Board of Education Service
by Mr. Mike Mathes, Superintendent of Schools
May 01, 2008
One of the truest forms of democracy in America is the local Board of Education. Board members are non-paid trustees of the school district - elected by their local peers. Being a board member is a demanding, difficult, and many times thankless job. It requires a huge commitment of time and energy along with a thick skin.
With 4 main constituencies, students, parents, staff and taxpayers, each with their own often competing agendas, it is almost impossible to meet the needs of everyone in the community. When parents want teachers available 24 hours a day, teachers want higher salaries, students want more programs, and taxpayers want lower taxes, no matter what decision the board makes, someone will be unhappy. Because they are the only ones who have received all of the information provided by the staff, they are in a much better position to understand priorities and make decisions than anyone else. And because they are not in the district office or the school building everyday they cannot be expected to know every detail about everything that is going on in the district.
The Board makes many fiscal decisions each year. Most importantly they approve a budget that gives the superintendent authority to spend money. In most cases the Board sets goals for the superintendent and then allows him or her to complete those goals within the statutory authority of the budget.
Most Board members do not have an educational background, yet are asked to make many educational decisions. Because of that, Board members must rely on their professional staff to provide them with quality information that enables them to make good policy decisions. Those policies are what enable the staff to run the schools in an effective, professional manner. They also provide the legal statutory basis for everything from authority to tax, to authority to discipline and suspend. When the Board passes a policy it becomes law as long as it does not conflict with existing state or federal law.
The key to being a good Board member is to make every decision based on what is best for the students. Even though that may not always be what is best for the other constituencies, by keeping the students at the forefront of all of their decisions the Board will always know they did their community a great service. It is my hope that each person in our district understands and appreciates the difficult job your Board of Education has.
