C - General School Administration
C - General School Administration
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CA
Goals and Objectives of School Administration
The goal of school administration is to create an environment in which all students shall demonstrate continuous academic improvement. The superintendent must possess leadership qualities which motivate all staff members to improve the educational program and to attain the board’s goals and objectives. The superintendent, with the board’s direction, shall endeavor to mobilize and coordinate available resources to develop an educational program designed to maintain continuous academic improvement and state accreditation in all schools.
Adoption Date: 6/6/2006, Revised: 7/7/2008; 03/03/2014
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CB
Administrator Ethics
An administrator's professional behavior must conform to an ethical code. The administrator acknowledges schools belong to the public and they must provide educational opportunities to all. An administrator's actions will be viewed and appraised by the community, professional associates, and students. Therefore, the administrator subscribes to the following standards:
The administrator:
- Makes the well-being of students the basis for decision making and action;
- Fulfills professional responsibilities with honesty and integrity;
- Supports the principle of due process as required by law;
- Obeys local, state and national laws;
- Implements all board policies, rules and regulations;
- Pursues appropriate measures to correct those laws, policies and regulations that are not consistent with sound educational goals;
- Avoids using an administrative position for personal gain;
- Accepts academic degrees or professional certificates only from duly accredited institutions;
- Seeks to improve the profession through research and continuing professional development; and
- Honors employment contracts until fulfillment or release.
Adoption Date: 6/6/2006, Revised: 7/7/2008
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CC
Organizational Chart
The board may approve an organizational chart for the school district and update it as needed. The organizational chart may be available on the school’s website or upon request from the board clerk.
Approved: KASB Recommendation – 3/15; 12/24
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CE
Superintendent of Schools
The superintendent is the school system’s administrative leader and shall have, under the board’s direction, general supervision of all the schools. The superintendent is accountable to the board and is responsible for managing the schools in compliance with board policies
The superintendent may delegate powers and duties to other school personnel. Delegating power or duties, however, shall not relieve the superintendent of responsibility for any action taken.
Adoption Date: 6/6/2006, Revised: 7/7/2008
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CEA
Superintendent Qualifications
The superintendent shall possess, or be eligible for, a Kansas district leadership license.
Adoption Date: 6/6/2006, Revised: 7/7/2008; 04/13/2015
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CEB
Superintendent’s Duties
The superintendent shall be responsible to:
- Serve as the district’s chief administrator;
- Carry out all board policies and rules;
- Oversee safe and orderly schools;
- Ensure student achievement for all student groups;
- Build positive school/community relations;
- Lead the board in developing constructive board/superintendent relations;
- Oversee effective and efficient staff performance;
- Keep the Board continually informed on the progress and condition of the district’s schools, programs, and services;
- Practice responsible fiscal, facility and resource management; and
- Model positive professional attributes.
Adoption Date: 6/6/2006, Revised: 7/7/2008
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CEC
Superintendent Recruitment
The superintendent search presents the board with an opportunity to recruit individuals who will implement the board's goals. The board shall establish an orderly procedure for employing a superintendent that conforms to generally accepted ethical and legal standards and minimizes misunderstanding in the community. The process should allow the board ample opportunity to evaluate the qualification of a candidate whose professional training and experience meet district needs. The board may solicit applications from qualified staff members and may list the vacancy with placement offices.
The board may select a professional search service who shall screen all applications and recommend finalists to the board for interviews. The board shall interview selected candidates. Board members may visit each finalist’s district.
Adoption Date: 06/06/2006, Revised: 07/07/2008; 04/13/2015; 07/11/2022
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CED
Acting Superintendent
In the event of a vacancy in the office of superintendent, the board may appoint a qualified interim or acting superintendent from within or without the district until such vacancy is filled.
Adoption Date: 6/6/2006, Revised: 7/7/2008
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CEE
Compensation and Benefits
The board shall annually determine the superintendent’s compensation and benefits. Compensation shall be based on recent performance and the superintendent’s ability to carry out board policy.
The superintendent may be offered a one-, two- or three-year contract of employment.
