Policy 2:80
Member of the Board of Education Oath and Code of Conduct
Oath:
Each member of the Board of Education, before taking his or her seat on the Board, shall take the following oath of office:
I, (name), do solemnly swear that I will faithfully discharge the
duties of the office of member of the Board of Education Wilmette School
District 39, in accordance with the Constitution of the United States,
the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and the laws of the State of
Illinois, to the best of my ability.
I further swear that:
I shall respect taxpayer interests by serving as a faithful protector of the School District’s assets;
I shall encourage and respect the free expression of opinion by my
fellow members of the Board of Education and others who seek a hearing
before the Board, while respecting the privacy of students and
employees;
I shall recognize that a member of the Board of Education
has no legal authority as an individual and that decisions can be made
only by a majority vote at a public Board meeting; and
I shall
abide by majority decisions of the Board, while retaining the right to
seek changes in such decisions through ethical and constructive
channels.
The Board President or President Pro Tempore will administer the oath
in an open Board meeting; in the absence of the President, the Vice
President will administer the oath. If neither is available, the member
of the Board of Education with the longest service on the Board will
administer the oath.
Member of the Board of Education Code of Conduct:
Members of the Board of Education will do their utmost to represent
the public interest in education by adhering to the following standards
and principles:
- Members of the Board of Education will represent all School District
constituents honestly and equally and refuse to surrender
responsibilities to special interests or partisan political groups.
- Members of the Board of Education will avoid any conflict of
interest or the appearance of impropriety, which could result from being
a member of the Board of Education and will not use Board membership
for personal gain or publicity.
- Members of the Board of Education will recognize that they have no
legal authority as an individual but that decisions can be made only by a
majority vote at a Board meeting.
- Members of the Board of Education will take no private action that
might compromise the Board or administration and will respect the
confidentiality of privileged information.
- Members of the Board of Education will abide by majority decisions
of the Board, while retaining the right to seek changes in such
decisions through ethical and constructive channels.
- Members of the Board of Education will encourage and respect the
free expression of opinions of fellow members of the Board of Education
and will participate in Board discussions in an open, honest and
respectful manner, honoring the differences of opinion and perspective.
- Members of the Board of Education will be sufficiently informed
about and prepared to act on the specific issues before the Board, and
remain reasonably knowledgeable about local, State, national, and global
education issues.
- Members of the Board of Education will respectfully listen to those
who communicate with the Board, seeking to understand their views, while
recognizing the responsibility to represent the interests of the entire
community.
- Members of the Board of Education will prepare for, attend and actively participate in School Board meetings.
- Members of the Board of Education will strive for a positive working
relationship with the Superintendent, respecting the Superintendent’s
authority to advise the Board, implement Board policy, and administer
the District.
- Members of the Board of Education will model continuous learning and
work to ensure good governance by taking advantage of Board member
development opportunities, such as those sponsored by State and national
school board associations, and encourage my fellow members of the Board
of Education to do the same.
- Members of the Board of Education will strive to keep the Board
focused on its primary work of clarifying the District purpose,
direction and goals, and monitoring District performance.
Adopted: October 20, 1997
Revised: March 20, 2006; January 25, 2016