Board of Education

Board Governance in Henry County

High performing school districts start with high performing Boards of Education and high performing Boards of Education (BOE) focus their governance work around four key levers of effectiveness: 

1. Core beliefs and commitments and an aligned superintendent evaluation
2. Policies - Rigorous work of both reform and operational policies.
   • Reform policies emerge from BOE research and study and aim to improve the quality of education for every Henry County School District student. 
   • Operational policies define the daily operations of a school district. 
3. Community-Inspired Strategic Plan with clearly defined initiatives that drive the direction of the district. 
4. Community-Inspired Metrics that define student success and hold the district accountable. 

The Henry County Board of Education has developed a Unified Governance Model that ensures the stability and direction of the school district. 

Georgia Code Related to Boards of Education

The role of a Board of Education is defined by Georgia law and further guided by the Georgia School Board Association’s standards for effective governance.

Georgia law states (per O.C.G.A. § 20-2-49)

The General Assembly finds that local boards of education play a critical role in setting the policies that lead to the operation and success of local school systems. School board members hold special roles as trustees of public funds, including local, state, and federal funds, while they focus on the singular objective of ensuring each student in the local school system receives a quality basic education. Board duties require specialized skills and training in the performance of vision setting, policy making, approving multimillion dollar budgets, fiscal management and hiring a qualified superintendent. The motivation to serve as a member of a local board of education should be the improvement of schools and academic achievement of all students. Service on a local board of education is important citizen service. Given the specialized nature and unique role of membership on a local board of education, this elected office should be characterized and treated differently from other elected offices where the primary duty is independently to represent constituent views.  Local board of education members should abide by a code of conduct and conflict of interest policy modeled for their unique roles and responsibilities.  And although there are many measures of the success of a local board of education, one is clearly essential: maintaining accreditation and the opportunities it allows the school system’s students.  

Georgia law states (per O.C.G.A § 20-2-61(a))

…It shall not be the role of the local board of education or individual members of such board to micromanage the superintendent in executing his or her duties, but it shall be the duty of the local board to hold the local school superintendent accountable in the performance of his or her duties.

Governance Team Accomplishments

• 2023 GSBA Governance Team of the Year for Large Districts (>10,000 students) -- Winner
• 2023 GSBA Governance Team of the Year Finalists for Large Districts (>10,000 students)
• 2023 COSSBA Conference Invited Guest Presenter 
• 2022 GSBA Leading Edge Award
• 2022 GSBA Governance Team of the Year Finalists for Large Districts (>10,000 students)
• 2022 GSBA Exemplary Board
• 2022 COSSBA Conference Invited Guest Presenter   
• 2021 GSBA Leading Edge Award
• 2021 GSBA Governance Team of the Year Finalists for Large Districts (>10,000 students)
• 2021 GSBA Exemplary Board
• 2021 GSBA Conference Invited Guest Presenter
• 2020 GSBA Governance Team of the Year Finalists for Large Districts (>10,000 students) 
• 2020 GSBA Exemplary Board
• 2020 Georgia Vision Project Board Resolution
• 2019 GSBA Leading Edge Award
• 2019 GSBA Conference Invited Guest Presenter