Purpose: Task Forces are created by the School Board President to address major issues, challenges, and opportunities facing East Baton Rouge Public Schools. They will conduct research to identify national best practices, understand available resources, and recommend specific changes to budget and policy for possible adoption by the EBR School Board.

Clear Objectives and Scope: The Board President and the Task Force itself will define specific, measurable objectives and the scope of work for the task force. This ensures alignment and focus on the desired outcomes.

Diverse Expertise: The Board President will appoint Task Force members who have diverse expertise, backgrounds, and perspectives relevant to the project or challenge at hand. This diversity fosters creativity, innovation, and comprehensive problem-solving.

Leadership and Accountability: The Board President, after consulting with the members of the Task Force and the superintendent, will appoint a capable task force leader or co-leader to provide direction, facilitate discussions, and ensure accountability for meeting goals and deadlines.

Training and Guidance: Task force leaders will be provided training and guidance about expectations and best practices for driving to successful action.

Transparent Communication: Task Force leaders will promote open lines of communication within the task force and with stakeholders. Transparency builds trust, encourages collaboration, and enables timely decision-making.

Data-Driven Approach: Task Forces will base decisions and recommendations on credible data, evidence, and analysis and utilize data to identify trends, assess risks, and evaluate the effectiveness of strategies.

Public & Stakeholder Engagement: Task Forces will engage relevant stakeholders, including community members, government agencies, businesses, and non-profits, throughout the process. It will solicit input, gather feedback, and foster partnerships to enhance buy-in and support. Task Forces are public bodies, and their meetings are subject to Open Meetings Law.

Adaptability and Flexibility: Task Forces will remain flexible and adaptable to evolving circumstances, feedback, and new information. It should anticipate potential challenges and be prepared to adjust strategies accordingly.

Staffing & Resource Allocation: The district will allocate sufficient resources, including funding, staff support, and technology, to enable the task force to fulfill its mandate effectively. Identify an EBRSS staff member with appropriate skills, expertise, and available time to be primarily responsible for staffing the Task Force, including coordinating meetings, ensuring availability of materials, and record-keeping. For most task forces, someone skilled in data analysis should assist in staffing the Task Force. The Board may provide, for particular task forces, assistance from one or more consulting firms to assist the Task Force with its work.

Timely Progress Monitoring: Task Force leaders will establish mechanisms to monitor progress regularly against milestones and objectives, with monthly reports to the full Board. Leaders should identify and address any barriers or delays promptly to keep the project on track.

Risk Management: Task Forces will identify potential risks and develop strategies to mitigate them proactively. Regularly assess risks and reassess mitigation strategies as needed to minimize adverse impacts on the project.

Accountability and Evaluation: Task Force leaders will hold task force members accountable for their roles and responsibilities and conduct periodic evaluations to assess the effectiveness of the task force’s efforts and identify areas for improvement.

Documentation and Knowledge Sharing: Task Forces will document key decisions, findings, and lessons learned throughout the project. Leaders should encourage knowledge sharing within the task force and with relevant stakeholders to facilitate continuous improvement and sustainability.

Composition of EBRPSS Task Forces

1. Task Force Leader, appointed by the Board President
2. Members appointed by the Board President, generally consisting of:
   1. At least one school board member
   2. High level central office staff member
   3. Principals, teachers, support staff
   4. Parent and community representation
   5. Traditional, magnet and charter school representation
   6. Students, where appropriate
   7. For some task forces, a consultant may be engaged to provide staffing and project management support for the work of the Task Force.
   8. The above categories are not absolute requirements, only guides to what stakeholders should be represented. Final decision on membership to be made by the President.
3. If a Task Force member does not attend 2 consecutive Task Force meetings, the Task Force leader will discuss the member’s inactivity within the working group. If a Task Force member does not attend 3 consecutive meetings, the Task Force leader will initiate the procedure to replace the Task Force member. All Task Force members will be appointed by the President, in consultation with the Superintendent and the Task Force leader.
4. There is no set number of members on a Task Force. The number and specific make-up of Task Force members will vary based on the needs of the particular issue.

Outcomes and Deliverables

1. The purpose of the task force is to recommend changes to budget and policy to better address the issues raised in the Task Force charge; the Task Force should provide sufficient support and evidence of the impacts of the changes it recommends so that the School Board can fully understand national best practices in the area and the impact the recommended changes will have on the community.
2. Recommendations should focus on actionable solutions.
3. Recommendations must have proven track records in other districts and should be based on “best practice” models.
4. Proposed solutions must display a full understanding of the legislative environment and must be within existing law.
5. Task Forces should produce an initial report within 1 month of formation, including:
   1. Outline of key issues
   2. Links to 3-5 national articles discussing the issue at the national or regional level
   3. Links to at least 2 in-depth scholarly research articles on the issue
   4. Detailed description and timeline of the work plan for the Task Force
   5. Description of intermediate deliverables, with deadlines

Operational Considerations

1. Main responsibility of the Task Force leaders are to:
   1. Guide the work of the Task Force and ensure it moves toward workable solutions to the challenges facing the district;
   2. Assign work to members of the Task Force to move the work forward;
   3. Review the list of actions with the task force members and update it with any other necessary actions;
   4. Ensure all work assigned to Task Force members is completed timely;
   5. Prioritize list of actions; 
   6. Coordinate impact analysis;
   7. Ensure a proper and realistic implementation schedule is established for each action;
   8. Report the progress regarding the action plan on a monthly basis to the School Board.
2. Voting participation will be limited to Task Force members, but the Task Force must provide ample opportunities for public engagement.
3. Materials must be provided in sufficient time ahead of meetings so that all Task Force members can be prepared for substantial discussion.
4. Task Forces are public bodies and must comply with the Open Meetings Law.
5. Following each meeting, meeting minutes should be issued within 5 working days and circulated to all members.

A final recommendation shall be made to the school board and superintendent within the original time frame established by the Board President. In the event additional time may be required, the Task Force leader should notify the Board President immediately.