If you serve on a local school board long enough, you're going to run into disagreement. That's not a sign something is broken. In many ways, it's a sign things are working the way they're supposed to.
Seven board members bring seven different sets of experiences, values and perspectives to the table. That's one of the strengths of local governance. When boards lean into those differences through healthy discussion, they often arrive at stronger decisions for students and communities.

The challenge comes when disagreement stops being about the issue and starts becoming personal. That's when boards can get stuck.
 

When tension rises, board members have a choice. They can lean into curiosity or slide into assumption.

Curiosity sounds like, "Help me understand how this connects to our priorities," or "Can you walk me through your thinking?" Assumption sounds more like, "You're just pushing your agenda" or "You've already made up your mind."

That distinction matters.

Board work isn't about winning arguments. There's no scoreboard in governance. The goal is to make decisions that advance the priorities you've already agreed on together. Asking questions from a place of curiosity keeps the focus on the work instead of on personalities.

When conversations begin to feel personal, it's often helpful to step back and ask whether you're reacting to the issue itself or to the person presenting it. That's a simple shift, but it can completely change the tone of a discussion.

Those moments also highlight the importance of board leadership.

When things get heated, the board president's role goes well beyond managing the agenda. A good board president is helping maintain the health of the board itself.
In tense situations, it's worth asking a few simple questions: Is this the will of the board or the concern of one member? Have all perspectives been heard?  Is it time to table this item and let board members process the discussion?

Sometimes boards become stalled because one person strongly disagrees with a decision. Every board member deserves to have their voice heard, but boards ultimately govern through collective decision-making. Part of the president's role is helping the group hear different perspectives while keeping everyone focused on the larger mission.

There are also times when relationship repair is necessary. A phone call after a meeting or a cup of coffee with a fellow board member can go a long way toward rebuilding trust.

I used to joke with board presidents that they should be prepared to drink a lot of coffee. Those conversations matter. But if a board constantly needs one-on-one meetings to repair conflict, that's usually a sign the board needs to step back and work on its relationships and operating norms as a team.

Another place boards can get themselves into trouble is by rushing decisions.

The scenario is familiar. Board materials arrive a few days before a meeting. Members are busy with work, family and other obligations. Before they've had time to fully process the information, they're being asked to make an important decision.

When people feel rushed, they often become reactive. Questions feel like challenges. Differing opinions feel more personal. Productive discussion becomes harder.

Strong boards create processes that allow individual members time to review information, ask questions and think through complex issues before they sit down at the board table.

The work of getting materials to board members with enough time to digest it, is simply a matter of shifting deadlines and expectations with the team members that are preparing the materials. The work has to be done regardless; it might as well be done in a manner that contributes to the success of the board. The difference is whether board members arrive prepared to have an informed conversation or are trying to process everything in real time.

It's the old idea of going slow to go fast. A little more time on the front end often leads to better decisions and fewer problems later.

Relationships matter, too.

Most boards meet only once or twice a month. If the only interaction board members have is during formal meetings, it can be difficult to navigate challenging issues when they arise.
That's why I encourage boards to invest time in building relationships before they're tested. Board retreats, governance workshops and dedicated conversations about board culture all create opportunities to better understand one another.

One exercise I've used over the years asks people to view an issue through competing values. Take student cell phone use, for example. One person may approach the issue through the lens of individual freedom, while another is focused on what's best for the learning environment. Neither perspective is inherently wrong.

The goal isn't to change someone's mind. It's to better understand why reasonable people can see the same issue differently. That understanding often lowers the temperature when it's time to make a decision.

The same principle applies whenever a new board member, superintendent or clerk joins the team. New faces create a natural opportunity to revisit how the work gets done. They bring fresh perspectives and often ask questions others have stopped asking.

Healthy boards don't fear those conversations. They welcome them.

At the end of the day, healthy boards are built on relationships, shared priorities and a willingness to keep the focus on students. Disagreement will always show up at the board table. The real question is whether your board has the trust, processes and leadership in place to work through those differences in a way that strengthens decision-making and keeps the work moving forward.