The People Who Run for School Board

by Judy Saks

Published in partnership with the National School Boards Foundation.

Who is behind the major policy decisions in your child's school system? Who decides what classes should be offered and which textbooks should be used? Who determines what is "safe" for students and "ethical" on the part of administrators? Who defines bus routes in districts where there is racial desegregation?

If you guessed the school board, you're right. But how much do you really know about your school board and its agenda? Just who are those mysterious school board members?

The demographic profile of the typical school board member is a white, middle-aged, married male with an advanced degree who is employed in a professional position and earns more than $50,000 a year. School board members are familiar faces in most districts. They often are parents who want to provide better opportunities for their children; retired teachers and administrators who maintain a strong interest in education; professionals who believe in community service; and members of the business community who understand the value of a good education in preparing students for satisfying careers.

Here are highlights from recent nationwide surveys conducted by The American School Board Journal, which are based on a stratified, random sample of the magazine's readers:

Gender
While men still are in the majority, the percentage of women has increased on school boards across the country. Arizona currently has nine all-female local school boards, and twenty Ohio school boards were all female at the beginning of 1996. The all-female school board for Tacoma, Washington is another good example of changing demographics. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the board was frequently all male.

Minorities
Although America's classrooms have become increasingly diverse (17 percent of the nation's public school students are black and 14 percent are Hispanic), school boards generally don't reflect that diversity yet.

Regional statistics tell a somewhat different story, though. The 1996 survey found, for example, that school boards in the South Atlantic region (which includes the Carolinas and Georgia) were more than 10 percent black, as were boards in the East South Central region (including Alabama and Mississippi). School boards in the Mountain region (which includes Arizona and Nevada) had the highest percentage (5.5 percent) of Hispanic members, followed by boards in the West South Central region, which includes Texas, with 4.8 percent.

Age
School board members are chiefly middle-aged--and getting older. One explanation for the graying of school boards may be simple: older Americans whose children are grown likely have more time to devote to school board work, which can be very time consuming, than do younger people, who are busy raising families and focusing on their careers.

Family Income and Level of Education
School board members are pretty affluent. There appears to be a clear connection between board members' incomes and levels of education. Nearly half of board members have graduate degrees, and 44 percent are employed in professional and managerial positions, according to the 1997 survey.

School board members' vital statistics have stayed pretty consistent, and so have the issues that concern them. Board members have always worried about budgets, lack of parental involvement, and curriculum development. But what's new these days is that they are also concerned with technology, increases in student enrollment, and at-risk students.

More on: Getting Involved with Your Child's School