The Definition of a School Board
By August 5, all registered voters in Olympia will have the chance to vote in the school board director primary. But what exactly are we voting for? What should we expect of a school board director? What are they supposed to do? And not supposed to do? Here’s some context.
The Lay of the Land
- There are 5 school board directors for the Olympia School District. Each director represents one of five districts that are split within the city. These districts are reassessed at each federal census to ensure they have an equal number of voters.
- To be eligible to run for school board director, a candidate’s main residence has to be in these districts to run for the corresponding board seat. Though directors live in different school service areas (for example, District 1 is located in the Boston Harbor, Roosevelt, and part of the Madison catchments), board directors represent the ENTIRE district.
- School board directors are the only unpaid elected officials in Washington. In many states, the position is paid and sometimes even appointed.
School Board Director Responsibilities
According to the Washington State School Directors’ Association’s (WSSDA) Guide for School Board Directors, the role of board directors is to oversee the big picture of the school district, such as:
- Collaborating with the superintendent and community stakeholders to ensure that the strategic vision aligns with the district’s mission and values
- Developing and approving policies
- Holding the district accountable for improving student outcomes
- Hiring and evaluating the district superintendent
- Representing the community
WSSDA recommends establishing a strong governance model, regularly reporting on the alignment between district actions and the established vision, and listening and creating trust with the community that board members serve.
School Board Director No-Nos
Since school board directors represent the community, and most of us are not school administrators, it’s not necessary for them to be experts in school administration. In fact, when a school board director leans too far into school admin work, their actions can become contentious and litigious. School boards are NOT supposed to:
- Assist in day-to-day operations or micromanage financial decisions
- Push personal or political agendas
- Make decisions without a long-term plan
- Put the district at legal risk
- Dismiss differing points of view from the community or fellow board members
In short, a school board director is just “one of us,” informing the district of our community’s values and needs.