Policy 4320 – Superintendent – Board of Education Relations

The Board of Education is accountable for all pursuits, achievements and duties of the School District. The Board’s specific role is to deliberate and to establish policies for the organization.  The Board delegates the necessary authority to the Superintendent who, acting as chief executive officer, is held accountable to the Board for compliance with its policies.

1. With respect to School District goals and objectives, the Board will establish broad guidelines to be observed in the development of further policy and action.  The Board reserves the right to issue either restrictive or general policy statements.
2. Generally, the Superintendent will be empowered to assign and use resources; employ, promote, discipline and deploy staff; to translate policies of the Board into action; to speak as agent of the Board; to organize and delegate administrative responsibilities; and to exercise such other powers as are customary for chief executives.
3. The Superintendent may not perform, cause, or allow to be performed any act that is unlawful, in violation of commonly accepted business and professional ethics; in violation of any contract into which the Board has entered; or, in violation of policies adopted by the Board that limit the Superintendent’s authority.
4. Should the Superintendent or his/her designee consider it unwise or impractical to comply with an explicit Board policy, the Superintendent will inform the Board of that determination. The Board will decide whether such judgment was warranted.
5. When law or other authority calls for Board approval of decisions that the Board has delegated to the Superintendent, Board approval will be routinely given if those decisions have been made within the limits of Board policies.

Education Law Section 1711

Adopted: 4/25/01