As educators, the Marysville School Board knows that. So at its two-hour work session Aug. 17 it went over a self-evaluation led by Colleen Miller of the Washington State School Directors Association.

“We want to do more and better,” Director Bruce Larsen said.

One of the areas they rated themselves on was preparation. Board member Chris Nation said he would like to receive information packets on meetings earlier so he has more time to prepare.

Miller said some districts deal with that by agreeing that as long as someone has questions, they will keep talking about it before voting.

Another concern Nation had was that the board adopts policy set by the district, rather than directing the district.

Board president Tom Albright disagreed, saying the board it young and while it has been following the lead of school experts the next step in the natural progression is to set policy.

“You can make a motion to direct the superintendent to tap into that expertise,” Miller said, adding the board needs to review its protocols. “That’s how the vision of the board can be put into action.”

As an example, Nation brought up that the board expressed an interest in the district developing plans to make sure buildings are maintained along with landscaping, etc. But since a directive wasn’t voted on by the board, Nation wondered how it could be sure the schedules are done.

Superintendent Becky Berg said something’s wrong with the relationship if requests like that need to be mandated.

Another area the board said it could improve on is educating the public, especially those not directly involved in schools.

“The community doesn’t know what you do,” Miller said, which is set policy. “They think they can just call and you’ll fix it for me.”

Berg added: “You’re elected by the people so it’s personal and policy.”

“It’s unique. It’s a Catch 22,” Miller said.

Larsen said people need to know all the benefits schools provide now, such as free lunches, etc.

“More comes under the umbrella of school,” he said. “There’s a lot of poverty and fewer resources.”

Miller added, “If a child is sick, tired, scared, neglected they’re not going to learn.”

Albright said the board hopes to communicate all that to the public better through its new director of communications.

Another area they discussed was high ethical standards. Director Pete Lundberg said a personality inventory Berg gave to the group has helped him deal with their individual differences. Knowing others’ motives helps him understand why another board member may feel differently on an issue.

“It makes it easier to accept when you know the differences,” Miller said.

Berg added, “Maybe not accept but help understand.”

Committing to high standards and equity was another topic. Lundberg said equity and equal are different.

“We value equity. Those who are underserved need more resources,” he said. “We need to question the district how to do it, and then provide the resources.”

Berg said some may question that because some of the poorest schools are in the worst disrepair.

Nation asked what are high standards? Berg said at or above grade level while Miller said it might have to do with academic and personal growth.

“Students need much more than academics,” Larsen said. “Academics and safety are the board’s responsibility.”

Berg concluded, “It’s educating the whole child.”

The self-evaluation will continue at a future meeting, but Miller explained the goal is to govern in a deeper way.

“Stay engaged, take risks and check for understanding,” she said to make sure the board works as a team. “Understand there are different perspectives.”