American School Boards – Abolish or Improve?
Published November 04, 2009 @ 01:32PM PT
Public schools in the United States continue to be governed by appointed or elected school boards – except in cases of takeovers and charter schools that report directly to states. But some seem to be asking if school boards are relevant in today’s world. Often there is no mention of them in national conversation about school reform. Other times, there is prominent mention of them in the headlines because of bad governing skills and just plain bad behavior. And yet school boards continue to set policy, to hire and fire superintendents, and to manage huge amounts of taxpayer money. Can we really afford to ignore them? How can we insure effective school boards?
For starters, public schools belong to the public. The public either elects their school board members or elects a Mayor who appoints them. Either way, school boards represent their communities in the oversight of their schools. In this way, the local school board remains the heart of the democratic process and possibly the purest form of public service. Local communities should continue to have the right to govern their own schools – to lose that would be to lose public support for public schools.
School board members should spend time out in the community talking with parents and citizens about their dreams for their children and the kind of schools they want. In spite of all the challenges facing schools today, school boards should try to deliver on those dreams. The first way to deliver is to make sure the right superintendent is in place. Then school boards must insure proper roles and let the superintendent run the school district. Micro-managing should not be tolerated by either other board members or by the community. School boards can create a culture among themselves that doesn’t tolerate inappropriate behavior by individual members. School board members have to understand that regardless of their individual professional expertise, their role is to oversee the superintendent, whose role it is to run the day-to-day operations.
It is true that school board members come with varying degrees of knowledge about education issues. But they can do their homework in order to stay abreast of policy, legal, and financial issues, while relying on professional educators for their opinions and recommendations. They should also take advantage of state and national school board training hours and should get more than the minimum legal requirements. They should communicate effectively with the superintendent, the public, and each other. They should set measurable goals for staff and then hold them accountable for those goals. They should take public input on policy and listen to the community – then try to reach consensus on what best serves the schools.
School board members must be the prime advocates for public education in their communities. They should speak to Rotary Clubs, homeowner associations, civic clubs, and other groups to explain the challenges, issues, and accomplishments of public schools – all the while challenging them to support public education. They must continually remind citizens about the benefits of quality public schools – a better workforce, a stronger economy, more appreciation for the arts and humanities, better citizens and voters, and a community that draws people to want to live there.
School boards should respect each other even while disagreeing, because after all – the same process put each of them in that position. They may be individuals with different opinions, but they should wrestle the issues and come together for the sake of students, teachers, and schools. Shame on people who serve on school boards for all the wrong reasons and who make it all about their personal agenda. But while some school boards’ antics make us shudder and are enough to make us sometimes want to abolish school boards, I have seen no system I would want to replace them with. The solution is to work towards school boards that represent the best of our communities and who will be champions for America’s children and her noble plan to provide quality public education.
Time for a disclaimer now … I was a school board member for nine years in an urban/suburban school district in Texas that had 35,000 students, changing demographics, shrinking financial resources, and increased state and federal accountability measures that were often in conflict with each other Sound like disaster? It wasn’t, and the reason it wasn’t is the recipe given here for an effective school board. My fellow school board members learned our lessons together. This is not a simple recipe, and it takes time, commitment, and an unwavering belief that all children deserve a quality public education.
Leaving school boards out of the education reform conversation is not a good idea. They still govern our schools districts and should be fully engaged in the education reform dialogue. Citizens should make sure they have school boards that reflect the quality they want to see in their schools – even if it means they offer themselves to serve on their school board!
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Anne is the Executive Director of Parents for Public Schools, a national organization of community based chapters working with public school parents and other supporters to improve and strengthen local schools.
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Ann, too many Amercians are ignorant about the vital role school boards play in the education of our children and in the development of our democracy. To further the understanding, I write a blog about education from the perspective of a school board member. We need more people writing and acknowledging the important of school boards -- and we need more committed and passionate people running for positions.
Fred Deutsch (www.school-of-thought.net)
Posted by Fred Deutsch on 11/04/2009 @ 08:52PM PT
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Fred, thanks so much for writing. Obviously, you and I view this topic in much the same way, and I appreciate your contributions. I will look up your blog and read it. While some may see school board members at the bottom of the elected officials, I believe that school board service ranks at the top of public service, because an educated population is where it all starts and makes so much possible for so many people. Please stay in touch.
