As you compose your replies to your peers, discuss whether or not you think a board of trustees can develop educational policies that are legally sound with the onset of new and fluctuating laws and r

Running Head: WEEK 4 DISCUSSION 1

Discussion 3

Student’s Name

Institution

Discussion 3

The Board of trustees of an institution, both private and public, take only and make only decisions that they have authority to make. Acting without authority can lead to legal consequences. Therefore, the trustees need to act based on a legal standpoint and within their authority (Kaplin & Lee, 2020). The authority comes from fundamental legal sources establishes in the institution.

The Board of trustees acts as the legal agent of the institution with several responsibilities. The Board has the authority to ensure the institution fulfills its mission. Their roles are, however, limited to policy approval and management of the institution’s operations. It is the board chair’s responsibility to set an agenda of the Board in collaboration with the institution president (Beckham et al., 2016). Also, the Board sets the mission of an institution, selecting a president, supporting the presidents, and policymaking.

The Board creates an environment that fosters educational excellence. They achieve this through the development of educational policies. This is the primary responsibility of the Board to plan policy for the school to operate effectively. The state statute law requires that the Board of trustees approves budgets, develop objectives, set educational goals and performance indicators, and approve frameworks for student achievement (Beckham et al., 2016). Policy formulation begins with a common mission and vision for the school and then develops key goals and objectives. The Board develops policies under conditions with legal imperatives and competing demands. This makes it difficult to rationally and systematically plan. Therefore, board policies cover many arrays of school operations. Several factors, including legal mandates, include the environment the Board operates in. The legal mandates come from judicial decisions, state and federal legislation, and the union contracts (Kaplin & Lee, 2020). These bodies impose substantial constraints on the boards of authority in policymaking.

References

Beckham, J., Wills, B. K., & Weeks, K. M. (2016). School Boards: responsibilities, duties, decision-making and legal basis for local school board powers. Retrieved from: https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2391/School-Boards.html

Kaplin, W. A., & Lee, B. A. (2020). A Legal Guide for Student Affairs Professionals. John Wiley & Sons.