Washington State School Directors' Association

Serving Washington State's
1,477 Locally Elected
School Board Members

WSSDA
221 College St. NE
Olympia WA 98516
Location Map
Tel: 360/493-9231
Fax: 360/493-9247
E-Mail:
mail@wssda.org
Martharose Laffey
Executive Director
Sue Brand
Webmaster
Staff Directory
Office Hours:
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(Pacific Time)
Monday thru Friday
 
Serving on Your Local School Board: A Guide for Candidates

What does a school director do?

School board members – school directors – are the "governors" of the school district who work in partnership with their administrative team to set the district’s direction. The school board’s governance responsibilities fall in four major areas:

  • Vision – The board focuses the work of the district and community on student achievement through a comprehensive strategic planning process.
  • Structure – The board governs the district through prudent financial planning and oversight, and diligent and innovative policy making.
  • Accountability – The board infuses all programs and crucial policies with specific goals and a process for evaluation, reporting and recommendations for improvements.
  • Advocacy – The board champions public education in the local community and before state and federal policy makers.

There is a definite line between governing the district and administering its daily activities. While boards are ultimately responsible, they employ a professional staff of administrators (led by a superintendent) to manage the day-to-day functions in the school district.

As the governors of the district, school boards work with their administrators to make decisions and set policy regarding a number of matters, including bond and levy elections, budget adoption, facilities, curriculum adoption, fiscal planning and oversight, employee relations, and transportation.

Cooperation is the key to successful school board governance. Each board member works with the other members of the board and in partnership with the superintendent, who carries out the board’s vision and direction. Decision-making authority is vested in the school board as a whole – individual proposals are adopted only when a majority of the board approves them.

ALSO AVAILABLE:

WSSDA Manual: Serving on Your Local School Board (PDF)

PowerPoint Presentation used at Candidate Workshops

 Copyright © 2008 Washington State School Directors' Association
221 College St. NE • Olympia, WA 98512 • 360/493-9231

 

How to become a school director
What does a school director
 do?
Being an effective school board member
About WSSDA
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