Melanie Bates: The Relationship Between Council and School Board

A question was raised by a reader regarding the relationship between City Council and the School Board. The city charter is clear in the delegation of responsibility of the school district to the School Board; any increase in the authority of City Council over the schools would require a change in the charter. However, both bodies have recognized that working together to improve the schools is in the best interest of our students.

The Partnership/Public Engagement Committee of the board and the Health, Education, and Recreation Committee of council are assigned to carry out this collaboration. Together they have established financial education programs in our schools and have elevated child safety to a priority in our city. Additionally our new and renovated schools have Community Learning Centers that include city services, such as police substations, recreation commission activities, and health care.

This is a great beginning, and I see other joint initiatives that can improve efficiency of operations and delivery of services to our citizens. Other areas that can be examined are the merging the administration of human resources, IT, and recreation, for instance.

Communication between council and the school board definitely has need for improvement. The school board publishes its agendas on the district web site in advance of each meeting, and if there is a presentation or a resolution that is important to council members they should make it a point of attending and speaking to the issue.