§18-5-14. Policies to promote school board effectiveness.

(a) No later than January, 2020, each county board shall adopt policies that promote school board effectiveness and may modify the policies as necessary. The policies shall address the following objectives:

(1) Establishing direct links between the county board and its local school improvement councils and between the county board and its faculty senates for the purpose of enabling the county board to receive information, comments and suggestions directly from the councils and faculty senates regarding the broad guidelines for oversight procedures, standards of accountability and planning for future needs as required by this section. To further development of these linkages, each county board shall:

(A) Meet at least annually with the local school improvement council of each school deemed to be low performing under the accountability system established by the state board. The meeting or meetings shall be held at a time and in a manner to be determined by the county board;

 (B) At least 30 days before a meeting with the local school improvement council of a school deemed to be low performing, develop and submit to the council an agenda for the meeting which requires the school principal and council chair or a member designated by the chair, to address the dialogue of its meeting or meetings at which the parents, students, school employees, business partners and other interested parties were given the opportunity to make specific suggestions on how to address issues which are seen to affect the school’s academic performance. The principal, council chair or other designated member shall also address any reports by the county superintendent with respect to the school’s performance and progress, and any one or more of the following issues as determined by the county board:

(i) School performance;

(ii) Curriculum;

(iii) Status of the school in meeting the school’s strategic improvement plan established pursuant to §18-2E-5 of this code; and

(iv) Status of the school in meeting the relevant parts of the county’s strategic improvement plan established pursuant to §18-2E-5 of this code;

(C) Make written requests for information from the local school improvement council throughout the year or hold community forums to receive input from the affected community as the county board considers necessary; and

(D) Nothing in this subdivision prohibits a county board from meeting with and requesting information from representatives of any of its local school improvement councils such times and in such manner determined by the county board.

 (2) Providing for the development of direct links between the county board and the community at large allowing for community involvement at regular county board meetings and specifying how the county board will communicate regularly with the public regarding important issues;

(3) Providing for the periodic review of personnel policies of the district in order to determine their effectiveness;

(4) Setting broad guidelines for the school district, including the establishment of specific oversight procedures, the development and implementation of standards of accountability and the development of long-range plans to meet future needs as required by this section; and

(5) Using school-based accountability and performance data provided by the state board and other available data in county board decision-making to meet the education goals of the state and other goals as the county board may establish.

(b) On or before August 1, of each year, county school boards shall review the policies listed in subsection (a) of this section and may modify these policies as necessary.