Public school superintendents have a unique dependency on the capacity of their local school boards to function competently and lead their school districts effectively. As credentialed experts in all aspects of school leadership, superintendents serve at the pleasure of a board of individuals who gain their authority through political means without the explicit requirement to possess any particular knowledge or experience in leading an education agency. School board members are called upon to make decisions on a wide range of critical issues including school finance, law, facilities management, human resources, curriculum, governance and supervision of the superintendent. Systems Theory analysis how all of these aspects of leadership work together and was used as the theoretical framework for this study. To address the need for school board members to be prepared to lead school districts, states like Illinois have developed regulations and administrative guidance mandating some degree of training for members of local school boards. This holistic qualitative case study uses an open-ended interview process to identify training experiences in which school board members in Illinois have participated, discover patterns in training needs as perceived by board members, and define the degree to which these needs are perceived as being met through various opportunities. Fourteen school board members throughout the state of Illinois with at least four years of experience were interviewed. Through an analysis of the responses, several themes emerged that suggested ways to optimize board development. The study concluded that school board members from across the state of Illinois perceived school board training to be beneficial and necessary. More specifically, the mandated school board training provided by the Illinois Association of School Boards is perceived as valued and necessary. Furthermore, this study identified the following themes: School board members from across the state of Illinois expressed that some form of training should take place prior to their decision to serve on the school board as their perceptions of serving presented challenges that were unanticipated. School board training needs focus on skills needed for working with other members of the board, protocol for answering disgruntled parents, and learning legal or financial constraints that restricted them from following through on their original motivation for wanting to serve on the school board as their motivations for serving evolved. Finally, there is also a strong indication that rural school boards often favor tradition over process. The study concludes with recommendations for further study. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]