Proposed Iowa law: More frequent school board elections but longer terms
Iowans unhappy with their school board could sweep out a majority of the members under a bill passed by the Iowa Senate. School board elections would take place every other year instead of every year. And the term of office would be lengthened from three years to four years. The idea is to save $1 million a year by holding elections less frequently, according to officials in the state Secretary of State’s office. But some school board officials say they can’t stand the proposal. It would mean, for example, that a seven-member school board would see four members up for election at the same time. It would give Iowans who are disgruntled about a single issue such as a building closure or district reorganization the ability to take over a board—a disruption that can leave school district in disarray, some lobbyists and lawmakers said. Marshalltown is one district that saw a serious shift in its board, and it took four years for the district to recover, said Mary Gannon of the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB). A study by former Iowa State University professor Tom Alsbury showed that politically motivated turnover in a school board has negative results on student achievement, Gannon said. It affects leadership and long-term planning, and in some cases, the superintendent ends up leaving, she said. A survey of 49 states by the Iowa secretary of state’s office showed that in 41 states, school board members serve for either four, five or six years.
Source: Des Moines Register, 3/18/08, By Jennifer Jacobs
[Editor’s Note: IASB has spearheaded research called the Iowa Lighthouse Project that isolates out the characteristics of effective school boards. Information on a 2008 research symposium hosted by IASB on the same topic is at the first two links below. Information on the Lighthouse Project, along with other resources on effective governance and a brochure for voters explaining the importance of school board elections and suggesting questions worth considering when evaluating candidates, is at the third link.]
BoardBuzz on research symposium
IASB info on forthcoming book
Center for Public Education “All in Favor” page