Who, What, Why is a School
Board Member?
With the potential of nine new school board members leading the largest public school district in Tennessee next year, we wanted to take some time to detail the role of a school board member and what makes an ideal representative.
According to School Board School, the basic functions of a school board member are:
Policy-making
Budget and finances
Curriculum
Hiring
Community engagement
The State of Tennessee also enumerates many powers and roles of the board in Tennessee Code. Of course, much of this work overlaps with the work of district administration, but the school board is the ultimate authority on legislative and budgetary matters, as well as oversight of the superintendent and operations of the district. Division of responsibilities and adherence to specific roles of governance and management are what keep any organization functioning properly.
It stands to reason, then, that a school board member would ideally have experience in budgeting, high-level personnel management, public policy, or any other field related to the basic functions of a school board. For instance, one of the most pressing issues facing MSCS is the more than $1.4 billion price tag of the district’s deferred maintenance. Relatedly, there has been much talk about closing and consolidating some schools to reduce that cost, improve service delivery, and “right-size” the district. While the creation of any facilities plan is entirely the responsibility of the school board (with input from administrative staff and community members), it will be district administration that executes the plan. In this particular example, it would be very beneficial for the school board to have a member with expertise in large-scale facilities management. Priorities lifted up during the More for Memphis planning process also remain front and center: Early Childhood, Literacy, Community Schools, and ensuring students have access to real career-connected opportunities.
As you can see, the role of a local elected official like a school board member or county commissioner is crucial to the proper functioning of our systems that serve children and families, an idea we have raised consistently during our support of a collaborative governance model between schools, City, and County to maximize our investments and impact. With the potential for 22 new leaders across the school board and county commission next year, our local elections in 2026 could not come at a more critical juncture.
