School Board Talk! : The Art of Effective Communication

by Cerra, Cheli; Jacoby, Ruth

• ISBN13: 9780787979126
• ISBN10: 0787979120
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-04-01
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

School Board Talk! provides simple and practical advice to help local board members develop and improve communication skills, survive in political office, and make a difference in education. The authors, Cheli Cerra and Ruth Jacoby, have identified over 50 situations and provided tips, strategies, and advice for handling each of them. Are you concerned about: Casting the lone "no" vote and surviving? Keeping your family in your fan club? Building a school board team? Handling constituent calls? Conquering the memo mountain?If you answered yes, then School Board Talk! is the book you need. The book provides both aspiring and veteran school board members practical answers to a host of complex school district situations.

Author Biography

CHELI CERRA, M.Ed., is a school principal, former teacher, and mother of two. Under her leadership, her schools received an A+ rating from the Florida Department of Education. Cerra has been featured on over thirty radio shows around the country as well as in Women's Day magazine.

RUTH JACOBY, Ed.D., is the founding principal of the Somerset Academy charter schools for grades preK–11, which also received an A+ rating. She has more than thirty years' experience as an administrator and educator in traditional public, private, and charter schools. Both Jacoby and Cerra are public speakers and have spoken at state and national conferences.

Table of Contents

How to Use This Book.

Prelude: The Genesis of School Boards Introduction.

Chapter One: Board Panache.

Chapter Two: Peer Points: Building Board Relationships.

Chapter Three: Heart Healthy Relationships: Keeping Families and Friends Close.

Chapter Four: The Parent Connection.

Chapter Five: Staff Stuff: Working With Principals, Administrators, and Teachers.

Chapter Six: Money Matters: Dealing With Budget Decisions.

Chapter Seven: Constituents’ Capers: Handling Those Special Cases.

Chapter Eight: Community Challenges: Keeping Your Hometown on Your Side.

Epilogue.

Share Your Snapshots.

Appendix A: Toolkit for Success.

Appendix B: Acronyms: Interpreting School Lingo.

Appendix C: Bringing the Art of Communication to You.

About the Authors.