What is the role of the school board?
School Board
Local school boards have responsibility for goal setting, policymaking, community involvement and oversight of administrative aspects for their individual school districts. Their most important responsibility is to work with their communities to improve student achievement in their local public schools. School boards derive their power and authority from the state. In compliance with state and federal laws, school boards establish policies and regulations by which their local schools are governed.
Key Roles of the School Board
Work with Superintendent
Work with Superintendent
Work with Superintendent
Hire, collaborate and annually evaluate the superintendent and assistant superintendent
Policies
Work with Superintendent
Work with Superintendent
Set and evaluate policies that define the expectations for the management of district operations
Curriculum
Work with Superintendent
Curriculum
Approve the planned instruction describing what will be taught which is guided by Pennsylvania State Standards
Budget
Work with School Administrators
Curriculum
Adopt a district budget that balances the responsibility to provide educational programs with being stewards of the community's resources
Work with School Administrators
Work with School Administrators
Work with School Administrators
Work together collaboratively and cooperatively on behalf of the public school system
Represent Community Values
Work with School Administrators
Work with School Administrators
Elected as a local citizen to contribute to public education and represent community values
Additional Information
The board is not involved in the evaluation of individual teachers and administrators. The only evaluations conducted by the board are the superintendent and assistant superintendent (if your district has one) evaluation. All other employee evaluations in the district are the responsibility of the administration.
The board does not run the district but ensures the district is well-run. The day-to-day operation of the school district is the superintendent’s job.
The board does not get involved unless an issue remains unresolved after school staff have attempted to address the issue. The board is the last authority in addressing concerns, only after the teacher or coach, principal and superintendent have all had the opportunity to solve the issue.
The board governs at the “30,000-foot level,” while the administration is at “ground level” managing the issues.
PSBA - https://www.psba.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/FAQs.pdf
Why are School Boards supposed to be bipartisan/non-political?
Decisions made by School Boards should be guided by student needs and what is best for ALL students, rather than being influenced by larger political parties.
What is Christian Nationalism? How can it impact elections, school board/schools, etc?
”Christian nationalism is a type of religious nationalism that is affiliated with Christianity, which primarily focuses on the internal politics of society, such as legislating civil and criminal laws that reflect their view of Christianity and the role of religion in political and social life.” (Wikipedia)
With separation of church and state, NO religious beliefs of any kind should be permitted to guide or impact school board decisions, school policies, or government (any level). If religious beliefs are permitted to influence decisions within a school, groups of students will be underserved. Public schools are meant to serve ALL students equally.
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