Adoption Date: 6/6/2006, Revised: 7/7/2008
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CEF
Expense Reimbursement and Credit Cards
The superintendent’s use of a district motor vehicle and a district credit card shall be confined to necessary school business. The board shall annually prescribe limits and restrictions on the use of credit cards and shall monitor monthly receipts and reimbursement expenses.
All rewards points or cash back payments earned using district credit cards are district property and shall be either applied to future district credit card purchases or remitted to the district treasurer for accounting and deposit.
Expenses for district travel in personal vehicles or extended travel incurred in the performance of official duties shall be reimbursed in accordance with the provisions of GAN.
Adoption Date: 6/6/2006, Revised: 7/7/2008; 08/10/2015
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CEG
Superintendent’s Professional Development Opportunities
The superintendent shall keep updated on new educational practices and shall attend educational conferences and other learning opportunities as approved or required by the board.
Adoption Date: 6/6/2006, Revised: 7/7/2008
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CEI
Evaluating the Superintendent
The board shall adopt an evaluation system that provides a basis for formal evaluation of the superintendent’s performance. The system shall include the evaluation form used and the process necessary to complete the form.
The board shall evaluate the superintendent using the evaluation form in accordance with current legal requirements for the first two years of employment and annually for the term of the superintendent’s employment.
The superintendent’s evaluation shall be confidential and be made available only to the board, the superintendent and others as provided by law.
The evaluation instrument shall be on file at the district office with the clerk. Any revisions in the evaluation system shall include input from the superintendent.
Policy References: GAK and GBI
Adoption Date: 10/9/2000, Revised: 7/7/2008
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CEJ
Nonrenewal or Termination of the Superintendent’s Contract
The board may nonrenew or terminate the superintendent's contract.
Adoption Date: 06/06/2006, Revised: 07/07/2008
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CEK
Resignation
The superintendent may submit a resignation to the board president at a regular or special meeting. The board may consider the resignation and take such action as board deems appropriate.
Adoption Date: 6/6/2006, Revised: 7/7/2008
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CF
Board-Superintendent Relations
The board delegates to the superintendent all administrative duties. The board reserves the ultimate decision in all matters concerning personnel, policy, or expenditures of funds; and it will normally proceed in those areas only after receiving the superintendent’s recommendations.
Adoption Date: 06/06/2006, Revised: 07/07/2008; 08/10/2020
©KASB. This material may be reproduced for use in USD 443. It may not be reproduced, either in whole or in part, in any form whatsoever, to be given, sold or transmitted to any person or entity including but not limited to another school district, organization, company or corporation without written permission from KASB.
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CG
Administrative Personnel
The board shall employ administrative personnel as needed.
Compensation Guides and Contracts
Administrative personnel shall be compensated for their services in conformity with an administrative salary schedule or other salary as determined by the board. Administrative contracts shall be reviewed annually. The board shall determine the terms and length of each contract. The board’s attorney may develop and review administrator contracts. (See KB)
Qualifications and Duties
The superintendent shall develop appropriate job descriptions for each administrative position. When adopted by the board, job descriptions shall be filed in the central office and may be published in the appropriate handbook. Within the limits of policy and terms of the job description, the superintendent’s administrative subordinates have full authority to administer district programs.
Recruitment
The board delegates to the superintendent the authority to identify and recommend the appointment of individuals to fill vacant administrative positions. The superintendent shall screen all applicants and may use other staff members to assist. The superintendent shall make recommendations to the board. The district may pay preapproved expenses incurred by candidates interviewed for an administrative position.
Assignment
The board shall solicit the superintendent’s recommendations in appointment, assignment, transfer, demotion, termination or non-renewal of any administrative personnel.
Orientation
The superintendent shall conduct an appropriate administrative orientation program.
Supervision
The superintendent shall be responsible for supervising all administrative personnel.
Evaluation of Administrative Personnel
Administrative personnel shall be evaluated in writing by the superintendent or designee in accordance with legal requirements for the first four years of employment and at least annually thereafter. Administrative personnel files and evaluations shall be available only to the board, the appropriate administrator, the superintendent, and others authorized by law. Replaced CGI (12/24) CGI was deleted.
