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How PennsylvaniaPublic School Boards Work

IntroductionElected by the citizens, Pennsylva-nia’s public school board membersrepresent their communities’beliefs and values when makingdecisions about the operation ofschool districts. These communityrepresentatives give of their timeand talent, without compensation,to provide high-quality educationalopportunities that prepare childrento live as productive members ofsociety.

School directors are advocates forthe public education of the stu-dents and the enhancement of thecommunity. By incorporating thecommunity’s view of what studentsshould know and be able to do ateach grade level, school boardsensure that the standards forachievement are met.

School board members are acces-sible to their district residents andaccountable for the performanceof the district’s schools. They alsoserve as the community’s watch-dog, ensuring that tax dollars arespent wisely on education.

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What is a School Board?The Pennsylvania state constitu-tion mandates that “The GeneralAssembly shall provide for themaintenance and support of athorough and efficient public edu-cation system to serve the needsof the commonwealth.” A schoolboard is the locally elected gov-ernment body that serves as theagent of the state legislature andthe representatives of the com-munity in providing a high-qualityeducation for the students of theschool district.

School boards were officially cre-ated by the Free School Act of1834. This law addressed severalareas of school governance,including:

• Creating school districts.

• Requiring that all childrenreceive an education regardlessof their status in society.

• Establishing the election ofschool directors.

• Empowering school boardsto supervise the creation andoperation of schools and the cer-tification of teachers.

Each school board consists ofnine members who serve a four-year term, without pay, as school

director. School board electionsare held every two years, and thenumber of seats up for election isstaggered, with five seats electedone term, then four seats electedthe alternate term.

Who is Eligible toServe as a SchoolBoard Member?Pennsylvania law requires thatanyone wishing to serve as aschool board member meet thefollowing criteria:

• A citizen of Pennsylvania.

• Of good moral character.

• At least 18 years old.

• A resident of the schooldistrict in which the person wish-es to serve for at least one yearprior to appointment. Also, if theschool district divides its repre-sentation into regions, the poten-tial school director must be a res-ident of that region.

School Board OrganizationEach year, school boards acrossthe commonwealth meet duringthe first week of December toconduct the business of establish-ing the board’s organizational

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structure. The board must elect apresident and vice president,adopt the meeting calendar for thenext year and appoint committeesand other board positions. Also atthis meeting, the board will swearin newly elected members.

The school board president ischarged with running the meet-ings of the board and signingofficial documents at the board’sdirection. The vice president willserve in this capacity in theabsence of the president.

What Does a School Board Do?The Pennsylvania Public SchoolCode is the law that governs theoperation of public schools. ThePublic School Code charges everyschool board with the responsibilityof “establishing, equipping andmaintaining elementary schools andsuch other schools it deems properto establish.” The school code alsolists many, but not all, of the pow-ers that school boards may use tooperate a public school system.

The nine members of the schoolboard operate as a group andmake decisions as a board. Indi-vidual board members do nothave the authority to make deci-

sions regarding school districtpolicies or operations withoutexpress approval from the entireschool board.

Federal, state and local laws andregulations also define the roleand responsibilities of schoolboards.

One of the primary responsibili-ties of a school board is to adoptpolicies that govern how schooldistricts operate. These policiesshould reflect the board’s visionand principles and represent thecommunity’s standards.

School boards are the chiefadvocates for public education inthe community. As such, theymust make every effort toengage their community andencourage active participation inthe community decision-makingprocess.

While it is the school board thatsets policy, it is the responsibilityof the school district administra-tion to develop regulations thatimplement those policies.

School boards also are chargedwith selecting the superintendent,the school district’s chief execu-tive officer. School boards areresponsible for recruiting, hiringand evaluating the performance

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of the superintendent. Thesetasks are the sole responsibilityof the school board and cannotbe delegated.

School boards have an overallresponsibility of hiring the staff ofthe school district. Typically, theboard relies on the recommenda-tions of the superintendent. Thesuperintendent supervises andmanages the school district staff.School boards do not managedistrict staff.

School boards are the final deci-sion-makers regarding expulsionand suspension. Many times,community members want theboard to become active in theadjudication process at inappropri-ate times. Because the board mayhave to sit in judgment at a latertime, it is important for the boardto remain out of the process untilsuch time arrives, so that theymay, to the extent possible, makeunbiased decisions.

School Board MeetingsThe school code requires schoolboards to meet a minimum ofonce every two months. Mostboards meet more frequently.

It is only during official meetingsthat a school board has theauthority to take action regardingschool district operations.

Effective school board meetingsallow the public to watch how theschool board works and to com-ment and provide input into thedecision-making process. Thelaw requires that school boardsprovide time during official meet-ings for district residents to com-ment on matters before theboard takes action.

Meetings and the decision-makingof school boards must be carriedout in public. However, the lawdoes allow for some confidentialissues to be discussed in pri-vate;ß these are called “executivesessions.” The law also does notrequire that the school board holda meeting within the school dis-trict boundaries. As long as theboard properly announces andadvertises the meeting asrequired by law, a meeting maybe held in a location deemedappropriate by the board.

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