Phoenix-area voters will elect school board candidates this year. What does a board member do?

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, K-12 education issues have stayed top of mind, and the people who make decisions on schooling, especially district board members, have been in the hot seat.

At first, COVID-19 mitigation efforts and online learning were the issues of the day. Discussions ultimately developed into how much control parents should have over K-12 public education.  

The Arizona Legislature made headlines over bills that would increase parental scrutiny of student records and school library books, change how history and race are discussed in classrooms and require teachers to post their curriculum and learning materials online. 

But school board members were the ones who sat through hourslong meetings listening to public comments rife with parent requests related to mask requirements, online learning and curricular choices. 

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Roughly 180 people filed signatures to run for a governing board seat in one of Maricopa County's 58 school districts this year.

Some of the candidates will be appointed since they don't have any challengers. But most — 142, to be exact — are vying for 73 competitive seats. 

What does the position of school board member involve, and how far does school board members' power go? 

School board member duties and roles 

In Arizona, as in most states, local school board members take on unpaid, nonpartisan, elected positions with the following responsibilities: 

District policies and superintendent supervision: Local school boards are in charge of setting all policies and procedures, including rules, disciplinary measures and staff duties, that govern district schools. The district superintendent, who is hired and evaluated by the local board, is responsible for enacting these policies and procedures. 

Curricular choices: The Arizona State Board of Education is responsible for determining statewide minimum academic standards, deciding criteria for promoting students from grade to grade and setting the course of study, which includes subjects required by law. 

Local governing boards may adopt a curriculum that includes additional topics and subjects not laid out by the state board as long as the lessons do not: 

• Promote the overthrow of the U.S. government.
• Promote resentment toward a race or class of people. 
• Advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of students as individuals.

Lessons also cannot be designed primarily for students of a particular ethnic group. Similar prohibitions also apply directly to teachers under Arizona law.

The curricular requirements set by the state board are intricate and detailed, causing more than 240 districts to rely on guidance from the Arizona Association of School Boards, a nonpartisan nonprofit that provides services and materials, including curricula, training and policy models, to local school boards. 

District finances: Local boards are in charge of district solvency, which includes paying for building maintenance, purchasing furniture, equipment, books and school supplies, paying staff and approving general expenses. 

Although districts get funding through local bonds and override elections, the Arizona Legislature also allocates funds to public schools. 

In the most recent legislative session, lawmakers approved a $1 billion increase for public schools in the current state budget, including ongoing funding of at least $800 million.

But there is a catch when it comes to that additional funding. Arizona voters approved a constitutional spending limit for schools in 1980, and state budget officials project the combined district budgets for next year will exceed the cap. 

If state lawmakers don't act on lifting the cap by next spring, district schools' ability to use the extra funding will be restricted. 

School property: Finally, school boards are in charge of managing and controlling school property, including funding renovations, upgrades, and the construction of facilities.

Bonds and overrides are temporary, local property tax-funded measures school districts can ask their voters to approve if additional money is needed to invest in renovations, new technology or transportation infrastructure.

Voter-approved overrides allow school districts to boost their maintenance, operations and capital budgets.

What board members don't do

In the past two years, parents and community members have pushed board members to act on matters outside the board's control, such as ousting members from their elected seat and making public health decisions contrary to law. 

Local school board members do not have the authority to: 

Remove a fellow board member: There are three ways for board members to be ousted from their seat. They can resign, voters can gather signatures to recall them or a judge can order their removal if the board members broke the law. 

Board members can take action to remove a colleague from the role of board president or board vice president, but they cannot vote to remove them from the board altogether.

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Make public health decisions contrary to law: Arizona law requires school board members to set policies related to the health and safety of students that:

• Ensure the health and safety of students who participate in athletic activities.
• Protect the health and safety of students who are physically harmed as a result of harassment, intimidation and bullying. 

There are also some Arizona laws that prohibit school board members from taking particular health actions. For instance, Gov. Doug Ducey this year signed bills into law prohibiting mask and COVID-19 vaccine mandates in public schools. 

Local school boards receive guidance from the Arizona Department of Health Services. The Health Department is also the agency that sets vaccine requirements and exemptions for public school students. Currently, K-12 students in Arizona are required to be vaccinated against hepatitis B, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis and meningitis. 

Remove certain subjects from the curriculum: There are topics that the Arizona State Board of Education requires in public school curriculum. For instance, in 2021, Ducey signed a bill requiring instruction on the Holocaust and genocides into law. 

When it comes to American history and government, district boards cannot prevent teachers from going over certain materials with students, including:

• The national motto "In God We Trust," the national anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance.
• Arizona law and the state motto "Ditat Deus," which means "God enriches."
• The Declaration of Independence and the Mayflower Compact.
• Writings, speeches, documents and proclamations of the Founding Fathers and the U.S. presidents.
• Acts of U.S. Congress.

In addition, some optional subjects, if included in the curriculum, need to be taught following parameters set by Arizona law. For example, if a school district chooses to provide instruction on environmental education, the statute requires the program to be based on current and reliable scientific information and include a discussion of economic and social implications. 

Optional subjects that are subject to legal requirements also include sexual and health education and training in the use of bows or firearms.  

Renata Cló is a reporter on The Arizona Republic's K-12 education team. You can reach her at rclo@arizonarepublic.com and follow her on Twitter @RenataClo. 

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