Policy 201.01

Board Powers and Responsibilities

The Elkhorn Public Schools Board of Education shall have jurisdiction over school matters within the territory of the school district. The board is empowered to make policy for its own governance, for employees, for students and for school district facilities. The board is also empowered to enforce its policies. The board may, through its quasi-judicial power, conduct hearings and rule on issues and disputes confronting the school district.

The board has these powers and all other powers expressly granted to it in federal and state law as well as the powers that can be reasonably implied from the express powers.

All powers of the board lie in its action as a group. Individual board members exercise authority only as they vote at a legal meeting of the board and when the board has lawfully and specifically delegated authority to them. No individual board member shall exercise any administrative responsibility with respect to the schools or, as an individual, command the services of any school employee.

As the governing board of the school district, the board has four duties to perform: legislative duty, fiduciary duty, executive duty and evaluative duty.

As a representative of the citizens of the school district, the board is responsible for legislating policy for the district. As a policy making body, the board has jurisdiction to enact policy with the force and effect of law for the management and operation of the school district.

In exercising its fiduciary responsibility, the board shall adopt an annual budget and regularly examine the facts, conditions and circumstances surrounding school district revenue and expenditures.

It is the responsibility of the board, under the board’s executive duty, to select its chief executive officer, the superintendent, to operate the school district on the board’s behalf. The board delegates to the superintendent its authority to carry out board policy, to formulate and carry out rules and regulations and to handle the administrative details in a manner that supports and is consistent with board policy.

Under its evaluative duty, the board regularly reviews the education program and the measurements of student learning progress including an examination of the district accountability and school improvement reports.

Legal Reference:
Neb. Statutes 79-261-3, 79-501-524 and 79-734
NDE Rule 10

Cross Reference:
102 Educational Philosophy of the District
104 Educational and Operational Planning
205 School Board Policy Process
601 Goals and Objectives of Instructional Plan

Approved: February 10, 1992
Revised: February 12, 1996
Revised: February 14, 2005