Start Here: The Basics of Board Service

written by PSBA staff

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of PSBA School Leader Bulletin magazine.

Congratulations on being elected to the school board! You’ve surely realized that your new responsibilities cover an array of areas, from finance to policy to advocacy. Plus, board business is ongoing, so it’s important for new members to learn quickly. If you’ve got questions about mandates, mills or motions, rest assured, you’re not alone. There’s a lot to learn. But there are plenty of resources to help you grasp the essentials and grow in your role. To start, here are a few key points to keep in mind during your first term.

Board service: a team effort

In Pennsylvania, the nine members of each school board plus the superintendent are often referred to as the “Team of 10.” While the superintendent is a nonvoting member of the board, according to the PA School Code, the superintendent has a right to speak on all matters before the board. “Understand that you’re joining a team, and that team has specific goals and objectives it is working toward,” says Will Smeltzer, PSBA associate director of professional development. “The board should be supporting and aligning its decision-making to the goals of the district.” Although the board is made up of individuals, the authority of the board is a collective one, explains Cytha Guynes, PSBA associate director of professional development. Aside from your voice and vote at meetings, “There are no individual decisions; it comes down to: What is the voice of the board?” As a result, “the board is most effective when its members work together collaboratively and cooperatively for the benefit of the district and its students,” Smeltzer adds.

Another key fact to keep in mind is that the board governs the district through policy, while the superintendent and administration manage the day-to-day operations. Said another way, the school board does not run the district; it ensures the district is run well. School directors hold the superintendent accountable through required annual performance evaluations and ongoing discussion.

It takes time to learn the role of a school director and how to be effective in it. Because the board’s responsibilities are so broad and new issues arise each year, it’s a good idea to listen well and ask questions, especially during your first year, Smeltzer says. “If you have an area of expertise you feel would be helpful to the board, discuss it with board leadership so you can understand how you might use that within your position.” If your board has a mentoring or onboarding program for new members, participate. As you’re starting out, try to understand the board’s culture and expectations for your conduct before, during and after a board meeting. What should you do when you have questions about the agenda before a board meeting? How does your board conduct meetings? Refresh your knowledge of parliamentary procedure – designed to protect order, promote equality of participation, and move the agenda forward efficiently – which will answer some of these questions. Then ask for details on your board’s preferences.

Although differences between board members can cause friction, diversity of opinion can lead to better decision-making. To help keep your board moving forward, Guynes suggests school directors seek to understand others and look to “disagree agreeably” when there is a conflict. Also, getting to know fellow school directors on a personal level can help create  a collaborative environment.

Professional development

To serve effectively, professional development is key not only in the first term but continually throughout board service. “The field of education changes. If COVID taught us anything, it’s that we need to be nimble. If you’re in the habit of knowing the learning resources to use, you can depend on that when the need arises,” Guynes says. Research, such as the Iowa Lighthouse Study, has shown that the decisions made by an efficiently operating board directly and positively impact student achievement. So, there’s ample reason to complete training related to your role as a school director.

In Pennsylvania, new school directors must complete five hours of training that has been approved by the PA Department of Education (PDE), while reelected directors must complete three hours. PSBA offers a variety of ways for boards to fulfill the requirement online, virtually or in-person. See the myPSBA member portal for details on required training, or “RQD,” as well as a variety of learning opportunities throughout the year.

The financial picture

One thing most school directors agree on is that budgeting and finance is one of the most difficult areas of board service to understand – and one of the most important. Because the budget cycle is ongoing, it’s key for new directors to be informed right from the start. And school directors must be prepared for legislative action, or inaction, affecting school budgets.

Setting a budget entails matching available resources to the planned educational goals for student success. However, school finance is highly regulated. Many new school directors are surprised to learn just how much of a district’s budgeted costs, such as salaries and benefits, are decided through collective bargaining agreements, or fixed through regulations and mandates (pensions, existing debt, charter school tuition payments and more). In fact, much of the district’s revenue is outside of the board’s control. To add to the challenge, boards need to make key decisions about next school year’s budget early in the calendar year, yet districts often don’t have a full picture of what funding the state will provide until later. In order to make an informed decision, it’s important to understand what factors may affect budget decisions.

To start, know how much of your district’s revenue comes from the state and how much comes from local property taxes. “That will help you understand your district’s story and what challenges your district faces,” Guynes says. Next, understand the limits in place on raising taxes and how the district allocates revenue to operate.

From the state, school districts receive Basic Education Funding that includes a base subsidy and an amount that distributes new dollars in the state budget using a formula that takes into account student-based factors, including student count, poverty, English learners and charter school enrollment. The formula also includes school district-based factors which reflect school district wealth, local tax effort and capacity to raise local revenues. Most school districts in the state receive less than half of their total funding from the state.

State funding for special education is based on another formula with weighted categories of support for students with disabilities. Currently, the state share of both basic and special education aid to school districts has failed to keep pace with the rising costs of providing these programs and services to students. 

