BOARD AUTHORITY

The legal authority of the Beacon City School District (BCSD) Board of Education (BOE) is
derived from the State of New York. Both the Board and individual members must follow State
and Federal law, as well as all laws, rules and regulations of the State Board of Regents, and
State Department of Education.

BOE members have a further obligation to keep apprised of court rulings and administrative
decisions that interpret and apply these laws, rules and regulations, and ensure their decisions
are informed by these interpretations of law.

School boards in New York State have the exclusive authority to:

1. Hire and evaluate the Superintendent
2. Propose an annual budget to voters
3. Establish policy

GOVERNANCE

Every Board Member will:

• Prioritize a high-quality education for every student in the district, regardless of their
  ability, race, creed, sex, or social standing
• Confine board action to policy-making, planning, and appraisal
• Understand that it is their duty not to administer the schools, but to work with fellow
  Board members to ensure that the schools are run well
• Recognize that authority rests only with the Board of Education as a whole and not with
  individual Board members, and as such, make no personal (individual) promises nor
  take any private action that may compromise the Board
• Come to meetings fully prepared (e.g., reading documents provided by BCSD Clerk), on
  time, and ready to participate
• Render all decisions based on the available facts and independent judgment, and refuse
  to surrender that judgment to individuals or special interest groups
• Request information from or through the Superintendent, and only from BCSD staff
  members with the prior knowledge of the Superintendent
• Understand that district changes must occur through legal and ethical procedures
• Ensure that each Board member has the opportunity to share their perspective and to be
  respectfully heard
• Keep informed of current educational issues and participate in training and educational
  opportunities relevant to Board service
• Respect and abide by the decisions of the Board as a whole, and not work to undermine
  those decisions or encourage others to do so

CONDUCT

Each Board Member will:

• Conduct themselves in a civil and appropriate manner
• Try to attend all BOE meetings, and inform the Board president of an absence as soon
  as possible so that a quorum for the meeting can be confirmed
• Understand the basic rules of parliamentary procedure and the state Open Meetings
  Law
• Avoid any personal or commercial activity that presents a conflict of interest or an
  appearance of impropriety that could bring discredit to the BCSD, its staff, and/or its
  students
• Publicly disclose all potential or existing conflicts of interest to the extent required by law,
  and recuse themselves from voting as appropriate
• Never use the schools or their position on the Board for personal gain or the gain of
  family and friends
• Hold confidential all matters pertaining to the schools that would constitute a violation of
  law to disclose; and keep confidential all matters that would gratuitously harm or
  embarrass one or more individuals, or would fail to serve any goal of the school district,
  including executive sessions, and all related documents, records, reports, etc.
• Refrain from any private action that is: (1) contrary to their oath of office; (2) antithetical
  to the formally adopted vision, mission, and/or goal statements of the BOE or BCSD; or
  (3) inconsistent with this Code of Ethics

COMMUNICATION

Each Board Member will:

• Recognize that only the Board as a whole, or its authorized designee, has authority to
  speak for the Board
• Clearly distinguish personal opinion from established BCSD policy or articulated views of
  the BOE when making statements to stakeholders, the public, or the media
• Refer all persons with positive or negative comments regarding school district operations
  to the proper staff or administrator directly responsible for the operational activity
• Be open to feedback and information received from all stakeholders during public
  comment, listening attentively but NOT offering to solve, fix, or handle the issue