The Second Community Progress Report — What the Board Accomplished January Through May
May 24, 2027
March’s first community progress report introduced the community to the board’s governance work. It covered the board’s adopted goals, the budget alignment framework, and the connection between resources and priorities. It was the board’s first formal communication of the spring governance cycle.
The second progress report, published in late May or early June, is different. It covers the full governance cycle — what the board set out to accomplish in January, what it achieved through May, what the student outcome data shows, and where the board is headed for the summer and the next governance year.
This is the board’s most important communication of the year. The March report established the board’s framework. The May report evaluates whether the framework produced results.
What the second report includes
The second progress report has five sections. Each section answers a question the community is likely to ask.
Section 1: The goals and where they stand. The board adopted goals in January. For each goal, the report states: what the board committed to, the current student outcome data (without jargon — reading proficiency percentages, graduation rates, attendance rates), the trajectory compared to the current data (are students ahead of, on, or behind the trajectory the board set?), and what the board learned from the May data review.
This section should be specific. Not “the board continued to monitor student progress.” “The board’s January goal for early literacy was 85% of third graders reading at grade level by June. As of May, 76% of third graders are reading at grade level, which is two points ahead of the trajectory the board set in January. The board reviewed this data at the May data review and directed continued focus on instructional coaching support for the remaining quarter of the school year.”
Section 2: The budget and how it was monitored. The board adopted the budget in April. The report explains: how the board aligned the budget to adopted goals, what the post-adoption monitoring setup looks like (the board now receives monthly budget-to-actual reports in the goal-alignment format), what the first combined data review showed about resource allocation and student outcomes, and how the board is prepared to make adjustments based on what the data reveals.
This section builds trust by showing that the board is not just monitoring outcomes but also monitoring whether resources are producing those outcomes.
Section 3: The board’s governance work — what the board did. This section is the board’s version of an annual report. The report lists: the number of board meetings and work sessions, the governance events completed (data reviews, check-ins, budget processes, community engagement events), the decisions the board made and how those decisions affected district operations (if applicable), and the board’s self-assessment from the governance closeout (the board evaluated its own effectiveness and identified areas for improvement).
The purpose is to demonstrate that the board has been working — visibly, consistently, and in a structured way — and to show the community what governance work looks like when it’s done well.
Section 4: The community’s role and the board’s response. This section closes the loop on community engagement. The March report was the board speaking to the community. The May report shows that the board has been listening.
The report references: the public hearing and the community testimony the board received, the adjustments the board made in response to that testimony (if applicable — if testimony led to a specific board action, this is where the board names it), the community testimony response the board published and how the board followed up, and how the community can continue to engage with the board over the summer and in the next governance year.
Section 5: What comes next. The report closes with a forward-looking section covering: the June superintendent evaluation (the board will evaluate the superintendent based on the governance framework, not a subjective assessment), the summer governance work (what the board will read, what training it will complete, what policy development it will pursue), and the fall preview (when the next governance year begins and what the board expects to accomplish in the first quarter).
How the second report differs from the first
The March report was an introduction. The May report is a performance review. The tone shifts accordingly.
In March, the board introduced concepts. In May, the board reports results. In March, the board described its framework. In May, the board evaluates whether the framework worked. In March, the board asked for the community’s trust. In May, the board shows what the trust produced.
This shift matters because it demonstrates that the board’s governance model is not theoretical. The board set goals, monitored progress, allocated resources, evaluated its own performance, and produced results that the community can see.
How to prepare the report
The board president or a designated board member should draft the report. The superintendent reviews the data sections for accuracy. The full board reviews and approves the final version before publication.
I recommend the following timeline. One week before publication: the board president drafts the report based on the governance closeout materials. Three business days before publication: the superintendent reviews data sections for accuracy. Two business days before publication: the full board receives the draft for review. One business day before publication: the board approves any final edits. Publication day: the report is distributed via email, posted on the district website, and shared on the district’s communication platforms.
Why this matters for the next governance year
The second community progress report creates the conditions for the next governance year. A community that received two reports — one that introduced the board’s work and one that evaluated it — enters the summer understanding what governance means in this district.
A community that knows what the board did, why it did it, and what the outcomes were is a community that trusts the board to lead the next governance year. A community that receives no update or a generic year-end summary is a community that doesn’t know whether the board accomplished anything.
The May report is the board’s closing argument for the spring governance cycle. A board that publishes a thorough, specific, honest progress report enters the summer with the community’s trust intact — and enters the fall with the community ready to support the board’s next governance cycle.
Your free CTA: Reply to this email with the keyword ProgressReport2 and I’ll send you the Second Community Progress Report Template — a five-section report structure covering goals and outcomes, budget monitoring, board governance work, community engagement results, and next steps, with tone guidance for the shift from introduction to evaluation.
Your paid CTA: I offer a Community Progress Report Coaching Session — a sixty-minute call covering the report structure, the tone shift from the first report, the data presentation format, the board approval process, and the distribution strategy. Reply to this email for pricing and availability.
This continues the May Governance to Impact arc: spring execution and fiscal year close. Wednesday’s piece covered the governance closeout. Today’s piece covers the second community progress report. Wednesday May 26’s piece covers summer governance planning — what the board should read, what training it should complete, and how to prepare the next governance year before the fall. Subscribe at effectiveschoolboards.com to continue the series.
Backlinks: This piece is the May follow-up to the March community progress report (Mar 8 piece) and the second major community communication event in the governance year. The five-section structure builds on the community engagement framework from the Apr 5 public hearing preview and the Apr 26 community testimony response piece. The public hearing response reference continues the testimony closure protocol from the Apr 26 piece. The summer and fall preview sections connect to the summer planning framework previewed in the Apr 28 Spring arc preview piece. The board self-assessment inclusion extends the governance model transparency standard from the Jan 6 governance calendar piece. The timeline follows the publication process established in the Mar 8 progress report piece.