Establishing and maintaining effective, clearly-written policy is a board's foremost responsibility.
Good policy is essential to good management. Board policies serve as a guide to staff as they develop administrative regulations. Policies are also important tools in the decision-making process.
Supporting board policy development is a primary mission of OSBA. Our services include comprehensive policy drafting and maintenance that meet legal requirements and the specific needs of the board.
Services
- Policy rewrite - Are board policies out of date? OSBA's rewrite service will support review and completion of a final manual. Along the way OSBA will provide training and in-person consultation and preparation of recommended changes to current policies and administrative regulations.
- Policy desk rewrite - Provides the same great service as a rewrite but without the in-person meetings.
- Small district desk rewrite - If the member is a small district (fewer than 500 students), consider a desk rewrite. OSBA can help with the review process with phone consultations and no in-person meetings.
- Charter school policy service - Charter schools are unique and so are their board policy manuals. Let us help prepare policies with onsite training, meetings and document preparation. OSBA's process will provide a complete policy manual that complies with state and federal laws.
- Policy analysis - If help is needed to establish the condition of the board's policy manual, ask us about this analysis service.
Subscription Packages
- Policy Plus - Our signature service takes the guesswork out of maintaining policy manuals. As laws change OSBA will update the board's policies for adoption. Then, the board/administration chooses between the standard manual maintenance or online policy service and OSBA takes care of the rest. The Policy Update is still issued to stay informed -- OSBA just does the editing work for the board packet.
- Policy manual maintenance - Do you like getting Policy Update (included with this package) but want help maintaining policies, too? OSBA can help! After adoption, send us the changes. OSBA policy specialists will review the changes for compliance, make the changes electronically and send the final version to insert in the board's policy manual.
- Online policy manual - If you want staff and community to have online access to board policies, consider letting OSBA host the board's policy manual. OSBA will keep you informed with Policy Update notices, the board can review changes and adopt changes. After adoption, notify OSBA with dates and documents and OSBA will maintain the electronic record of entire policy manual and manage the online site.
- Policy updates with online access - Policy Update keeps the subscriber updated with a quarterly newsletter and updated model sample policies so the board can quickly update, revise or draft their own policies.
- Policy updates for charter schools - Policy Update written for charter schools. Also, if you are a district that sponsors a charter school, you may purchase the Charter School Supplemental for your Policy Update subscription (the manual maintenance or online policy manual) at a reduced rate.
Publications
Why reinvent the wheel? OSBA completed the legwork and created staff and student handbook templates to be personalized. Whether a charter school or a K-12 district, there is a handbook tailored to the board's specific needs. Handbooks are complete with information about how to use them, what is required by law and sample language.
The Model Handbooks are scheduled to be released each April.
For school districts
Also available in a combination pack of either the complete Model Staff and Student Handbooks, or revisions of the Model Staff and Student Handbooks, including a Key Dates and Activities Calendar.
For charter schools