School board members most important regular responsibility is approving the district's annual budget, including contracts for teachers and other employees.
The budget is not just a spending plan, it's a legally binding document and a public policy statement, according to Washington state's Northshore School District's Budget Information Page. The budget establishes how much can be spent and on what, while it provides a method to measure the district's performance and progress. After school district staff develop the budget, the public may comment on it at a public meeting before the board votes to approve or reject it.
The Washington State School Directors Association notes that the school board is the district's governing body, but adds that it hires the superintendent to oversee daily operations. The superintendent is the district's top administrator, responsible for hiring the district's other staff, carrying out district policy and sticking to the annual budget's priorities and financial constraints.
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On the "School Board Policies" section of its website, the National School Boards Association describes a school board's policy-setting role as "crucial" to our educational system and equates it with that of a city council or state legislature.
"School board policies have the force of law equal to statutes or ordinances. Policies establish directions for the district; they set the goals, assign authority, and establish controls that make school governance and management possible."
Policies can range from busing students to achieve racial integration to providing "open enrollment" to deciding on a dress code.
As the district's elected representatives, school board members make the district accountable to its users (parents) and taxpayers. On the "What does a school director do?" section of its website, Washington state's Manson School District states the school board is "ultimately responsible" for governing the district.
It describes this role as setting specific goals and creating a process for evaluation, reporting progress and suggesting improvements.
School board members also promote education and their district locally and at the state and federal level to elected representatives and policy makers. The California School Boards Association describes the school board's advocacy role as involving the community and communicating information about the district's policies, programs and fiscal condition.