Posted by Anne Foster on 11/05/2009 @ 11:00AM PT
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My concern resides in several areas. First, there are laws passed by people who are not well-versed in teaching and learning who believe that everyone learns in exactly the same way and that every student and teacher in the nation needs to be on the same page, saying the exact same words, on the same day, the same hour of the day, and the list goes on...
Second, current education laws are in place that consider schools as not improving enough or "passing" the standardized test at a line drawn in the sand that says 100% percent of students in all schools in a district and state as having met this requirement or funding will be removed from the schools who don't meet this requirement. Not only will funding removed from the school, the district may in fact lose all federal funds in the process.
One of the reasons why this seems ridiculous is that there is no way that there can ever be 100% compliance. Humanly impossible unless we only educate rich, white folks. Since that would be a discriminatory practice, and hence is illegal, then the only thing that could possibly happen is that the schools who have funding removed are doomed for failure. This is another discriminatory action.
Finally, those in DC and other places who have power, have decided that those educated to teach don't know what they are doing because not everyone is passing the tests. If teachers were the only factors that affect if a student learns then this might be a viable critique of teachers. However, this is just not true. There are factors that affect student learning that is not related to the teacher teaching or school. One might be the effects of poverty and homelessness. Another might be the recipient of abuse or neglect. Another might be living in inner cities or extremely rural areas.
While I've probably left a lot of things that need to be said out of this post, we must all understand that students have lives and life experiences that need to be accessed so that learning has a chance to occur. The needs of students vary across nations, states, and cities/towns. In the U.S., and probably all democracies/republics, no child needs to be left behind however education is never a one size fits all endeavor IF we expect all residents here to fully engage in democratic life.
Debbie East
Posted by Debbie East on 11/05/2009 @ 10:13AM PT
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Debbie, I appreciate your writing and sharing your thoughts. You have made some very credible points. Many of the issues you point out come from No Child Left Behind, which is soon to be considered for re-authorization. I hope you will make your thoughts known to your elected lawmakers in Washington, DC., because changes can be made to the law. Other education laws are made at the state level. School board members, of course, do not make laws -- they are the ones in the position of living by the laws as they govern the management of school districts.
Many parents and citizens are dismayed by the emphasis on standardized tests and on testing in general. They understand that students come with various challenges and that they do not all learn the same way.
You are also right that there are many factors other than teaching that affect student achievement. That said, we need the best and most effective teachers we can find and train. We then need to make sure that their work environment and the way we as a society treat them will encourage them to remain in the teaching profession.
Hopefully you can stay in touch with your local school board and make your thoughts known to them on these and other issues. I hope that more people will follow public education issues as you are doing.
Posted by Anne Foster on 11/05/2009 @ 11:09AM PT
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I dunno... my school had a school board, and the school was completely falling apart. As far as I could tell, it was just politics and had nothing actually to do with education.
Posted by Luella - on 11/07/2009 @ 11:59PM PT
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Just a few words from a school board member. First, I've never seen a school board that doesn't have anything to do with education. A few examples would be helpfu. When you say your school "had" a school board, do you mean your school no longer has one? If that's the case, who runs your public school? Who articulates the needs of the commuity to the school, and the needs of the school to the community?
Let's not forget that serving on a school board is a very "American concept, reflecting the democratic notion of lay control of political functions. As Americans, we trust that reasoned lay-people who are not "education experts" are qualified to set policy and govern the schools, to represent the "public" in public education. After all, education, in large part, reflects community values. Who better to set the policy and direction for this values-laden enterprise than local community members? That is why we elect (or, in some few cases, appoint) public-minded citizens to the local school board, where they are charged with articulating the needs of the community to the schools and the needs of the schools to the community.
Posted by Fred Deutsch on 11/08/2009 @ 05:30AM PT
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I interpreted the comment you responded to differently and reflects as "when I was in school" but it would have been helpful for the author to elaborate a bit more. That said... A school board may be an "American" concept but by appointing or electing lay-people we then run the risk of appointing or electing people who work only from an agenda that precludes keeping children front and center in all actions. Local school boards in my area do one of two things: go through school board members pretty quickly or when people get those positions they stay forever. Neither is bad or good just what is.
What concerns me is that school boards hands are tied by the educational policy and laws in place. While I did not make this connection to school boards explicitly in my original post, which the author responded was commenting on, I make it here.
School boards are elected or appointed which makes them political in nature and while elected by the community that doesn't not make them reflective of community values. Education is always and everywhere a cultural practice where the majority decides which practices are deemed valuable and not of value. "The democratic notion of lay control of political..." really doesn't completely exist in this country or in presidential elections there would be no use of an electoral college.
