School Board Newsletter: Our Board Goals for This School Year

Board-level goals are different from district goals. They describe what the board itself commits to accomplish this year in its governance capacity, not what teachers will do in classrooms or what the superintendent will implement in schools. A board that sets clear, specific goals for its own work, communicates them publicly, and reports on progress is demonstrating governance accountability in the most direct way possible.

Explain that these are board-level goals

Open by clarifying what board goals are: commitments about what the board will do this year in its governance role. Describe briefly how the goals were developed, whether through a board retreat, a goal-setting session at the first meeting of the year, or a formal process guided by the board's annual self-evaluation. Families who understand the governance context for goal-setting engage with it more seriously.

State each goal with a specific, measurable commitment

For each board goal, state the specific outcome the board is committing to. Include a timeline. "The board will conduct its annual self-evaluation in May, using the state school board association's governance standards framework, and will publish the results and improvement commitments by June 1." That sentence is a real commitment.

Connect goals to prior-year evaluation findings

If last year's board self-evaluation identified specific areas for improvement, show how this year's goals respond to those findings. This creates a feedback loop that makes goal-setting a genuine learning process rather than an annual formality.

Connect goals to the strategic plan and community priorities

Describe how each board goal supports the district's strategic plan or responds to community input from the prior year. Goals that appear disconnected from the district's actual work raise questions about whether the board is focused on what matters.

Describe how the board will monitor progress

Tell families how the board will track its own progress against its goals. Will there be a mid-year check-in at a public board meeting? Will a board committee be responsible for monitoring a specific goal? Describing the monitoring process creates accountability before the year begins.

State the reporting timeline

Tell families when they will receive a progress report and a year-end account of whether goals were met. The promise of a specific reporting date creates a governance commitment the community can hold the board to.

Invite community input on board priorities

Close with an invitation for families who have perspectives on what the board should prioritize to share that input through public comment or direct contact. Daystage gives district teams a professional newsletter platform for publishing board goals at the start of the year and delivering the progress reports that make those goals credible.