Save this page!! Recently Mary Ellen Siegler from Massachusetts Informed Parents posted this list of questions for parents to use when considering school board candidates up for election. It may be late for 2022’s election, but it can certainly be used in the future:
Questions to Ask a Potential School Committee Member:
Background / Reasons for Running
- Why do you want to run?
- What is your professional background?
- Have you done any volunteer work within the community? If so, with what groups or organizations? (Research every group or organization they mention.)
- How long have you lived in the district? If you are new to the district, why did you choose to move to our town/city? (This question is meant to determine if they moved into the district helped or encouraged by an activist group who is strategically looking to take over the local school board and backing them to run.)
- Tell me about your educational experience growing up. What did you like about your education? What was missing from your education?
Education Issues
- What do you see as the current challenges facing public education in our town/city, state, country?
- What are the priorities our district needs to address? Why do you see these issues as priorities?
- What is your philosophy of education? How do students learn best? What do you see as the best approach to education? What are the absolute essentials of a quality education?
- What do you believe is the best approach to teaching history, civics, and government?
- Do you think controversial cultural or current events should be talked about in the classroom? If so, how should they be handled? If not, why?
- What do you believe is the best approach to health education? What topics do you believe should be discussed regarding sexual health? How should the sensitive topics of sexual orientation and gender be handled? Should they be discussed and taught in school or left for families to address individually? Are you in favor of comprehensive sexuality education or do you support the sexual risk avoidance approach? Do you understand the difference between the two? Please explain.
- Many school boards and parents disagree about what kind of literature should be included in English class, in the school library, or in the school database. How do you define the term age-appropriate when it comes to literature and/or other curriculum content? For instance, do you think it is age-appropriate for a middle school student to have access to literature describing violent or explicit sexual acts in order to communicate that such behavior should be avoided?
- How do you define diversity, equity, or inclusion?
- Do you believe the district has a diversity, equity, or inclusion problem? If so, why? What actions would you take to resolve those issues?
- Many districts across the state are hiring directors of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Do you think this type of position is necessary for our school district? Why or why not? Do you thinkcreating a DEI Director position is a good use of budget funds? Why or why not?
- Do you think there is value in welcoming local and national groups such as Teaching Tolerance /Learning for Justice, STRIDE, Safe Schools Programs for LGBTQ Youth, etc. to be actively involved in our school district? If so, why? If you do not think these groups should be actively involved in our district, tell me why.
17. Do you believe political or special interest has a place in public education? Why or why not?
Roles and Responsibilities of the Board
- What do you see as the board’s roles and responsibilities? Should they primarily address educational issues, or should they also seek to solve social issues as well?
- If elected, what key accomplishments do you hope the board could attain? What part do you see yourself playing in those accomplishments?
- How would you handle supporting or not supporting a board decision you were not in favor of?
- How would you address differences of opinion on the board or between the board and school staff?
- Would you vocalize your disapproval of a board decision you did not agree with or would yoube silent if you were the minority view?
- What do you believe about the role of the school and the role of parents in education? What is your view on the relationship between school officials and parents? Do parents abdicate certain rights when their students step foot on the school campus?
- What can school officials and the school board do to respect families’ individual beliefs on controversial cultural, political, or religious issues? How can the school board be careful not topromote one view over another?
- How would you handle requests from individuals or special interest groups?
- Do you think it is the role of school officials and the school board to promote specific values and if so, what values do you see as a priority? How should the school board go about identifyingand defining those values? Please offer an example.
- How can school officials and the school board develop a supportive and deferential relationship with parents? What are some policies that could be put in place to facilitate mutual respectbetween the district and parents?
- Do you believe it is ever acceptable to withhold physical or mental health information about a student from parents? If so, in what instances? Please provide specific examples.
- Do you believe that educational and administrative control should be local or that districts should be mandated to follow directives from the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary?Education? Please provide reasons for your answer.
- What kinds of policies should be amended or implemented in order to provide transparency and accountability regarding curriculum, policy, and budget to local stakeholders (i.e., parents, community leaders, concerned citizens) in the district? For instance, should all curricula be posted and viewable online? Should assemblies that include controversial topics require an opt-in (parental notification and signed permission slip) from parents in order for their students to participate?
