Use these to evaluate candidates for your Board of Education — at forums, in questionnaires, or in conversation.
01
Does the board choose what happens in individual classrooms?
No. Curriculum frameworks, textbooks, and programs are approved by the board, but day-to-day instruction — lesson plans, teaching methods, classroom management — is run by teachers and administrators, not the board.
02
What is the board's role in personnel decisions?
The board votes to hire, fire, tenure, and set compensation, but almost always acts on the superintendent’s recommendation. Individual board members have no authority to hire, direct, evaluate, or discipline staff on their own.
03
What causes problems in this area?
Trouble usually starts when a board member tries to intervene directly with a specific teacher or employee — giving orders, pushing for discipline, or campaigning against a hire — rather than working through policy and the superintendent.
04
Who handles discipline for individual students?
Building administrators (principals, vice principals) handle day-to-day discipline. The board’s role is limited to acting on administration referrals for long-term suspensions/expulsions, and to setting the district’s overall discipline code.
05
Why shouldn't board members get involved in specific cases?
State law and ethics rules bar individual members from acting outside a public board meeting. Getting involved in one family’s or one employee’s case invites legal liability, violates student privacy law (FERPA), and can bias the board if the matter is later appealed to it.
06
Who controls rules on student records, discrimination, and accommodations?
Mostly federal and state law (FERPA, IDEA, Title IX, NJ Law Against Discrimination) sets the baseline. The board adopts policies to comply with these laws — it can’t loosen protections below what the law requires.
07
Can the board set its own policies here?
Only within the space the law leaves open. Boards can add details, procedures, or local preferences, but any policy conflicting with state/federal law will be struck down or draw legal exposure to the district.
08
Did boards control mask, quarantine, and vaccination policies during COVID-19?
No. Those rules came from the Governor’s executive orders and state health department guidance. Local boards generally couldn’t adopt policies that conflicted with or weakened the state mandates, though they had some room to set implementation details (e.g., exemption procedures).
09
Can the board remove library books?
Only through its adopted reconsideration policy — a formal review process, usually involving educators and community input — not by a unilateral vote or a single member’s request. Arbitrary removal risks First Amendment and NJ Department of Education challenges.
10
What authority does an individual board member have?
None, individually. Under NJ law, a board only has authority when acting collectively at a legally noticed public meeting. No single member can direct staff, make promises, or bind the district.
11
What behaviors cause problems?
Common issues: members acting alone (contacting staff directly, promising outcomes), breaching confidentiality (personnel/student matters are discussed in closed session), conflicts of interest, and campaigning on district resources.
12
Can district resources or meetings be used for political advocacy?
No. School facilities, staff time, email lists, and board meetings can’t be used to advocate for candidates or ballot measures. This is restricted under NJ School Ethics Act rules and general public-resource laws.
13
How much control does the board have over the budget?
The board adopts the district budget, but it operates inside a state-set property tax levy cap and relies heavily on state aid formulas set by Trenton. Big line items (special education costs, contractual salaries, debt service) are largely fixed obligations, not discretionary choices.
14
What drives conflict here?
Most board conflict comes from members treating the role as individual authority rather than a collective one — trying to micromanage staff or classrooms, discussing confidential matters publicly, or campaigning on ideological issues the board has limited legal power to act on anyway
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