Govern Differently: Values-Based School Board Governance (Lessons from Aaron Salt)

At the School Boards for Academic Excellence Summer Conference 2026, executive vice president and guest speaker Aaron Salt shared a clear challenge for school boards: govern differently. In his book, Govern Differently, Salt argues that the most effective boards lead with values-based governance—staying anchored to a strong governance framework so decisions consistently serve student achievement.

Governance isn’t about being important—it’s about being effective

Salt’s central point is simple: governance is not self-assumed power centered on oneself and exercised through control. Good governance is authority granted by law and community, bounded and defined, focused on service, and exercised through policy. When boards remain focused on implementing strong governance frameworks, the results show up where it matters:

• Improved student achievement

• Increased community trust and support

• Higher staff retention and morale

• More effective use of taxpayer resources

Shared values: the ‘why’ behind board decisions

A productive school board can identify shared values for student outcomes—the why behind its decisions. The challenge for many board members is remembering those shared values and not conflating them with other value sets that pull boards off mission:

1. Your personal values: your paradigm of tightly held beliefs that are core to you.

2. District values: an amalgamation of views built over decades (even generations) that drive daily operations.

3. Societal values: national undercurrents that can linger in policy long after they shift.

4. Group values: activist, chamber, neighborhood, or community groups that may expect you to champion their deeply held beliefs.

A board’s shared values must be centered around its singular mission: student outcomes. That focus is what keeps governance from drifting into personality, politics, or pressure campaigns.

What Values-Based Governance means

Values-Based Governance is an approach to leading and stewarding an organization where decisions and actions are guided by a set of core values—aligning personal, organizational, and stakeholder principles for ethical and effective management. Salt frames this approach through three tenets: Strategic Alignment, Policy Development, and Cultural Adaptation.

Tenet 1: Strategic Alignment

Strategic alignment means aligning operations and day-to-day actions to the board’s mission, vision, and core values. When these are aligned, boards can reduce operating costs through focused priorities (how will this directly affect student outcomes?), increase staff morale with clear direction, and increase stakeholder support with transparent decision-making.

Every decision should be filtered through the foundational elements of the board’s mission, vision, unique value proposition, shared values, and governing policies—your decision lens.

Tenet 2: Policy Development

In a values-based model, operational policy (what happens at the school level) must align with the board’s governing policy. One practical way to strengthen policy work is to use a simple ‘user story’ format so the policy is written with a clear condition and purpose in mind:

As a (who), I would like (what), so that (why).

Example: As a high school student who is behind in reading, I would like access to a daily, evidence-based literacy intervention block, so that I can reach grade-level proficiency and succeed in my core classes.

Tenet 3: Cultural Adaptation

Cultural adaptation is where the magic happens—and where many boards struggle. Culture won’t change just because you pass a policy. It changes when people internalize the values behind it. Values-based governance focuses on the long game: accountability takes time and buy-in, built through SMART goals framed positively and laser-focused on academics and students.

Common misconceptions (and why they miss the point)

Boards that adopt a values-based governance model may be accused of imposing personal values. But Salt’s framework is the opposite: it focuses on shared values for student outcomes—not any individual’s agenda. It transcends politics because it stops being about who is right and becomes what is right for students and academics.

And it doesn’t require unanimous agreement. One board member at a time can start governing through shared values and policy—and begin to shift the board toward more effective, student-centered leadership.

A closing question for every board decision

If governance is service exercised through policy, then the test is straightforward: How does this decision improve student outcomes—and how will we know? That’s what it means to govern differently.