School Board Should Mold, Not Meddle

Some candidates in the running for the Los Angeles Board of Education sound as if they want to run the schools. That’s the job of the superintendent, not board members, who should set broad policy and leave the day-to-day business to the district.

Yes, public schools require leadership that is accountable to the public. But responsive board members can set broad public policy without micromanaging the district.

Micromanagement, a national disease in many urban districts, often results from public pressure. Any major administrative decision often prompts an outcry, replete with demonstrations and furious phone calls to the board. But board members must not become paralyzed by public furor. Parents--and voters--have every right to demand that their representatives understand the issues and explore all alternatives; and board members do have a duty to make informed decisions on the larger issues. But that’s not micromanaging.

Outspoken parents, for example, have no business demanding that a member get involved in the daily operation of any school. Ordinarily such matters must be left up to the superintendent of schools, his staff and, increasingly, to the school-based management team. Board members who succumb to the political temptation to respond to every phone call and address every problem instead of delegating are meddling. Their interference also signals that they can be manipulated by parents, staff and other members.

Because serving on the board is not--and should not become--a full-time job, the members should focus on a limited number of goals. Improving student achievement must come first.

To make timely progress, the new board must put issues over personalities. Members must develop a mutual respect that allows for differences of opinion but does not tolerate divisive personal attacks.

That climate of respect must also permeate the board’s relationship with the other major players in public education--the superintendent and the head of the teachers’ union. Instructive rather than combative communications can help to rebuild public confidence; a united and harmonious front could also prove persuasive during budget negotiations in Sacramento.

The Los Angeles Board of Education could get at least two and as many as four new members in the upcoming election. The district will miss the experience and the knowledge of respected veterans Jackie Goldberg and Rita Walters, but their decision not to run for another term will allow new leadership. One hopes the new board members will come quickly to understand the important difference between being a member of the board and, say, the superintendent of schools.