Board of Education

The board of education is a uniquely American institution. It keeps the country’s public schools flexible and responsive to the needs of their local communities. A member of a board of education in New York State takes on one of the most important responsibilities that can be assigned to any citizen: helping to plan the education of the community’s youth.

The board focuses on the district’s ENDS (vision, goals and policy) while the superintendent (as CEO) focuses on the district’s MEANS (objectives, plans, actions, recommendations.) In other words, the board oversees the education of students and is responsible for school district operations, but does not directly run the district’s day-to-day operations.

According to the New York State School Board Association (NYSSBA), board members must fulfill certain duties to the institution and the community they serve.

• Set the district’s direction by working with the community to establishing goals, standards and strategies to transform a shared vision into reality;
• Ensure alignment of strategy, resources, policies, programs and processes with district goals;
• Assess and account for progress using comprehensive data, thorough deliberation and open communication; and
• Continuously improve the district, accentuating and reinforcing the positive and correcting the negative.

• Represent the entire community;
• Be a steward of the district’s resources;
• Act as a leader of the district; and
• Advocate for public education.