Administrative Intern Program
The board may establish, by contract with an approved administrator training institution, an administrative intern program.
Travel Expense and Reimbursement
Travel expenses for administrative staff shall be provided in accordance with CEF and GAN.
Policy References: CEF, GAN, & KB
Adoption Date: 12/8/2003, Revised: 7/7/2008, 12/24/2024
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CGK
Suspension
The superintendent shall have the authority to suspend district administrators with pay pending further board action.
The superintendent may suspend administrators with pay for any reason, including, but not limited to, one or more of the following: alleged violation of or failure to implement board policy, rule, or regulation; refusal or failure to follow a reasonable directive of the administrator’s supervisor, the superintendent, or the board; the filing of a complaint against the administrator with any civil or criminal authority; the alleged commission of an offense involving moral turpitude; or other good cause.
If a suspension without pay is imposed on an administrator, the administrator is entitled to pay until the administrator has been advised of the basis for suspension and has been given an opportunity to respond.
Adoption Date: 07/08/2019
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CGL
Retirement
Any eligible administrator may participate in an early retirement program under the terms and conditions approved by the board and included in the Administrative Policy and Procedures handbook. Early retirement is entirely voluntary and at the discretion of the eligible employee.
Termination of Early Retirement Plan
The board may terminate the early retirement plan at any time upon proper action of the board. If the early retirement plan is terminated by the board, all administrators participating in the retirement plan at that time will continue in the plan under the terms and conditions set forth therein until the administrator's eligibility expires.
Adoption Date: 5/11/1992, Revised: 7/7/2008
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CGN
Administrator Resignations
Any administrator who is under contract with the District will be released from that contract only by formal action of the Board of Education. The administrator requesting the release shall make application therefore in writing to the Superintendent of Schools stating the specific reasons for the requested release. Each such request will be judged on its own merits, and a personal conference between the administrator and the Board of Education will be held at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Education following receipt of the request; provided, however, that such personal conference may be waived by mutual agreement of the administrator and the Board of Education.
Any administrator who is not released from his/her contract by Board action shall fulfill the terms of such contract and any action by the administrator resulting in a failure to fulfill the terms of the contract shall amount to a breach of contract and will subject the administrator to any and all legal remedies available. In the event of a breach of contract by the administrator, appropriate notation of the same will be placed in the administrator's personnel file.
Adoption Date: 11/8/1993, Revised: 2/9/1998; 07/07/2008
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CJ
Use of Consultants
The superintendent may contract with professional consultants in accordance with Policy DJFA. The superintendent shall report any use of consultants to the board and provide updates as requested.
Adoption Date: 06/06/2006, Revised: 07/07/2008; 06/24/2024
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CK
Professional Development Opportunities
The board encourages, and may require, administrators to attend activities that will directly benefit the schools or district. The district may pay expenses to attend meetings approved by the superintendent.
Adoption Date: 7/18/2006, Revised: 7/7/2008
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CL
Administrative Teams
The board advocates the team concept of school administration.
Method of Appointment
The superintendent shall select the members of each administrative team.
Organization
The superintendent shall determine the organization of each administrative team.
Resources
Within the parameters established by board policies CJ and DJFA, the team may use outside consultants and district resources.
Financial
The superintendent may recommend an administrative team budget to the board.
Adoption Date: 06/06/2006, Revised: 07/07/2008; 06/24/2024
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CM
Policy Implementation
Administrative employees who fail to implement board policies may, by board action, be suspended without pay, demoted, placed on probation, nonrenewed, or terminated.
Adoption Date: 10/09/2000, Revised: 07/07/2008; 07/08/2019; 07/11/2022
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CMA
Administrative Rules and Regulations
The superintendent is responsible for recommending rules and regulations necessary to carry out board policy and to operate the district’s schools. These rules and regulations shall constitute the administrative handbooks governing the schools and shall be considered for approval, modification or disapproval by the board. No administrative rule shall conflict with board policy.
