Policies & Procedures

Under a policy governance model, like the one we have implemented in Ferndale, the superintendent, not the school board, is responsible for the administrative policies and procedures that describe how the school district operates. Even though these administrative policies fall under the purview of the superintendent, in most cases the law requires the board to take official action to approve and/or adopt them. When there is not a legal mandate for doing so, the superintendent generally chooses to include new or significantly changed policies for consideration on the agenda of a board meetings anyway in order to keep board members informed. New administrative policies are included either as separate items for discussion or as part of the Superintendent’s Consent Agenda.

Administrative policies are categorized into the six following areas, which have been established at the state level and are consistent throughout school districts in Washington:  

New policies and policy changes often go through a public reading and comment process before they are adopted.

Procedures, on the other hand, are established by the district administration. Procedures do not require board approval. Procedures that are likely to be controversial may go through a public comment process, although this is not required.

Administrative policies and procedures are related because the procedures outline how school district personnel will implement the policies. If an administrative policy changes, procedures may need to be changed as well.

Ongoing Policy Review

Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA) publishes a bi-monthly newsletter called Policy News that reports changes in the law, court cases, and attorney general rulings that affect school district policies. Each issue describes the specific administrative policies that have been affected and provides recommended changes. The Ferndale School District relies on the technical assistance of WSSDA and its reference policies to keep its administrative policies up-to-date.