(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.)
Among the most important offices on your ballot this November is the one that’s placed near the end of the ballot – your community’s school board. I’m not saying that because I believe education should be a key priority in every American community – which I do – but because your local school district uses one of the largest shares of your property taxes. In addition, any real estate agent will tell you that school districts are one of the key factors in a home’s value. People want to live where schools are good.
Depending on where you live, you may have several candidates to choose from. You’ve probably been seeing signs, mailers, and social media ads … and heard things about specific candidates from your friends and neighbors. I do hope you vote, and I’d ask that you consider the candidates carefully. Before you do that, however, it’s important you also consider a few realities.
1. They have surprisingly limited power
Most voters think school board members are all-powerful. The reality is that any authority they do have is extremely constrained by state and federal laws – which they are legally bound to comply with. In practical terms, their three primary legal responsibilities are setting district policy, approving (not creating) the district’s budget, and hiring and supervising the superintendent.
2. They don’t control funding
Many people assume school boards can do whatever they want with your hard-earned tax dollars. School funding in Indiana is extremely restricted. Board members don’t simply guess at how much money they want and demand the taxpayers turn it over. Where the district’s money comes from and how it can be used is determined by the state. For example, property taxes don’t pay for what happens in classrooms (unless there’s been a referendum). That money comes directly from the state, based on a complex formula. With limited exceptions, districts can’t simply move money wherever they want. Saving money in one fund doesn’t necessarily mean you can spend it somewhere else. School finances are divided into specific funds with rules governing how those dollars can be used. Boards can set their own priorities, but the state really calls the shots.
3. They’re not an appellate body
Quite a few voters think the board’s primary job is to keep the superintendent under control. When those voters don’t like something the superintendent or one of the other administrators have done, they want the board to overturn whatever it was. But this isn’t a “checks and balances” relationship. The school board hires the superintendent to run the day-to-day business of educating the community’s children, and in turn, the superintendent is responsible for overseeing all the employees and operations. They function as a team – not separate branches of government.
4. They must follow the law
I said it three paragraphs ago, but it’s so important that I’m repeating it here: school board members are required to comply with all state and federal laws, and that includes court decisions. If a candidate promises to force transgender kids out of the community’s schools, they’re potentially setting the district up for expensive litigation that your tax dollars will fund. I’d guess about 95% of the anger I encountered from parents and taxpayers involved things we had to do because that was the law.
5. Do they really understand the job?
If a candidate tells you they plan to return God to the schools, reject those dirty federal dollars, fire the basketball coach, keep that superintendent in line, get rid of the litter boxes (which, as I often point out, don’t exist), make kids take shop classes, or one of a dozen other examples I’ve seen over the years, you should ask yourself whether they understand the job they’re seeking. Why? Because those promises suggest they haven’t learned some very basic things about what board service in Indiana actually entails. If a candidate hasn’t bothered to understand the job, that’s something worth knowing before you hire them to do it.
School board races may be near the bottom of your ballot, but they deserve more than a last-minute guess. Don’t choose someone because you like their signs, recognize their name, or agree with what they’re angry about. Find out whether they understand what the job actually involves. After all, you wouldn’t hire someone for any other important job without knowing whether they understood it. Why should your school board be any different?