This handbook is designed to serve as a guide to help school boards understand collective bargaining and the labor-management relationships in their districts. Chapter 1 describes what school-board members need to know. Chapter 2 discusses some of the political and legal realities that school boards face in the collective-bargaining process. Chapters 3 and 4 depict how bargaining works and describe some alternative bargaining styles. The fifth chapter examines the board's reaction to union demands, with a focus on building credibility. Chapters 6 and 7 offer guidelines for preparing to bargain and understanding roles and responsibilities. The eighth and ninth chapters describe strategies for resolving a negotiation impasse and responding to a teachers' strike. Ten concluding recommendations are offered in the final chapter. Four tables and a glossary are included. (LMI)