"...harmony, respect and cooperation..."

From the Erie (PA) Times-News.

Odds of this happening in Morrisville: zero
Need for this in Morrisville: 100%

Board eyes new code
BY VALERIE MYERS Published: January 12. 2009 7:15AM

Millcreek school directors hope for better grades in teamwork this year.

A kind of public report card could provide incentive to make that happen.

A proposed code of conduct and board governance standards from the School Board’s Policy Committee spell out not only School Board responsibilities, but also how school directors should behave — and what happens if they don’t. Directors who violate the code could be publicly removed from School Board leadership positions, if the policy is approved by school directors.

The proposal should be ready for board action this month, School Board President Mike Palermo said.

“We’ve hashed this out enough. I think this will come in front of the board at the next meeting,” he said.

The proposed code of conduct charges board members to “work together in a spirit of harmony, respect and cooperation, despite differences of opinion.”

That hasn’t always happened. Disagreements between board members have become personal and gone way beyond common civility, Palermo said.

“We’re going to have heated discussions, but at no time should a board member attack another personally,” he said. “We’ve done that. And we need to step outside of that.”

Under the proposed policy, a school director who believes another member of the School Board has acted inappropriately would complain in writing to the board president, or to the vice president if the complaint concerns the president. Board leaders would mediate the problem and try to resolve it.

Problems that cannot be resolved would be brought before the board at a public meeting. The board would decide if the code of conduct has been violated.

The penalty for a first violation would be a verbal warning from the board. A director found to have committed a second offense would be removed from board office and committee assignments.

“The policy will make us more accountable,” Palermo said. “I am absolutely in favor of it.”

The proposed board standards and code of conduct have been sent to the School Board solicitor for comment and will likewise be given to new schools Superintendent Michael Golde, who begins work in the district today, policy committee Chairwoman Judy Wheaton said.

Inappropriate conduct addressed by the code may be in the board’s past, she said.

“I think this board is finally coming together and has finally recognized our role,” Wheaton said.