The superintendent shall review all proposed rules before they are submitted to the board. The administrative staff shall review all administrative rules recommended by the superintendent before being submitted to the board for their consideration.
Staff Involvement
The superintendent shall include representatives of those employees who will be affected at the planning stage.
Community Involvement
The superintendent may involve district patrons on committees or study groups whenever necessary and appropriate.
Student Involvement
The superintendent may consider students’ opinions concerning rules which affect them.
Rules Drafting
All proposed rules shall be submitted to the legal counsel to determine their legality before they are submitted to the board.
Disseminating Rules
All employees who play a role in enforcing the rules or who will be affected by any rule changes shall be given copies of the pertinent rules and any revisions.
Reviewing Rules
Administrative rules adopted by the board shall be subject to regular review by the administrative staff. Proposed changes shall be submitted to the board.
Action Allowed When No Policy Exists
In an emergency when action must be taken, the superintendent shall have authority to act. Any decision shall be subject to board review at the next meeting. The superintendent should recommend any policy needs the incident may have created.
Adoption Date: 6/6/2006, Revised: 7/7/2008
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CMB
Administration in Policy Absence
In cases of an emergency nature in which action must be taken within the school system where the board has provided no guides for administrative action, the superintendent shall have the power to act, but his decisions shall be subject to review by action of the board at the next board meeting. It shall be the duty of the superintendent to inform the board promptly of such action and of any need for policy.
Adoption Date: 6/6/2006, Revised: 7/7/2008
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CN
Public Records
The board designates {the superintendent/public information officer} as its Freedom of Information Officer. The Freedom of Information Officer shall have the authority to establish and maintain a system of records in accordance with the Kansas Open Records Act and other applicable laws. The board further assigns {the clerk/or public information officer} to handle requests for records and to serve as the custodian of the records. The custodian shall prominently display and distribute or otherwise make available to the public a brochure concerning record access in the form prescribed by the local Freedom of Information Officer.
Types of Records
A public record means any recorded information, regardless of form or characteristics, which is made, maintained, kept by, or in the possession of the district, including those exhibited at public board meetings.
Central Office Records
Records maintained by the superintendent shall include, but may not be limited to, the following: financial, personnel, and property (both real and personal) owned by the district.
Building Records
Records maintained by the building principals shall include, but may not be limited to, the following: activity funds, student records, and personnel records. (See JR et seq.)
Public Access
All records, except those subject to exception by the Kansas Open Records Act, shall be open to inspection by the general public during regular office hours of any school or the district office. The superintendent will establish procedures for making records available on normal business days when district offices are closed. The district may charge and require advance payment of a fee for providing access to or furnishing copies of public records.
Requests for access to open records shall be made in writing to an official custodian of district records. The official custodian shall examine each request to determine whether the record requested is an open record or is subject to an exception of the Kansas Open Records Act that would allow the record to remain closed. The custodian may also refuse to provide access to a public record or to permit inspection if a request places an unreasonable burden in producing public records or if the custodian has reason to believe that repeated requests are intended to disrupt other essential functions of the district. The custodian shall either grant or deny each request.
If the custodian does not grant the request, the person requesting the record shall receive a written explanation of the reason for the denial within three days of the request, if an explanation is requested. If the requester disagrees with the explanation, the freedom of information officer shall settle the dispute.
Each request for access to a public record shall be acted upon as soon as possible, but not later than the end of the third business day following the date that the request is received. If the request is not acted on immediately, the custodian shall inform the requester, within the three-day window, when and where the open record will be made available. Each custodian shall file all requests and their dispositions in the appropriate office and make reports as requested by the superintendent or the board.
