Profile of Pa. School Directors

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A Profile: Pennsylvania school directors

This PSBA survey is conducted every four years and is used to provide a profile of the "typical" Pennsylvania school director. The "typical" school director is male, well-educated, married with two or three children attending public schools, and devotes 16-20 hours per month to school board business.

School directors tell
why they ran
Hundreds of candidates run for the office of local school director. When asked why, the reasons may be as varied as the number of candidates. Following are the major categories of responses and some specific replies.

Categories:

1. Improve the quality of education, standards and/or achievement.
2. Serve community, public service.
3. Children or grandchildren are in the district.
4. Control taxes, costs and spending.
5. Dissatisfaction with present board, need for change.
6. Have expertise, experience to share.

Specific replies:

• "...the ever-increasing value of public education. I am an advocate of the public education system and the benefits it provides to our children and community."
• "I hear the way students talk about the school. I also am a concerned taxpayer. I wanted to be someone on the board that would use common sense."
• "I was first appointed and realized how important the job of school director is. I have a passion for public education and children."
• "I was a disgruntled parent and a 'letter writer.' I was later asked to run for the board by the same board members -- I was so shocked they asked me [that] I agreed!"
• "I think the younger generation needs to be represented, especially those with young children not even in school yet."

Most important educational concern facing schools
Board members were asked to share what they think is the most important educational concern facing schools today (2006), the near future (2010) and the distant future (2016). The top five categories of concerns follow.

Educational concern today:

1. Adequate funding, financial needs.
2. Academic standards, assessment, NCLB, AYP, PSSA.
3. Mandates, state and federal regulations.
4. Property tax reform, Act 72, referendum.
5. Special education.

Educational concern near future:

1. Adequate funding, financial needs.
2. Academic standards, assessment, NCLB, AYP, PSSA.
3. Mandates, state and federal regulations.
4. Property tax reform, Act 72, referendum.
5. Basic skills, curriculum, math, reading, science.

Educational concern distant future:

1. Adequate funding, financial needs.
2. Workforce development, global competitiveness, citizenship.
3. Mandates, state and federal regulations.
4. Academic standards, assessment, NCLB, AYP, PSSA.
5. Charter, cyber and private schools, home schooling.