An effective school board is well aware of its legal status as a corporate body. It understands its duty to deliberate and reach decisions regarding the educational needs of the community, the best use of available resources, the adoption of policies and programs which will secure an opportunity of great personal advantage to the youth of the community and, at the same time, protect the State from the consequences of an ignorant and incompetent citizenry. Frequently, school board members, either by choice or because of failure to be reelected, have a relatively short stay in office. This high rate of "turnover" thrusts great responsibilities on those who may not always see clearly the consequences of some important decision. This handbook is designed to ease the transitional period by highlighting what a new school board member in New Hampshire needs to know. Described are needed skills in negotiations, decisionmaking, goal-setting, needs assessment, communications, and community relations. Experienced committeemen should also find the information useful for those new and unexpected problems that constantly arise. (Author)