Copies of Records
Copies of open records shall be available upon written request, unless otherwise specified in Kansas or federal law. Requestors may only make abstracts or obtain copies of public records to which they have access under the Kansas Open Records Act. The district shall not be required to provide copies of radio or recording tapes or discs, video tapes, films, pictures, slides, graphics, illustrations, or similar audio or visual items or devices, unless such items or devices were shown or played during open session of a district board meeting. Similarly, the district shall not be required to provide such items or devices which are copyrighted by a person other than the board. Furthermore, nothing in the Kansas Open Records Act requires the district to electronically make copies available by allowing a requestor to obtain copies by inserting, connecting, or otherwise attaching an electronic device provided by the requestor to the computer or other electronic device of the district.
Advance payment of the expense of providing access to or furnishing copies of open records shall be borne by the requestor. Under no circumstances shall the documents be allowed out of their usual building location without approval of the official custodian.
The board may prescribe reasonable fees for providing access to or furnishing copies of public records, subject to the following:
- In the case of fees for copies of records, the fees shall not exceed the actual cost of furnishing the requested records, including the cost of staff time required to make the information available. Actual costs may include the cost to review and redact the requested records but shall not include incidental costs incurred by the district that are not attributable to furnishing the requested records.
- In the case of fees for providing access to records maintained on computer facilities, the fees shall include only the cost of any computer services, including staff time required.
- If the district incurs costs for staff time to provide access to or furnish copies of public records, the district shall use in good faith the lowest-cost category of staff reasonably necessary to provide access to or furnish copies of public records. Charges for staff time shall be based on the employee’s salary or hourly wage but shall not include the costs of employee benefits.
- Upon request, the district shall provide to the person requesting access to or copies of public records an itemized statement of costs incurred by the district and charged to such requester. Such itemized statement shall include, but not be limited to, the hourly rates charged for each employee involved in making the requested records available and an itemized list of any other fees charged to provide access to or furnish copies of the requested records.
- When the staff time needed to respond to a records request will exceed five hours or the estimated actual cost for staff time needed to fill the request exceeds $200, the district shall make reasonable efforts to contact the requester and engage in interactive communication about mitigating costs to fill the request. The requester is not obligated to mitigate costs.
If the district has made reasonable efforts to contact the requester in such a case and the requester has failed to respond by the end of the third business day, the records request will be deemed to be withdrawn until a subsequent contact has been made by the requester to the district.
As used in this policy, “reasonable efforts to contact the requester” means contacting the requester through the means of communication that the requester provided to be used by the district to respond to the request.
Fees received by the district for fees charged in accordance with this policy shall be remitted to the treasurer for deposit in the district’s general fund.
Disposition
All district office records shall be kept for at least the minimum length of time required by law.
The clerk {or public information officer} is designated as the official custodian of all board and district office records maintained by the district. Each building principal {or assistant principal} is designated as official custodian of all records maintained at the building level. In addition to those records required by law, the {clerk} shall be responsible for preparing and keeping other records necessary for the district’s efficient operation.
District employees shall follow the guidelines found in the student records policies. (See IDAE and JR through JRD)
Adoption Date: 10/09/2000, Revised: 07/07/2008; 02/13/2017; 02/11/2019; 07/08/2019, 6/2025
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CNA
Preservation of Documents Pending Legal Action
Maintaining Documents
After the district receives knowledge of legal action against the district or its employees, all documents or electronic information pertaining to the subject of the action,must be maintained in any form, and may not be destroyed as long as the legal action is pending.
Policy References: BCBK and BE
Policy References: IDAE and II
Policy References: JGGA and JR et seq.
Adoption Date: 07/08/2019 Revised: 12/24/2024
*** For detailed information, see Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. 34 Production of Documents, Electronically Stored Information, and Tangible Things, or Entering onto Land, for Inspection and Other Purposes.
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CO
Reports
The board may require reports from the superintendent or other staff members. The board delegates to the superintendent authority to request reports from any staff member.
Adoption Date: 6/6/2006, Revised: 7/7/2008
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CYA
Document Production, Including Electronic Information
Destroying Documents
After the district receives knowledge of legal action against the district or its employees, no documents or electronic information pertaining to the subject of the action, maintained in any form, may be destroyed.
Policy References: BCBK and BE
Policy References: IDAE and II
Policy References: JGGA and JR et seq.
Adoption Date: 7/7/2008