Accountability

Cajon Valley has revamped its website - check it out at cajonvalley.net.  The header on the new Governing Board page states, "The Governing Board is comprised of five elected members providing the policy and financial oversight for the Cajon Valley Union School District."  However, this is an incomplete description of our charge.  I should know.  Almost two years ago, when I interviewed to fill the vacant position for Area 3, I had to become an expert on the role and responsibilities of trustees.  According to the CSBA, there are 5 major tenets: setting direction, establishing an effective and efficient structure, providing support, ensuring accountability, and providing community leadership as advocates for children, the school district and public schools.  Last year, I developed an even deeper understanding of the scope, nuances, and challenges of these responsibilities when I completed CSBA's in-person Masters In Governance training in conjunction with other board members from across the state.  The truth is that sometimes we are not given the opportunity to fully carry out these duties.  Other times we neglect our obligations by trusting others to fulfill them in our stead.  However, we were ELECTED by the people to carry out these roles and responsibilities.  We are not only accountable to one another, as demonstrated by our board self-evaluation, but also to the public.  Recently I had a conversation about Board Bylaw 9100, regarding our Annual Organization Meeting held each December, which outlines not only approving a meeting schedule, but also a "Board governance calendar stating the time when the Board will address important governance matters."  Board President Karen Clark-Mejia has led our Board in the hard work of rebuilding some of these best practices, but we have a goal to continue to improve and faithfully carry out our duties.  On a similar quest, Glendale Unified School District recently passed Board Bylaw 9721, which is a Code of Ethics and a method for the public to hold Board members and other elected officials accountable via an ethics complaint procedure.  From BB9721, "The [Glendale Unified School District] Governing Board is committed to protecting public trust and confidence in the integrity of the District's work. The Board recognizes that Board members must be held to the highest standards of ethical conduct to fulfill its commitment to students, parents, guardians, families, employees, community, and the public. The Code of Ethics is established to guide the conduct of Board members and outlines the procedure for addressing any ethics complaint in a fair, transparent, and accountable manner."  What a goal!