In addition to state funding, school districts also receive local taxes, which fluctuate depending on the tax base. Because of the Act 1 index limit, a district cannot raise taxes above the index except for limited exceptions. Determining whether or not  the board will be willing to raise taxes – and under what circumstances – should be discussed before decision-making time. That way, when the decision needs to be made, it can be done in a timely fashion. Another decision that should be considered is whether to reduce or eliminate certain programs if revenues decrease.

A district’s financial decisions can have an impact for years after they are made. Although balancing a school district budget is quite different from personal budgeting, talking with the district’s business manager or superintendent, as well as basic training in school finance, can help new school directors feel more  prepared for budget-related discussions and decision-making.

School law basics

School law touches every area of board business from finances to ethics to goal setting. There are local considerations, state laws and federal constitutional considerations which all play into the decisions a school board makes. “There’s not always an easy answer to a lot of the questions school directors have to grapple with,” says Carmen J. Bloom, PSBA chief legal officer. “Sometimes their decisions are based on the weighing of interests and what’s best for their district.” With all of this complexity, this area of responsibility may feel especially daunting. However, resources and support are readily available.

Start by going online and familiarizing yourself with the PA School Code and key laws governing board service, such as the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act, which is the state’s open meetings law, as well as the PA Public Employee Relations Act, which governs the interaction between public school employers – the school board and district administration – and employees represented by unions, such as teachers.

When you have questions about how laws are implemented at the district level, reach out, Bloom says. “As a school director, you’re not expected to be a legal expert, and it’s ok to ask questions. Rely on your district solicitor’s advice, as well as the superintendent, who may have a good deal of practical implementation knowledge, and PSBA’s resources to help provide the working knowledge to help you be effective as a school leader.”

The school solicitor is a key resource for understanding how school law intersects with board business. Keep in mind that your solicitor shares the board’s goals for the district’s success and is ethically obligated to advocate for the district as a whole. PSBA can provide general information, but specifics should be directed to your solicitor. “The solicitor’s role is to help the board navigate. PSBA can help by providing guidance and information on general questions,” Bloom explains.

School directors also should understand laws surrounding conflicts of interest. As locally elected officials, there are personal legal implications for school directors. Become familiar with the Pennsylvania Ethics Act and the Ethics Commission. “If you’re concerned about a possible conflict of interest, check with the Ethics Commission in advance, which can offer an advisory opinion that can help protect you from liability,” Bloom advises.

Public education advocacy

As outlined in PSBA’s Principles for Governance and Leadership, a framework for effective boards, advocacy is a key responsibility for school boards. “Board members are a direct link to their schools, they know the impact of legislation on their district and students,” says PSBA Advocacy Outreach Manager Jamie Zuvich. “They are also elected officials, and the legislators look to them as subject-matter experts when they have questions about how certain legislation might affect their district.”

It is important to build positive relationships with legislators, so when important issues arise, they will reach out to you. Although the thought of visiting “the Hill” might be intimidating to some, there are many effective ways to advocate for your district and for public education. Start by staying informed. PSBA’s Legislative Platform highlights key issues of priority for school boards across the commonwealth. In PSBA’s Morning Brief newsletter is a link to the weekly State Legislative Report and the COSSBA Education Report, which covers federal topics.

For issues where urgent action is needed, Action Alerts from PSBA provide an easy way for members to send an email, letter or phone call to legislators on a specific topic. PSBA also invites members to participate in an annual Advocacy Day at the state Capitol, where association staff facilitate face-to-face and virtual meetings with legislators and their staff.

Other effective ways to engage legislators include submitting an op-ed to a local newspaper or even reaching out to legislators via social media. And most importantly, invite your legislators to visit your schools and witness your challenges and successes firsthand. “When you take action, share your feedback with PSBA,” Zuvich says. “It’s really helpful for us to know where to potentially focus some of our attention.”

Resources

As PSBA’s Essentials of School Board Service describes, the business of the board can be compared to a moving train. It stops to let new school directors on and exiting school directors off, but then it keeps moving. Because of the ongoing nature of the work, it’s crucial that new school directors acclimate and learn as much as they can as soon as possible.

At the end of 2023, PSBA mailed packages to all newly elected school directors that contain resources to help members do just that, such as Essentials of School Board Service: A Guide to Effective Leadership, which answers the questions most commonly asked by new school directors in an easy-to-use Q&A format. These handbooks, along with other helpful tools, also can be downloaded from myPSBA under the Resources tab.

PSBA also offers an array of online courses and webinars on the myPSBA member portal in everything from school finance to board culture. The Roadmap to Success highlights topics from the New School Director Monthly Exchange – an opportunity for first-term school directors to engage in guided virtual discussion with PSBA staff experts.

Board service does come with a learning curve. But you can navigate it with confidence by taking advantage of the resources available through PSBA and your district. For an overview of services and tools available to members, see the Membership Benefits guide under Resources on myPSBA.