Policy #9: The Board of Trustees and Superintendent Relationship

Listen to this page

The Superintendent, as Chief Executive Officer of the Board of Trustees (the Board), shall be responsible for the management, under the Board's policies, of all sectors of the school division. The Board’s sole official connection to the operational organization, its achievements and conduct will be through a Chief Executive Officer, titled Superintendent.

9.1 The Superintendent will take the necessary measures to ensure the Board is informed, supported and protected in its work.

9.2 The Superintendent is accountable to the Board. The Superintendent shall have the authority to delegate to other Division personnel the exercise of some powers and the discharge of some duties imposed upon the Superintendent by Board policies or by vote of the Board. The delegation of power or duty does not, however, relieve the Superintendent of responsibility for the action taken under such delegation.

9.3 The employment agreement between the Board and the Superintendent is in the form of a written contract.

9.4 Only authorized decisions of the Board are binding on the Superintendent. Official directives to the Superintendent shall be through motion. The Superintendent is authorized to establish further administrative procedures, make all decisions, and take all actions within the policy parameters established by the Board.

9.5 Decisions and instructions from individual Trustees are not binding on the Superintendent. Reporting to individual trustees is not binding on the Superintendent. In the case of Board members or committees requesting information or assistance without Board authorization, the Superintendent may refuse requests that, in the opinion of the Superintendent, require significant amounts of staff time or funds, or are disruptive to the goals of the division. The Trustee may refer a request to the full Board of Trustees for the Board’s consideration.

9.6 The Board and individual Trustees are responsible for governance and therefore the Board

will not direct the work of employees, which is the responsibility of the Superintendent.

9.7 The Board and individual Trustees shall refrain from evaluating, either formally or informally,

any staff other than the Superintendent.

9.8 Superintendent Evaluation

i. The evaluation of the Superintendent shall be carried out by the Board and/or its

committee. The evaluation shall be based on established criteria and guidelines which are

known to both the Superintendent and the Board.

ii. The Superintendent shall be formally evaluated annually for the first two years and every

two years thereafter during the month of April or May, or more often at the discretion of the

Board, or through mutual agreement.

iii. The results of the evaluations shall be provided in writing to the Superintendent, by the

Board.

9.9 Responsibilities of the Superintendent and the Board

Decision Matrix

Reference:

Policy 2 – Board Governance Model

Policy 3 – Role of the School Board

Date Adopted: February 2017

Date Amended: March 2020; April 2021; March 2022; May 2025; April 2026

Date Reviewed: April 2025; March 2026