I would ask questions that are not presumptuous but would serve to draw a candidate out. If questions are pointed without being accusatory a candidate will want to talk about the issues that are important to them. You can then tell by the way they are answering where they might stand, even if they are being evasive with their answers. Sometimes what they do not say is just as important as what do they do say.
Also, I highly recommend looking at all their social media accounts including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. You can usually get a sense of someone by looking at what they post on social media.
QuesforProspSBCandidates.pdf (ia-sb.org)
Questions for Prospective School Board Candidates Provided by the Iowa Association of School Boards www.ia-sb.org
Community members need to know as much as possible about a candidate for their school board. The following questions can help citizens understand the views of candidates for school board. These questions can also help prospective school board members think about the broad range of issues that form the basis of constructive boardsmanship.
This list is intended to help the media or citizen groups in selecting questions for candidate forums or publications. Choose the questions below to create a set of questions that best fits the needs of your community and the format of your forum. Be sure to provide the questions you choose to candidates in advance to allow them time for a thoughtful response.
Background/Reasons for Seeking Election
♣ What motivates you to want to become a board member?
♣ What particular skills or experiences qualify you to serve as a school board member?
♣ How long have you lived in this school district?
♣ In what school or district activities have you been involved?
♣ How much time will you/can you give to board service? Education Issues and Needs
♣ What do you see as the current challenges facing public education in our state? In our country?
♣ What are 2-3 strengths of which our district can be proud? Why do you see these as strengths?
♣ What are 2-3 needs that must be priorities for our district to address? Why do you see these as needs?
♣ What is your best hope for the future of this school district?
♣ If elected, what would you hope would be key accomplishments of the board during your years of service?
Roles and Responsibilities of the Board
♣ Why are school boards necessary?
♣ What are the leadership responsibilities of school board members?
♣ What do you see as the board’s roles and responsibilities?
♣ If you could select only one thing, what do you think is the most important responsibility of a school board?
♣ What do you believe are the most important characteristics of an effective school board? Of an effective school board member?
♣ What specific strengths would you bring to the board table?
♣ What role does policy have in the functioning of the board?
♣ How is the school board’s role different from that of the superintendent and administration? ♣ Do board members/the board have a role in the day-to-day operation of the district?
♣ Can you/should you support a board decision that you were not in favor of?
♣ An individual school board member has no authority; only the board as a whole can make decisions for the district. What skills or traits will allow you to contribute to the effective operations of the board as a whole?
♣ What is the best way to address differences of opinion on the board or between the board and staff? ♣ What is the board’s responsibility in setting goals to improve the school district?
♣ How can a board know if its goals are being accomplished?
♣ How does/should the board decide what’s most important?
♣ How should the board balance the need to provide a meaningful education for all students with the need to efficiently use taxpayer dollars?
♣ What is the school board’s role in ensuring that our district has a well-qualified teaching staff?
♣ What kind of relationship should the board have with the school staff?
♣ What kind of relationship should the board have with its community? With its parents and families?
♣ As a board member, how will you be accessible to the community?
♣ How would you handle requests, if approached, from an individual? Special interest groups?
♣ What will you do as a board member to ensure you have adequate knowledge and information on which to base your decisions?
Specific Issues
You may have specific issues that have been in discussion in your district. Adapt the questions below as appropriate regarding issues current in your district.
♣ How do you view the school board’s role in _______________? (Examples: defining the school district’s curriculum; selecting text and library books; etc.)
♣ What do you see as the role of technology in education?
♣ What should our school district be doing to ensure the safety of students and staff?
♣ What should our district be doing to address the challenges of declining/increasing enrollment?
♣ What, if anything, should this school district do about ____________? (Examples: teaching values; teaching about sex education; etc.)
♣ What responsibilities, if any, should districts assume for dealing with such societal problems as poverty, hunger, emotional illness, or drug abuse?
♣ What is your opinion of your school district’s policies toward ______________? (Examples: students with special needs; English as a second language; special education programs; students with behavioral problems)
♣ What do you think about vouchers? Tuition tax credits? Charter schools?
♣ How would you determine priorities for staff/program/budget cuts if finances were to dictate the need for such cuts?
