The Lead — Governance News
The Board Chair's Invisible Hand — and What Happens When It Fumbles
Of all the roles in school board governance, none is more consequential and more underexamined than the board chair. The chair sets the agenda, runs the meeting, shapes culture — and in many ways determines whether a board functions as a governance body or a collection of competing voices.
Read more →Q&A — Three Things
This Week's Three Things
How should a chair handle a board member who repeatedly violates time limits? Is it appropriate for the chair to shape the agenda with the superintendent privately? And when a vote divides the board, what does the chair do next?
Read more →Featured District
Cascadia Ridge School District's Chair Succession Framework Is Changing How Boards Develop Leaders
After a governance crisis triggered by an unplanned chair transition, Cascadia Ridge built a structured Chair Development Pipeline — identifying and preparing future chairs before the current one steps down. Here's how they did it and what changed.
Read more →Research Note
New Research Links Board Chair Stability to Superintendent Retention — With a Critical Caveat
A 2025 UW study of 214 Washington districts found that stable, experienced board chairs correlate with 23% higher superintendent retention — but long-tenured chairs show the opposite effect. What the data means for succession planning.
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| Issue | Date | Headline | |
|---|---|---|---|
| #8 | When the Province Pulls the Trigger: What Ontario's Takeover of Thames Valley Means for Every Board's Fiscal Autonomy | Read → | |
| #7 | When the Watchdog Needs a Watchdog: What Ontario’s School Board Takeover Means for Every Board’s Fiscal Governance | Read → | |
| #6 | When the Province Takes the Keys: The Thames Valley Precedent and the Fragile Line Between Local Control and Fiscal Accountability | Read → | |
| #5 | Who Governs When the Board Fails? Ontario's Provincial Takeover Is a Warning for Every Elected Trustee | Read → | |
| #3 | June 20, 2026 | Boards Are Running Out of Time on AI | Read → |
| #2 | June 9, 2026 | When Boards Cross the Line: The Curriculum Micromanagement Problem | Read → |
| #1 | June 2, 2026 | When Superintendent Evaluations Fail Everyone — Including the Superintendent | Read → |