The Majuro Cooperative School Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges P.O. Box 81, Majuro, MH 96960 Telephone (692) 625-3144 Facsimile (692) 625-3719 e-mail: coopschl@ntamar.net

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Majuro Cooperative School Board of Directors

Current Board Members Information

All corporate powers of Majuro Cooperative School are exercised by or under authority of the Board of Directors under the corporate bylaws. The board is a 9-member body: 7 of the Board members are elected by the parents who are in good standing at an annual election at the beginning of each school year, 2 of the Board members are appointed as at-large members from the community. Each person who is a parent or guardian of an enrolled student has the right to vote and to be elected to sit on the Board of Directors. Elected for two-year terms, three members are elected in 'odd' number years and four members are elected in 'even' numbered years, and the at-large members are appointed for 2 years. This practice, established by the bylaws (pdf), ensures that there is continuity in membership on the board and has been a stabilizing influence on the governance of the school. The Board of Directors meets regularly, generally once a month or more, to discuss school-wide issues and polices. A quorum of four members is required for a meeting to take place. In addition to the school board, the Principal of the school and also frequently the PTA president attends these regular meetings. The Parent-Teacher Association officers, who are also elected by the parents, supervise fundraising activities for the school and work with the Board of Directors on setting priorities for the school as well as providing feedback on school-wide issues.

Over the years, Majuro Cooperative School's Board of Directors has involved people who are leaders in business, construction, finance, legal, health and other professions. The people elected to the board, in general, have a high-degree of skill in their respective professions. While most of the members do not have education backgrounds, what they bring to the table is the knowledge and experience of how successful/ functioning businesses operate, which has allowed the Board to develop a relationship with the administration of setting policies in support of school-wide learning results, while delegating the day-to-day responsibility of educating students in the classroom to the administration and teachers.

While the Board attempts to delegate all day-to-day management of the school to the Principal and the administration, it does evaluate operations at the school, including all staff. For example, each school year in January, a letter is sent by the Principal to all teachers asking them to state whether they are interested in continuing to teach at the school for the next school year. Based on the response from the teachers, a roster is produced of teachers interested to remain on staff and positions/grades needing to be filled. This is then provided to the Board of Directors for review. The Board establishes a subcommittee to interview all teachers, even those planning to depart, in an effort to a) evaluate their contribution to the school; b) identify areas that need attention (such as lack of materials, etc.); and c) hear other constructive criticism/suggestions for school improvement. Based on those interviews and Principal evaluations (which in turn are based on regular quarterly evaluation, including in-class evaluations), the Board makes final decisions about hiring for the new school year.

Among the most pressing issues for the Board of Directors are resources in support of school programs. For example, the need for renovation of classroom facilities was identified as critical by the Board of Directors during the 2001-2002 school year. In response to this urgent need, Board members prepared a grant proposal amounting to $79,807.00 for the renovation of all 11 classrooms. It was submitted to the Japanese Government for consideration by its Grassroots Grants program in early 2002. After review and discussion with the Japanese Embassy, the grant was approved and funding provided for the project at the start of the 2002-2003 school year. The Board and PTA, which included several members skilled in construction, then provided construction management, supervision and evaluation as the work was bid out to private sector construction companies to perform.

During the 2003-04 school year, the deteriorating teacher-housing complex was identified as a key issue for improvement because the quality of the apartments directly affects teaching hiring, which in turn affects the ability of the school to meet ESLRs. Board members worked together to produce a grant proposal and blueprints for construction of a new teacher-housing complex that was prepared and submitted to several potential donors for consideration. After taking out a loan from a local bank, and after raising funds locally, the project moved forward and was completed in the fall of 2007.

The Board of Directors is constantly evaluating school matters during its regular board meetings. This is not a formal evaluation mechanism, but rather a part of the normal and ongoing functions of the Board. Reports are presented to the Board, generally from the Principal and the Finance Officer, but also at times from teachers (the Board opens all of its meeting to teachers). From these reports, discussions and evaluations are undertaken. When there is an issue that requires more in-depth consideration, for example faculty recruitment/evaluation, the Board will establish a sub-committee to review the issue and then report back to the full Board for discussion and decision. During the 2000-2005 period, sub-committees were established to develop and define construction projects, for teacher evaluation and recruitment, and for principal recruitment, and to hear teacher/staff grievances.

Majuro Cooperative School By-Laws in .PDF