TY FOR TCAPS

1. Ethical Imperative – An ethical imperative is more than a guideline; it’s a moral principle that makes a course of action essential and binding — “do the right thing.”

2. Data-Informed Decisions – Using data helps ensure all students are learning, holds school boards accountable, and deepens the community’s understanding of our shared responsibility for student success.

3. The Power of Multiple Measures – “One measure by itself gives useful information. Comprehensive measures, used together, and over time, provide much richer information.”

4. Budgets Reflect Values – You can tell what a district values by the percentage it appropriates from its general fund to the classroom (the instruction + instructional support budget line items).

5. Vision Before Budget – Budgets should support a district’s vision and goals — not the other way around.

6. A Political Instrument – A school board budget is a political instrument that allocates public resources among the social and economic needs of a community.

7. High Expectations for All – Effective boards don’t settle for “good enough” or “mediocrity.” They commit to a vision of high expectations for every student.

8. Policy as Identity – District policy reflects who we are. It is the exclusive domain of the school board — “policy is where the school board lives.”

9. Data Savvy Boards – Effective school boards embrace data, even when it reveals difficult or negative information.

10. Know Your Community – School boards should deeply understand the students, families, and communities they serve — including the conditions, such as living in or near poverty, that directly impact learning outcomes.

I’m pumped to complete my level 1 school board member certification – cheers to forever learning.