School board elections

As the corporate entity charged by law with governing a school district, each school board sits in trust for its entire community. The obligation to govern effectively imposes some fundamental duties on the board:

1. The board clarifies the district purpose.

As its primary task, the board continually defines, articulates, and re-defines district ends to answer the recurring question — who gets what benefits for how much? Effective ends development requires attention to at least two key concerns: student learning and organizational effectiveness.

2. The board connects with the community.

The school board engages in an ongoing two-way conversation with the entire community. This conversation enables the board to hear and understand the community’s educational aspirations and desires, to serve effectively as an advocate for district improvement, and to inform the community of the district’s performance.

3. The board employs a superintendent.

The board employs and evaluates one person — the superintendent — and holds that person accountable for district performance and compliance with written board policy.

4. The board delegates authority.

The board delegates authority to the superintendent to manage the district and provide leadership for the staff. Such authority is communicated through written board policies that designate district ends and define operating parameters.

5. The board monitors performance.

The board constantly monitors progress toward district ends and compliance with written board policies using data as the basis for assessment.

6. The board takes responsibility for itself.

The board, collectively and individually, takes full responsibility for board activity and behavior — the work it chooses to do and how it chooses to do the work. Individual board members are obligated to express their opinions and respect others’ opinions; however, board members understand the importance of abiding by the majority decisions of the board.

Source: 

Illinois Association of School Boards Principles of Governance

The Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) released their 2022 Resolutions Committee Report, addressing this issue.

Included in this report was the following underlined language:

7.07 Election Schedules School Board Elections nonpartisanship

IASB strongly believes that school board candidates should not solicit, accept, or receive either a donation or financial contribution from special interest groups, political action committees or political parties.

At its meeting on November 15, 2022, the Barrington 220 school board discussed this proposal and all seven board members agreed to support the amendment.  Watch the discussion at the 1:55:49 mark in the meeting.

Sources and additional information:

• Position Statements of the Illinois Association of School Boards

• IASB Resolution process and what happens after a board votes on each year’s resolutions.

• What is an IASB Resolution

Why does this matter?

School board members are non-partisan representatives.  Accepting contributions from political parties, political action committees (PACs) or special interest groups can raise questions about the candidate's integrity and motives. This can undermine public trust in the election process and the school board as a whole. By avoiding contributions from these sources, candidates can demonstrate their commitment to serving the public without bias and without being beholden to any particular interest.

A Political Action Committee (PAC) is a type of organization that is created for the purpose of raising and spending money to influence elections and public policy. PACs can be formed by individuals, corporations, labor unions, and other groups, and they are subject to certain legal restrictions on their fundraising and spending activities.

PACs can support candidates for public office or political parties, or they can advocate for or against specific policy issues. They can do this by running advertisements, making campaign contributions, conducting research and polling, and engaging in other types of political activities.

PACs are regulated by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in the United States, and they are required to register with the FEC, file regular reports on their fundraising and spending activities, and comply with certain rules regarding the sources and amounts of their contributions.

PACs are a common and influential feature of the political landscape in the United States and are often used by interest groups and other organizations to promote their agendas and influence public policy.

Why does this matter?

To avoid conflicts of interest, many states and school districts have established rules and regulations that limit or prohibit the use of PAC funds to support school board members. Additionally, many school board members choose to voluntarily disclose their campaign contributions and refrain from accepting donations from PACs to avoid the appearance of impropriety.

Reports on fundraising and spending activities for candidates can be found here.