Discusses the value of using committees to assume responsibility for various areas of school board business. Provides five tips for being a good committee member and five guidelines for heading a committee. Includes discussion on dealing with problem committee members. (MD)

Briefly describes the process of textbook selection and offers some guidelines to help board members who may serve on selection committees. (IRT)

A Nevada school board has instituted an internal audit committee to review how well the school system is operating, financially and otherwise. Describes committee organization and suggests a code of conduct for school systems that addresses the following situations: gifts, influence, conflict of interest, privy information, and confidentiality.…

To encourage women and minorities to seek administrative positions, boards should balance committees that screen and interview by gender, race, and ethnicity. Success depends on offering desirable, full-time paid internships, and mentoring opportunities paying realistic salaries and benefits; downplaying extraneous expectations; and showing…

To handle a death in the school community wisely and sensitively, school boards need to develop a death response policy. A policy developed by a diverse committee will be sensitive to the needs of the entire school community. Offers seven points to consider in drafting a policy. (MLF)

Communication between meetings helps board members gain necessary knowledge of education and district operations. A strong committee system strengthens that communication. Committees on curriculum, finance, buildings and grounds, transportation, and personnel/policy allow board members to develop leadership skills and become familiar with key…

A school district audit committee has the capacity to unearth pertinent information about the operating efficiency and effectiveness of a school district, as well as providing a more professional audit. (Author/WM)

A school renovation referendum's success hinged on a superintendent's visit to Joseph Graves, outspoken leader of an anti-tax group. Graves's book advises educators to marshall the facts and then talk with voters on committees, not at them. After exhaustive discussion, groups will make their own recommendations. (MLH)

Describes how a New York school district developed a way to successfully settle contracts with teachers using a joint committee of the parties involved rather than professional negotiators. (MD)

To be an effective school board president, certain leadership qualities and personality characteristics are useful: (1) trust, (2) effective communication, (3) responsibility versus authority, (4) control of meetings, (5) committee structure, (6) problem-solving approaches, (7) board development, (8) superintendent relations, and (9) mission. (KDP)

School board presidents are faced with many challenges as leaders. A past president of the Dallas (Texas) school board shares his experiences and maintains that an effective board president must be willing to take risks and criticism and be totally committed to public education. Provides a leadership style evaluation form to rate board presidents.…

A comprehensive, field-tested plan for changing school attendance boundaries involves community-based committees that analyze the relevant data (with support from central office staff members) and develop the initial recommendations for the school board. Outlines a six-step process and lists some basic principles. (MLF)

Presents a New Jersey school board's method for revenue raising through bond approvals by the community. The key to this board's success is the involvement of citizens in the early decision-making process. (MD)

During 1992-93, an upstate New York district saved a million dollars while improving services for special needs students. The district saved tuition costs by reclaiming 80 disabled children formerly placed in outside programs. By carefully reviewing students' learning difficulties, staff lowered the number of students classified as educationally…

According to an Ohio elementary principal who chaired a redistricting committee, establishing new school attendance boundaries can be frustrating. Despite good intentions, the nearly all-white, all-female committee worked harder to protect their individual neighborhoods than to achieve common goals. The process would have benefited from a more…