Role of a School Board Member
Texas Association of School Boards Defines the Board Role as:
- Communicate with the community
- Adopt goals and priorities and monitor success
- Adopt policies and review for effectiveness
- Hire and evaluate the superintendent
- Adopt a budget and set a tax rate
Good schools lead to successful and productive citizens, which lead to vibrant communities.
I am not afraid to ask tough questions to hold our board (including myself) and administration accountable to our parents and taxpayers.
What good School Board Governance looks like to me:
- Public School Boards play an important role in your children’s education, yet many do not understand the duties of a board member. Whether you currently have students in school or not, you have a stake in the success of our public education system.
- School board members are unpaid volunteers, elected by the public. In College Station, they are at-large positions representing ALL students in the district, and are elected to 3-year terms.
- Board members set the vision and goals for the district to work towards, adopting both the district policies and the budget that the district needs to reach these goals. They should ensure good systems are in place and that the funds are used wisely.
- The board makes one primary hire, the superintendent of the district, and then must hold him or her accountable to do what’s best for our district.
- The school board is ultimately accountable to the community, including the students, parents, teachers and all taxpayers and voters. Board members should be advocates for students and their parents, and should listen to all constituents.