A recently elected school board member discovers in an old book, "The Challenge of School Board Membership," by Daniel R. Davies and Fred W. Hosler, that despite the passage of 50 years, the basic operation of a school board has not changed much. (MLF)

Distinguishes three types of "mavericks" (single-issue advocaters, aspiring politicians, and administrative meddlers) who often complicate school board operations and offers six maxims for dealing with them, including understanding board members' personal motivations and conducting board business as openly as possible. (JBM)

The author's suggestions for dealing with single-issue board members include preparing for potential problems before "mavericks" take their seats, being fair to the maverick member's single issue, alerting mavericks to public pressure, and conducting a board self-analysis session. (JBM)

Spells out some tough guidelines for keeping school boards in charge of public schools. Suggests including in contracts a strong management rights clause, a no-strike clause, cancellation of all bargaining rights during the term of the contract, and specific and detailed restrictions on grievance procedures. (Author/JM)

For organizations to succeed and endure, trust, collaboration, and performance cultures must coexist. A culture of trust starts with a school board that is independent and fully accountable and that holds all only its employees accountable. In a culture of collaboration, the board becomes a partner in setting goals but allows the experts to do…

The La Crosse (Wisconsin) School Board turned to the comprehensive school board development program offered by the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) for help in governance policy. The board adopted John Carver's Policy Governance model consisting of ends policies, executive limitations, board and superintendent relationship, and…

Textbooks have come under a barrage of criticism ranging from overall textbook quality to changing costs. Litigation in the federal courts has challenged textbook content. New York State school boards need to examine the issues in the textbook problem. This paper explains New York State's textbook selection process, which is based on local…

Recommendations concerning college role and mission that were made by the National Governors' Association (NGA) in 1986 are addressed, along with the concept of system effectiveness in higher education. In its report, "Time for Results," the National Governors' Association Task Force on College Quality asked states to clearly define the role and…

Describes one school board member's experiences, including being sued by a group (to which her son belonged) desiring to hold a peace fair on school property. Recounts massive reading assignments, disciplinary and due process hearings, countless meetings, and other official and unofficial responsibilities. Advocates smooth proceedings and…

The demographics and educational needs of individual states are far too varied to identify any single preferred structure of educational governance. What matters is quality of leadership. Ideally state board of education members should possess integrity combined with decision-making and teamwork skills. The board should engage important…

Reviews responsibilities and structure of local boards of education; notes deficits. Improvements suggested: additional qualifications for board members; changing to an active, creative, thoughtful board; more attention to curricular policies; board committees with greater emphasis on the curricular; appropriate school officials seated with boards…

Three hypothetical scenarios to help school board members analyze the process used when ethical issues are unclear. Lists five steps that lead to ethical decisions. (MLF)

Virginia--the only state in the nation to bar school board elections--recently cleared the way for elected boards. Recounts the history of school boards in the state. A map illustrates the 19 states that allow both elected and appointed school boards, according to local option. (MLF)

New board members can jeopardize their abilities to get things done if they don't take the time to understand how school boards work. Advises new board members to watch what they say and lists 10 statements new board members often make but should not. (MLF)

In preparing to discuss the roles of administrators, board members, and the negotiator in school collective bargaining, the author lists his "tried and true" principles and outlines the differences between bargaining in the public and private sectors. An important difference between the two kinds of bargaining is that school board…