the charter. The Board also has major commitments to parents/guardians, all members of
the community, employees, the state of California, laws pertaining to public education and established
policies of the Charter. To maximize Board effectiveness and public confidence in district governance,
Board members are expected to govern responsibly and hold themselves to the highest standards of
ethical conduct.

The Board expects its members to work with each other and the staff to ensure that a high-
quality education is provided to each student. Each individual Board member shall:

 Keep learning and achievement for all students as the primary focus.
 Value, support and advocate for public education.
 Recognize and respect differences of perspective and style on the Board and among staff,
students, parents and community.
 Act with dignity, and understand the implications of demeanor and behavior.
 Keep confidential matters confidential.
 Participate in professional development and commit the time and energy necessary to be an
informed and effective leader.
 Understand the distinctions between Board and staff roles, and refrain from performing
management functions that are the responsibility of the staff.
 Understand that authority rests with the Board as a whole and not with individuals.

Board members shall also assume collective responsibility for building unity and creating a positive
organizational culture. To operate effectively, the Board shall have unity of purpose and:

 Keep the Charter focused on learning and achievement for all students.
 Communicate a common vision.
 Operate openly with trust and integrity.
 Govern in a dignified and professional manner, treating everyone with civility and respect.
 Govern with Board-adopted policies and procedures.
 Take collective responsibility for the Board’s performance.
 Periodically evaluate its own effectiveness.
 Ensure opportunities for the diverse range of views in the community to inform Board

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 Governance Protocols

Issue/Background Our agreement on how we will handle this

Pulling item from When possible, trustees will notify the board president by the morning
Consent Calendar: of the Board meeting they intend to pull an item and perhaps move it to
The Consent the Action Item section of the agenda.
Calendar allows the
Board to deal with There are two specific times that call for an item being pulled:
routine business  When a trustee plans to vote “no”
(including items that  When a trustee needs further information or discussion before
are covered by deciding how to vote.
Policy) with minimal
discussion. This Before pulling an item simply to “speak to it,” trustees will consider
helps keep the focus postponing their remarks until the trustee announcements/requests.
on our bottom line,
which is student
learning.
Trustee request for Trustees will, insofar as possible, let the administrative staff know ahead
Information of time when a request for information will be made in public so the
staff can be prepared to provide a thorough answer.
If it appears that a request for information will take considerable staff
time, the board president will restate the request for the minutes and ask
the superintendent for input regarding the time and resources involved.
The board president will then ask for “thumbs up” from the entire board
to see if a majority of the board supports the request.

When an individual board member requests information, it will be

provided to all board members.
Voting “no” or Each trustee respects the right of other trustees to vote “no” or to abstain
abstaining on an issue. Everyone agrees it is a courtesy to the team to explain the
reason for the “no” vote or abstention during the deliberation.
Visiting the School Visits are encouraged. As a professional courtesy, trustees will call the
staff ahead of time when requesting visits to the school. Trustees will be
cautious about encroaching on the administrator’s time.
Handling complaints Trustees listen carefully to complaints, remembering they are only
and concerns. hearing one side of the story, then direct the person making the
Individual board complaint to the person in the district most appropriate and able to help
members have no them resolve their concern. This will ensure everyone is treated fairly,
authority to fix equally and expeditiously and that the processes and procedures of the
problems. The district are upheld. As representatives of the public, it is important that
appropriate order of trustees invite the person with the complaint to ultimately get back to
whom to contact is them if the issue is not resolved.
first the teacher, then
principal, then
Superintendent.
Spokesperson 1. Once decisions have been made the board president, or the

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 president’s designee, will be the spokesperson for the board and
describe the board’s processes and positions.
2. During disasters and emergencies, board president, or the president’s
designee, will be the spokesperson for the board.
Motions and On action items, the order is as follows:
deliberation 1. Staff presentation
2. Trustee questions to staff
3. Input from public (if any)
4. Motion
5. Trustee discussion/deliberation and vote
6. Board President summarizes and clarifies
Getting questions Call or e-mail questions to the administrative staff (with cc to the Board
answered about President) as soon as possible. If the item is confidential, do not use
items names of personnel or students when using e-mail. The administrative
staff will notify the Board President when a question is received via
phone.
Self-monitoring of Individual trustees agree to review and adhere to meeting norms, goals
governance team and Board Bylaws. When behavior by an individual trustee detracts
effectiveness from effective governance, other trustees work with that trustee to
encourage conformance to our norms (communicating with courage and
consideration). In a workshop setting, the governance team will
evaluate its effectiveness yearly.
Trustee During the Board Member Comments section of the Board Meeting,
announcements Trustees shall limit their remarks to school district activities. Comments
should be brief and pertinent to the mission of the school district.
Setting board The Superintendent will distribute a tentative calendar of agenda items
agenda to all board members each year. Following the established template, the
Superintendent and/or Board President will order the agenda for each
meeting for maximum effectiveness. When appropriate the
Superintendent and/or Board President may reorder the template.
Trustees may request than an item be placed on an upcoming agenda; if
no consensus exists, the trustee may follow board policy for placing an
item on the agenda.

Putting an item on Any Board member or member of the public may request that a matter
the agenda within the jurisdiction of the Board be placed on the agenda of a regular
meeting. The request shall be submitted in writing to the Superintendent
or designee with supporting documents and information, if any, at least
one week before the scheduled meeting date. Items submitted less than a
week before the scheduled meeting date may be postponed to a later
meeting in order to allow sufficient time for consideration and research
of the issue.
The Board president and administrative staff shall decide whether a
request is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Board. Items not
within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Board may not be placed on
the agenda. In addition, before placing the item on the agenda, the Board

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 president and administrative staff shall determine if the item is merely a
request for information or whether the issue is covered by an existing
policy or administrative regulation.
The Board president and administrative staff shall decide whether an
agenda item is appropriate for discussion in open or closed session, and
whether the item should be an action item subject to Board vote, an
information item that does not require immediate action, or a consent
item that is routine in nature and for which no discussion is anticipated.
Process Options for If the Board feels additional public input would be helpful in
Community Input determining a course of action, the Board may elect to table an item in
order to gather further information.
Communication The District will post agendas and minutes of Board meetings on the
Tools District website.
Election of Board The Board normally follows a rotation method (Clerk to Vice President
Officers to President) for selecting officers. The Board President may call a
special meeting by the end of October should any board member wish to
discuss the board positions for the following year.

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 Governance Agreement
The Board of the Yosemite-Wawona Elementary Charter School is entrusted by the community
to uphold the Constitutions of California and the United States, to protect the public interest in
schools, and to ensure that a high quality education is provided to each student.
To effectively meet district challenges, the Board and ______________________ must function
together as a governance leadership team. Agreed upon behaviors, or norms, and operating
procedures, or protocols, support consistent behaviors and actions among team members. The
purpose of the Yosemite-Wawona Elementary Charter governance team agreement is to ensure a
positive and productive working relationship among Board members, the _________________
district staff, students and the community. The protocols were developed for and by the members
of the governance team, and may be modified over time as needed.
We have reviewed the governance team norms contained in this handbook and agree to follow
them in order to support a positive and productive working relationship among the Yosemite-
Wawona Elementary Charter School Board of Trustees, staff, students and the community. We
shall schedule an annual review and renewal of this agreement each January at a Board
Governance Workshop.
Affirmed this ________________

__________________________ __________________________
President Vice President

__________________________ __________________________
Clerk Member

__________________________ ___________________________
Member Member

__________________________ ____________________________
Member Adminstrator

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