HOW DO POLITICAL

FACTORS AFFECT
SCHOOLS?
Examining the role of the school
board, and how these elected
officials mold schooling in their
image.

HOW ARE SCHOOL BOARDS CHOSEN?

Members are generally elected via local elections: making their
campaign an inherent political process
Members then appoint a superintendent--who can exercise a lot
of control
Members serve terms and have a platform, like any other elected
office

WHAT ARE THEIR PRIMARY

RESPONSIBILITIES?
Oversee local school districts and make decisions regarding
school function, in theory aligned with local desires
Adopt budgets and manage collective bargaining of
employees of district
Establish and charter the vision of the district
Set local district goals and hire superintendant

WHO TYPICALLY SERVES?

"Today’s average public school board member is a
white male with a family income of over $100K a
year."
On average nationwide, 60% of school boards are
male, 40% are female
Low-income individuals are often not represented
Minority populations often lack fair representation

HOW DO SCHOOL BOARDS

ENGAGE WITH LOCALS?
Since they are elected, they should serve the people's voice,
though figures put that generally only 20% of a population
votes in elections
Often members are local residents
A large member of school board members do not have
cildren in the district, bringing up concerns on service

WHERE DO SCHOOL BOARDS RECEIVE

THEIR FUNDING? HOW DO THEY USE IT?
School boards are funded by tax dollars, primarily local property taxes
Budgets are often dictated by state governments, making the process
political as representatives get a say in how schools are ultimately
funded
In some districts, budgets partially go to school board member salaries,
while other districts receive no pay for their work
Related, some members use their position to leverage own pursuits, like
in DeKalb County, GA where a member sold pizza
Budgets are also used to allocate district employee salaries, including the
superidentant who in Indiana makes well over $100k a year

Links to Sources Used

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/08/27/02schoolboard.h34.html
https://aheadoftheheard.org/school-board-demographics-dont-match-
student-demographics-and-thats-a-problem/
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-11-07-we-1470-story.html
https://people.howstuffworks.com/public-schools6.htm
https://www.salary.com/research/salary/benchmark/school-
superintendent-salary/in
https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/school-board-candidates/
https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/what-makes-a-great-school-board-
member/
https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2390/School-Boards-SELECTION-
EDUCATION-MEMBERS.html
https://www.ajc.com/news/local/school-boards-who-they-are-why-some-don-
measure/lGvGDi8wyHFYhHSvvRoQpI/
https://ballotpedia.org/School_board_salaries_in_America%27s_largest_school_di
stricts