This Clayton County School District “virtual” meeting video demonstrates several organizational principles:
First, the meeting is virtual and is conducted well. Second, it features racial harmony, or at a minimum, public civility. Third, and perhaps most important, it embodies the concept that anyone can be an evaluator of public “image”. In this case, even by casual observation of a virtual meeting of the Board.
After viewing this recorded virtual school board meeting, we can assign high marks across the Six Dimensions of Political Harmony:
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Public meetings are well conducted. (#1 Function)
Elected officials, the public, and the staff treat each other with mutual respect (#7 Relationship).
Minutes of public meetings are accurately taken and published (#19 Function).
ETHICS & PUBLIC TRUST
Council/Board members do not use their public office for personal gain (#21 Relationship).
The elected officials are vigilant in preventing unethical conduct among themselves and staff (#15 Relationship).
REQUISITE KNOWLEDGE
Information is readily available to anyone wishing it (#10 Function).
Staff appears to have the appropriate qualifications to do their job (#16 Function)
ADEQUATE RESOURCES
There seems to be enough money to provide the necessary services (#5 Function).
The budget is managed well (#29 Function).
There is evidence of long term financial planning (#17 Function).
APPROPRIATE LEADERSHIP
Administrators are providing adequate leadership (#12 Relationship).
Try this at home: You could rate this school board using the PHCS Survey yourself after viewing the video. Remember, half of the Survey questions reflect a ‘function’ and the other half a ‘relationship’. And think about how the Board participants performed with respect to each Survey question as you proceed to answer the 31 items.
Administering the Survey to the School Board, the staff, and the parents of Clayton County, Georgia school children would result in a powerful, statistically reliable assessment of the Boards overall performance, effectiveness, and image.