Description
Boardsmanship
A Guide for the School Board Member
By California School Boards Association
1961 Edition
One of the few nonpartisan, elected bodies in our society, and one of the few bodies to maintain a strong emphasis on local control, is the school board. This guide points out the responsibilities and obligations of the school board members, who in large part determine what the citizens of the next generation will be.
After a brief discussion of the role of the school board member, the guide tells how a board organizes itself to work efficiently - electing officers, preparing agendas for meetings, keeping minutes.
The major decision-making responsibilities, especially in the areas of curriculum, finance, and housing, are discussed. Practical suggestions are made; for example, the board is urged to delegate such business affairs as purchasing, accounting, auditing, and insurance to a competent professional staff, so that the board can be freed from time-consuming detail work.
Because of the importance of the complex relationships that develop among members of any educational organization, a section is devoted to the problem of staff relationship between the board and the superintendent. The procedure for choosing a superintendent is outlined, and criteria for appraising his competence and effectiveness are suggested.
The powers and responsibilities of the board as defined by California law are pointed out, including choosing books, hiring teachers, issuing bonds, and conducting school district elections.
Appendixes include samples of a school board meeting agenda and minutes of a meeting.
Prepared under the direction of the California School Boards Association "Boardsmanship" Revision Committee, Helen S. Kerwin, Chairman. Edited by H. Thomas James, School of Education, Stanford University.
This is a reproduction edition from a scanned copy of the following original edition:
Title Boardsmanship: a guide for the school board member
Authors California School Boards Association. Administration Committee, California School Boards Association. Boardsmanship Revision Committee
Publisher California School Boards Assoc, 1961
Length 102 pages