Imagine that, during a heated school board meeting over the budget, an angry parent demands to know why custodians are paid just as much as beginning teachers ands asks to see a history of the salary increases awarded to support staff over the last decade. You turn to your superintendent, who does not have that information at his fingertips or in documentation that he brought to the meeting. Then you turn back to the parent, saying, "We'll have to get that information for you."
In a boardroom equipped with a computer and appropriate electronic database, however, you would be able to call up budget figures, enrollment projections, the numbers of children taking advanced mathematics, and any other statistics you need. You could use multimedia to create electronic presentations that are interesting, colorful, and lively and that make use of flow charts, graphs, and organizational charts. When citizens raise questions at board meetings, you'll be able to call up and display a school board policy or present a 20-year history of school taxes.
Electronic communication will be the norm in tomorrow's boardroom, says a New Jersey superintendent. "There will be no room for paper-shuffling bureaucrats in an era of computer-literate policy makers," he contends. Board members will prepare for upcoming meetings by accessing information through electronic networks in their homes and office, not by pouring over thick stacks of paper. In many districts, that is already happening, as school board members are networked to the school administration's headquarters and can send and receive reports and memos by electronic mail. (Keep in mind, though, that open meeting laws likely will prevent you from holding on-line conferences and voting through E-mail.)
You might want to consider subscribing to one or more commercial on-line services, which can offer an abundance of educational research through newspaper, magazine, and specialized databases. These services, in addition to allowing you to make travel plans, or shop at home, also give you access to special interest forums, where you can chat electronically and exchange ideas and information. Many on-line services also provide access to the Internet. To subscribe, you will need a computer, a modem (your computer's telephone connection), and telecommunications software.
By going on-line, you will gain a better sense of technology, understand how much professional development the staff will need to make use of on-line services, and stay in better touch with the community through E-mail. You also might investigate whether your school district is hooked up to the FrEdMail (Free Educational Electronic Mail) Network, a low-cost telecommunications chain of computer bulletin boards dedicated to K-12 education.
On the downside, you may find a steep learning curve for the on-line services, especially if you're not comfortable with computers. And while you're figuring out how to find the resources you need on-line, you can rack up steep charges and tie up your telephone for lengthy periods of well. Once you are familiar with the service you select and what it offers, however, you will find costs likely to drop, unless, of course, you get so involved in electronic chats and searches that you stay on-line for hours.
You can also use "cyberspace" to help you win a board seat, as a Missouri board member has done. He sent out electronic mail messages to voters in his district who where on-line and developed a computer-generated list of registered voters for his campaign volunteers to use. Although a complete newcomer to the political process, he won a board seat by a close margin of 43 votes. "I believe my use of E-mail struck a chord with constituents, who believe that a community that has endorsed a $4 million technology plan for a district of this size needs leadership that is comfortable with technology and its issues," he says.
In short, technology can improve the management of your district, enhance your school board work, and most important, give your students the skills they need to prosper in a global economy. Increasingly, your role as a school board member will require your understanding of and commitment to the kind of technology that fosters your school district's mission and goals.
Go to: Technology and the School Board