During times of crisis, all eyes look to the special district’s board to figure out where things went wrong. Boards that strive to improve their governance practices are less likely to subject themselves to a calamity. A board’s effectiveness is determined by its practices of good governance and understanding the principles of good governance is a necessity for board members in order to follow through on their duties and responsibilities.

Over the years, the SDAO Board Practices Assessment (BPA) has been used by nearly 150 district boards to help them identify strengths and weaknesses in their governance practices and make improvements when needed. This year we are offering an additional tool, the Board Governance Questionnaire, to help boards decide whether they would benefit from participating in the BPA. Your district can use the Board Governance Questionnaire electronically and confidentially to determine how your board is faring. Once the questionnaire is completed by each board member, a summary will be sent to the board with a rating. Based on their rating, your board can decide whether to request the BPA.

The BPA is a facilitated, 90-minute self-assessment involving all board members in rating their effectiveness in six key areas of risk management effectiveness and is offered as a free service from SDAO Consulting Services. Results of the BPA underscore the significant link between board performance and their district’s risk management effectiveness. Simply put, good board practices lead to sound risk management.

For more information on the Board Governance Questionnaire or to schedule the Board Practices Assessment, for your district please email Consulting Services at sdaoconsultingservices@sdao.com.