FAQ

What makes a good school board member?

At the heart of it all, members of a district's board of education must believe, unequivocally, in the value
of public education. They must be dedicated to serving and teaching all children. They must believe in
the democratic process and understand that their role is to act strategically, in line with the interests of
the entire school community.

What is a board of education?

School board members make up the largest body of elected officials in the United States. We entrust
them to set the policies of our most treasured institutions: our public elementary, middle and high
schools. Every district has a board of education, and boards generally meet every month in meetings
that are open to the public. These gatherings range from tame rubber-stamping sessions to intense,
provocative discussions with the community where controversial issues are debated and landmark
decisions are made.
School boards are nonpartisan. In most districts, members serve four-year terms, and terms are
staggered so seats don't become open all at once.

What do they do?

Somewhere in between the agendas, public comment sessions and resolutions, school board members
make a number of important decisions. School boards establish a vision for the community's schools.
They have to set up and maintain an effective, efficient organizational structure for the district that lets
the superintendent and administrators manage the schools, teachers teach and students learn.

They are responsible for hiring and evaluating a superintendent, evaluating and adopting policies that
affect all schools in the district, serving as a judicial and appeals body when conflicts go unresolved,
monitoring and adjusting district finances, and managing the collective bargaining process in the district.

A school board has a symbolic role as well. The behavior it shows off in the meeting room, the rapport
among school board members and the relationships that members have with teachers and administrators
in the district all add up to the climate of public education in a community. Whether healthy or
dysfunctional, a school board has a heavy influence on the spirit that characterizes a community's
impression of its school system.