Reviews "cutback management" and "crisis management" literature and suggests four approaches for school trustees: recognize the problem for what it is; recognize your particular dilemma; don't stall, set priorities; and do it in a way that will elicit cooperation, not competing advocacies. (BRR)

Four suggestions are offered to board members who make decisions about changes in school curriculum: collect and share information, establish curriculum priorities, plan curriculum changes, and monitor curriculum. (MD)

Offers guidelines for writing a school district policy manual that can reduce personnel problems, improve employee morale, and promote community understanding of school administration. (Author/WD)

Gives seven suggestions for handling board meetings when the audience is antagonistic. (WD)

The minutes of a school board meeting can enhance board credibility and can provide important documentation in the case of litigation. The features of accurate board minutes are described and ways to achieve them are suggested. (Author/MLF)

Lists crucial procedures devised by a superintendent to produce board meetings that are both open and thoroughly organized. (Author/JM)

How to handle an irate individual or community group threatening to wreak havoc on board sessions. (Author/JM)

To avoid losing money when buying a bus, a school board should know its district's needs, use the district transportation officer's expertise, investigate local dealers' credentials, learn about differences in bus quality, follow detailed specifications, and pay promptly upon purchase. (RW)

Trustees evaluating their private school should know the school and its staff. They can use objective evaluation methods, such as standardized test results or college placement of graduates, but they should also incorporate the opinions of recent graduates and the community and utilize staff presentations to the board. (RW)

Reports the results of a random survey of board members and superintendents in 80 small and medium-sized school systems in northwestern Ohio. (WD)

With tongue-in-cheek a school board member in Berkeley (California) describes the board meetings during his first four months of service and offers insights into the political realities of decision making and the budget process in an era of retrenchment. (WD)

Outlines the factors that cause stress in board members and the steps members can take to alleviate the stress. Urges board members to refuse to let the job become overwhelming. (IRT)

In constructing its policy concerning community groups' use of school facilities, the board should consider cost, conditions, insurance requirements, school representatives whose presence might be needed, scheduling, and security. (Author/IRT)

A superintendent outlines the problems caused by a constant flow of new board members and suggests ways in which superintendents can help prepare new members for their jobs. (IRT)