Schools however are not 'run' by school boards. Rather they are run by the federal government which dictates which public schools are considered successful. In our country this goes against our democratic/republic ideals. It removes local control completely.
I'm sure that you, Fred, are not one of school board members that have their personal agenda as their focus or you would not have responded here. I'm also sure that there are many school board members like you. I want all school board members to reflect your values as you've indicated here.
Posted by Debbie East on 11/08/2009 @ 05:55AM PT
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Luella, If your school or school district was falling apart, then I can understand why you would not have confidence in your school board. There are many policies and laws that school boards must follow that are complex and difficult, and it is difficult to navigate the territory of shrinking funds and heightened expectations. That's why communities must insist on effective school boards -- and if they are not effective, make a change.
Posted by Anne Foster on 11/09/2009 @ 08:36AM PT
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Fred, Thank you very much for weighing in as a current school board member. I also thank you for your school board service, which is so valuable to your community, families, schools, students, and our democracy. You have an understanding of what school board service should look like that is very much in line with what I wrote about. School boards, elected or appointed, can provide effective governance as lay people, and they can be the bridge between the community and its schools. It's my hope that we can focus more on what effective school boards look like and encourage citizens to work towards that model.
Posted by Anne Foster on 11/09/2009 @ 10:08AM PT
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Anne, will you explain how the Federal Government controls schools? I do understand that NCLB has requirements. If school districts fail to meet these requirements, then the Federal Government can deny federal contribution to the state's K-12 budget. It this the sense in which K-12 is governed by the Federal Government? In our state, the contribution from the Federal Goverment to the K-12 budget appears to be a small fraction of the total budget, especially when local contributions (as through levies and voluntary fundraising) are included.
Posted by joan sias on 11/15/2009 @ 02:55PM PT
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If you step back and examine the schools that are on the failing end of the achievement spectrum across the United States, there is a close correlation to the quality, purpose and contributions of the Board. What is missed in this discussion, I believe is the perspective of what low-performing districts experience. In many cases, the people who run these Boards are deeply ingrained in these communities and tend to be "well respected". They are often well respected for the wrong reasons, which typically involves influence peddling, cronyism, favoritism and nepotism. There is also tendency to get too involved in day to day decision making, and thus the cycle of mediocrity and performance is further exacerbated.
Posted by Lafayette Howell on 11/15/2009 @ 05:54PM PT
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Lafayette, thank you for your thoughts about the school boards in districts that are failing. I believe that you are absolutely correct that there is a close correlation between student achievement/performance and the quality of school boards. Having said that, I will add that micromanagement, unfortunately, can take place across the entire spectrum.
School boards set the tone and atmosphere of a school district and its expectations for its students. They are the entity that gives direction to a Superintendent and staff. If they themselves operate in a way that involves favoritism and nepotism, then they have tricked the voters/mayors into putting them in place for all the wrong reasons and for their own agenda.
I would hope that in all communities, there could be some citizens who can see that this is happening and who determine to change it. Many people just don't spend their time monitoring the performance of their school board, but citizens and communities should hold school boards accountable. If their schools are not producing the results that are needed, then they should demand a change --if that change does not come, they should demand a new school board. I think more attention needs to be paid to how school boards function and how they should function.
Posted by Anne Foster on 11/17/2009 @ 09:22AM PT
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Joan, thanks for the questions you raised about federal governance of school districts. You are correct in your assessment that if states opt out of following NCLB, then any federal funds would be denied. Keep in mind that for many districts with large numbers of at-risk students, this could include Title I funds that provide huge financial support. Actually, there were several states that threatened in the past few years to opt out. Right now, in this economic climate, it is difficult for states to replace those funds. In addition, states have to look at the costs of compliance with NCLB versus the funds received.
Many people believe that when NCLB is reauthorized, there should be a return to greater local and state controls in education, while maintaining state testing and information sharing. NCLB increased federal spending, as well as federal intervention and governance. The authority over student testing policies used to be at the local level.
Keep in mind that over the past few decades, there have been various federal spending programs initiated, such as the Safe and Drug-Free Schools program. Federal funding has been greatly expanded in many areas.
In addition to NCLB, states and schools also come under the governance of many other federal laws, in general areas like discrimination, disabilities, etc. Other influence comes from general policies administered from the federal level through the state departments of education.
It is a complex web of funding and laws!
Posted by Anne Foster on 11/17/2009 @ 09:13AM PT
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