New School Directors

Serving on Your Local School Board Handbook

Offered each November at the WSSDA Annual Conference and several times throughout the year, Board Boot Camp is the perfect place to start your journey to becoming a school board member. Along with fellow new school directors, you’ll learn about the responsibilities of your new role and how to work effectively as a governance team.

The Washington School Board Standards provide a common framework for school board governance for local school boards and directors. They provide a shared understanding of what constitutes good governance and validate the importance of the school board’s role in ensuring student success. One set of standards addresses the school board’s leadership role in governing and includes responsible governance, expectations for student learning, conditions for student and staff success, accountability and community engagement. The other set addresses professional standards for individual school directors and includes values and ethical behavior, leadership, communication, growth and learning and accountability.

• Learn about the budget cycle and the board’s responsibilities here Budgeting & Bargaining manual
• Sign up for WSSDA’s OnBoard training to understand more deeply how school districts are funded, how to read budget and other financial reports from your district and how to ensure that your budget funds the values your district holds for its students.

Avoiding Conflicts of Interest: A Guide for School Directors (2022)

• Open Public Meetings: A Guide for School Directors and Superintendents (2022)
• WSSDA Parliamentary Procedure Handbook (2022)

Basics of School Law (2022)

WSSDA’s regional meetings are designed to give school directors an opportunity for dialogue, networking and collaboration. The meetings are also a great way for WSSDA to deliver (and collect) timely information related to topics of concern in each region. On occasion, representatives of other groups such as the State Board of Education, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and even members of the Legislature may attend as guests.