Should a board overrule an executive decision?
Should a governing board ever overrule a head's decision in an independent or international school? Not unless the head's decision violates federal, local or state statutes, personally benefits the head or the head's family, or puts students and teachers in dangerous situations. Otherwise, a board that overrules the head, even though it has the power to do so, over-reaches, micromanages and relegates the head to an ineffective role.
I have never seen a board countermand an administrative decision without arguing that doing so was in the strategic interest of the school; e.g., keeping parents happy, facilitating future donations, etc. But, such arguments misconstrue the meaning of strategy, and conflate strategic intent with the head's necessary degrees of freedom in managing the school day-to-day. The fact remains that independent school boards are not grievance committees and do not sit in judgement of the head's operational decisions, other than under the three conditions delineated above.