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Would it be a good idea to …
… up the requirements for election to school boards?
A little history is in order.
Public schools sprang from America’s pioneering days. When enough settlers set up shop, adults would gather, arrange space to serve as a school and pitch in to pay a teacher. They weren’t school “districts” – they were often a single school room. Governance meant meeting as needed. Towns started forming education committees, precursors to school boards.
So the notion you shouldn’t need special qualifications to sit on a school board is as old as the nation itself. And the reasons to keep it that way can sound strong.
There’s powerful proof that universal education is core to successful democracy. And what’s more democratic than letting almost anyone run for school board? There’s the theory of numbers: Nine elected officials are enough to avoid mistakes or collusion, but not so many they bog down in endless debate. And the state keeps control where it matters: Teachers and administrators need credentials, building plans undergo state scrutiny, and budgets and taxes follow state rules.
That said, things have changed a lot since those “Little House on the Prairie” days. Teacher certifications grow more numerous and complicated. Curriculum creep has pushed subjects once reserved for college into early high school and beyond.
Technology abounds, with interactive white boards in every room and Internet-ready computers at every desk. Enrollment homogeneity is long gone, and the increased diversity presents problems of its own.
Schools have become the epicenter of efforts to reduce childhood hunger, catch and prevent the spread of diseases, and diagnose mental and behavioral problems early enough to mitigate bigger struggles in adulthood. School security is far beyond the age of hall monitors.
The institution of public education has become an industry costing more than $600 billion annually nationwide for preschool through high school, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Board members oversee a vital operation with infinite moving parts and frequently shifting goals. It seems fair to ask if qualifications should change.
Currently, the essential qualifications (there are ancillary legal restrictions) are being 18 or older, not a convicted felon, not employed by the district you want to help run, and “of good moral character.”
Any changes need not be as restrictive as mandating a level of education or passing an exam. It could be as simple as making voluntary training provided by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association mandatory, before or after election. Maybe add a continuing education component – via Internet options – on critical issues.
The people entrusted with the education of our children surely shouldn’t object to a little education themselves.
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