Filling Governing Board Vacancies through an Alliance Member Partnership Model

About the Program

Category: Children and Youth (Best in Category)

Year: 2015

Maricopa County Education Service Agency (MCESA) believes in the election process put forth through Arizona’s State Constitution and Arizona Revised Statutes, which ensures that local electorates determine who shall be elected to a Governing School Board. However, when circumstances arise, resulting in Governing Board vacancies, or when there is only one qualified candidate for a seat on a Governing School Board, it is critical to ensure an effective and cost conscious process that maintains efficient and effective functioning of Governing School Boards. In response to these vacancies, MCESA initiated, an “Alliance Member Partnership Model”, (AMPM) beginning in January 2009, and became fully operational January 2010. MCESA collaborated with Alliance Member Partners, representing Arizona School Board Association (ASBA); Arizona School Administrators (ASA); Arizona Education Association (AEA); Arizona Association of School Business Officials (AASBO); Local School Boards, Superintendents, teachers, and community members to design a Community-Based Consensus Decision Making Team for filling K-12 District Board Vacancies. This collaboration resulted in a process to ensure that the most highly qualified community candidates are recommended for appointment to a Governing Board vacancy. Since January, 2010, seventy-eight (78) governing board vacancies have been filled through this model.