At the heart of every public charter school is a focus on ensuring nothing short of academic excellence for every child.

Your board’s Academic Excellence Committee measures the academic results of the organization against the goals established in your charter, accountability plan, and annual Executive Director goals.

This means measuring organizational outcomes against stated goals for metrics such as performance on state tests, national standardized tests, or interim assessments.

You might also look at metrics such as attendance, student and staff retention, and family and staff satisfaction surveys.

This committee ensures that the board and Executive Director share the same vision of academic excellence, that all board members understand the charter’s academic promises, and leads the board in conducting proper oversight of the academic program.

The Finance Committee works with the Executive Director and Director of Finance to create the upcoming fiscal year budget, present budget recommendations to the board, monitor implementation of the approved budget regularly, recommends proposed budget revisions, and recommends policies for the management of the organization’s assets.

A Finance Committee is not a substitute for the full board’s understanding and careful review of the organization’s financial statements and financial health.

This committee should be large enough to bring several different perspectives and a variety of financial skills to the important task of financial oversight. With the proper size, finances will be a strength for your organization.

Ensuring that the organization has sufficient funding to meet its charter promises, or support its growth and long-term sustainability, is a vital element of the board’s role.

Your board’s Development Committee assumes the primary responsibility for raising non-grant funds to support the organization’s mission.

Fundraising is a skill and a profession. The board members on this committee should be seasoned development professionals. They should know how to develop and implement a realistic fundraising plan and mentor the other trustees in this area so they might contribute.

How do you recruit the right board members? How do you establish each board member’s roles and responsibilities or hold them accountable for fulfilling them?

Your Governance Committee is essential to your board’s overall strength.

The Governance Committee leads your board’s recruiting strategy, leads new board member orientation, organizes your board’s annual retreat, assesses the board’s strengths, and ensures the board receives necessary professional development.