A productive board-superintendent relationship rests on one habit your board can practice every week: ask the superintendent what the board can do to support the district's goals, then do exactly that: nothing more, nothing less. This single question replaces the two behaviors that most damage board-superintendent relationships, unclear expectations and boundary crossing, with clarity and mutual accountability. When you ask what support looks like, you signal respect for the superintendent's expertise while still holding your governance role. When you then deliver only what was asked for, you build trust without overstepping.
Most boards damage the relationship without realizing it. A board member sees a problem at a school, mentions it in public comment, and the superintendent feels ambushed. The board approves a budget without reviewing the goal-monitoring data that would show whether previous investments worked. The board discusses a personnel decision that belongs entirely to the superintendent's