School Board

Mission. The primary function of the Indiana School for the Deaf Board is to provide the leadership, vision, accountability, and advocacy to ensure the fulfillment of the ISD mission statement.

In carrying out this responsibility, the board will establish policies, assess school performance, facilitate strategic planning efforts, oversee budget preparation, promote stakeholder communication, support statewide outreach efforts, and make recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly.

What is the Role of the School Board?
The ISD Board was created by the Indiana General Assembly and has statutory responsibility for the oversight and governance of ISD. The primary function of the Board is to provide the leadership, vision, accountability, and advocacy necessary to ensure the fulfillment of the ISD mission statement.

In carrying out this responsibility, the board establishes policies, assesses school performance, facilitates strategic planning efforts, oversees budget preparation, promotes stakeholder communication, supports statewide outreach efforts, and makes recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly.

One of the board's central functions is to set policy which shapes the operation of ISD and its programs and services. Policies impact many issues such as admissions criteria, student curriculum, student and employee codes of conduct, outreach services, and provision for programs such as summer school and extra-curricular activities.

However, board members are not administrators; they do not run ISD. Instead, they establish policies based on a broad vision of student educational needs, an ongoing evaluation of programs and services, and recommendations from the Superintendent, school administrators, and the community.

Who Serves on the Board?
The ISD Board is comprised of seven voting members and three non-voting members. The voting members, which must include at least one parent, one alumnus, and one representative of a public school corporation are appointed to staggered, four-year terms by the Governor. The non-voting members include representatives from the Governor's Office, the Indiana House of Representatives, and the Indiana Department of Education.

By statute, board members are public officials and serve at the pleasure of the Governor. For this reason board members represent all stakeholders, rather than any subsection of the community.

One of the important concepts for the community to understand is that power and authority is vested with the full board and not individual board members. As a result, individual board members cannot make promises or commitments outside of board meetings and have no authority to commit ISD to a particular course of action.

What Activities Take Place at School Board Meetings?
While each board meeting is unique in terms of the specific issues that are discussed, many of the activities are recurring in nature. Generally speaking, board meetings are used to receive public comments, reports from the Superintendent, special reports from selected students and staff members, and to make key decisions related to ISD's programs and services.

The Board acts upon recommendations made by the Superintendent (the chief executive officer) on a wide variety of matters from personnel to adopting an operating budget, and authorizing the spending of budgeted money. Although any topic relating to the operation of the schools may come before the Board, most routine matters are handled through administrative channels so that the board may stay focused on ISD's most pressing needs.

Decisions made at board meetings can include approving strategies, modifying programs and services, and establishing policies that that affect the education of our children and impact the future of our community.

When and Where are School Board Meetings Held?
The ISD School Board generally meets on the second Wednesday afternoon of each month. Unless otherwise posted, meetings are held in the Irene Hodock Library of Alumni Hall. A schedule of regular school board meetings for the school year has been published and is available in the Meeting Information section of this website.

All interested stakeholders are encouraged to attend ISD Board meetings and to observe the deliberations of the board. Individuals who are not able to attend board meetings may stay informed by reviewing the board meeting minutes posted in the Meeting Information and Minutes section of this website. Meeting minutes are also available for review in the Irene Hodock Library at ISD.

2009-2010 School Board Meetings

July 8, 2009 (CANCEL)
August 12, 2009	Executive Meeting	1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
	Regular Meeting	2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
September 9, 2009 (CANCEL)
October 14, 2009	Executive Meeting	3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
	Regular Meeting	4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
November 11, 2009	Executive Meeting	1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
	Regular Meeting	2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m
December 9, 2009	Executive Meeting	1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
January 13, 2010	Executive Meeting	1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
	Regular Meeting	2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
February 10, 2010	Executive Meeting	1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
March 10, 2010	Executive Meeting	1:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
	Regular Meeting	3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
April 14, 2010	Executive Meeting	3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
	Regular Meeting	4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
May 12, 2010	Executive Meeting	1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
	Regular Meeting	2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
June 9, 2010	Executive Meeting	1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Public Participation At Board Meetings
The ISD Board recognizes the value of public comment and the importance of allowing members of the public to express themselves on matters related to ISD. In order to permit fair and orderly expression of such comment, the Board has adopted a Public Participation Policy. Copies of the policy have been posted to the Public Participation section of this website and may also be obtained from the Superintendent's Office.

A person who desires to make comments to the board must register with the Superintendent's Office at least 24 hours prior to the board meeting. Please note that ISD Board meetings are conducted for the purpose of carrying on official business. The meetings are not public forum meetings, but are meetings held in public. As a result, public comments will be accepted only during the portion of the meeting that is designated for that purpose.

Questions and Comments
In closing, the ISD Board invites you to attend our meetings and to get to know us. In helping you become better informed about key issues related to ISD and our community, we ultimately help our students.

If after touring this site you can think of ways to make it more informative and accessible, please drop us a line. We welcome your comments, ideas, and questions. Board correspondence can be submitted to the following address:

ISD Board
Superintendent's Office
1200 East 42nd Street
Indianapolis, IN 46205
Phone (317) 924-8400
Fax (317) 923-2853