We greatly appreciate your interest in serving New Orleans children – serving on a charter school board is a tremendous way for concerned New Orleanians to help revitalize the city – and we're thrilled that you're willing to give your time to this effort.

Charter schools are tuition-free open-enrollment public schools that provide new options to students and their families. Public charter schools have significantly more autonomy than traditional public schools. In exchange for their autonomy, public charter schools are held to strict measures of accountability.

Every public charter school is governed by an independent local board of directors and it is the board of directors that ultimately holds the school's "charter". Charter School Board members assist in creating and governing schools that enable New Orleans children to achieve the highest academic standards. Board members must share a commitment to the school's mission and the vision. They must be dedicated, passionate, and entrepreneurial individuals willing to volunteer their expertise, connections, and time to governing a public school. The Founding Board will consist of 7-12 members who will serve a specific term. Please see below for qualifications and responsibilities of founding board members.

Qualifications

1. Belief that all children can achieve the highest levels of academic excellence regardless of the circumstances into which they are born
2. Availability to participate meaningfully in the governing of the school
3. Expertise in law, real estate, financial management, governance, marketing, fundraising, community organizing / outreach, education or strategic planning
4. Personal experience with entrepreneurship and working in diverse teams
5. Willingness to leverage personal and profession networks on behalf of the school
6. A deep commitment to improving the quality of education for New Orleans children and the quality of life for the citizens of New Orleans
7. A time commitment of 8-12 hours per month

Ten Basic Responsibilities of a Governing Board¹

1. Determine the organization's mission and purpose
2. Select the Executive Director
3. Support the Executive Director and assess his or her performance
4. Ensure effective organizational planning
5. Ensure adequate resources
6. Manage resources effectively
7. Determine, monitor and strengthen the organization's programs & services
8. Enhance the organization's public standing
9. Ensure legal and ethical integrity and maintain accountability
10. Recruit and orient new Board members and assess Board performance

¹ www.boardsource.org